The attention of the Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has been drawn to a statement credited to former Lagos Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav in which he claimed that Governor Ortom was involved in some road contracts in 2004.
"He was involved in the Daudu-Gbajimba road contract for N486, 466, 305. 00 and Uni Agric-Gbajimba road for N267, 079, 540. 00 for which payments were made but these contracts were not executed,” Alhaji Tsav claimed.
The statements which have become a daily narrative from the retired police officer could have been dismissed with a wave of the hand. But it is important to point out just a few contradictions to lay bare the skewed comments which are clearly part of a sponsored attack on the person of Governor Ortom, to also correct the wrong impression and set the records straight.
In 2004, it can be recalled correctly that Tsav was no longer in the service of the Nigerian Police Force and was back to Benue State. This lays the basis for the expectation that he (Tsav) would have got his records straight that Ortom was not the contractor awarded the road construction of the Uni Agric - Gbajima road and that of the Daudu - Gbajimba road.
Let us assume that Abubakar Tsav had forgotten the name of the firm awarded the contracts. However, the threat to file a suit against the Benue State Government in 2012 by former Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe accusing the state government of refusing to complete payment for the project (see This Day newspaper of 8thSeptember 2012, also reported in several other media) should have reminded Tsav that the company which handled the said contracts was 'Value Trust Investment Limited' owned by Doyin Okupe and not Ortom's Oracle Business Ltd.
A letter attached here which was signed by Engr. Charles Avul, the then Hon. Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport dated January, 2007 has put to rest the issue of who handled the said contracts. The letter clearly identified the name of the company which was awarded rural roads projects including the ones leading to Gbajimba as VALUE TRUST INVESTMENT and not Oracle Business Ltd. It can be seen in the same letter how the contract which was initially awarded to Value Trust Investment Ltd for a period of 24 months with effect from 29th April, 2004 was later extended to terminate on 30th April, 2007.
These records are there for everyone to see that Governor Ortom was not awarded the contract to handle the Uni Agric - Gbajimba road and the Daudu Gbajimba road. Let it be on record that neither Samuel Ortom nor any of his firms had a hand in the said road contracts to Gbajima.
Another unfounded statement credited to Tsav is his allegation that Governor Ortom "used one Thomas Adejo to defraud the 23 LGC of various sums of money..." For a man who only became governor on May 29 this year, it is confusing reading Tsav in the lines above. How did Ortom use Adejo to defraud the 23 local government areas when he was neither a governor nor a member of the State Executive Council and therefore had no direct dealings with the local governments?
In the face of these unwarranted attacks on his person from this same elder Abubakar Tsav, the expectation of thousands of Governor Ortom's supporters will be that though he has ignored Tsav's smear campaign for so long, the Governor should instruct his lawyers this once to proceed to court to seek redress. The people will be right to expect this from their Governor. Let Tsav go and tell the courts what he knows and lay on the table the proof.
On the issue of probes, Tsav is again wrong to ask Governor Ortom to stretch the work of the Judicial Commissions of Inquiry to cover the tenure of former Governor George Akume. If former Governor Suswam had handed over the books he received from his predecessor, Sen George Akume, it would have been appropriate for Governor Ortom to extend the probe to Akume's administration. The proper thing in governance is that when a new leader takes over, he looks at the books of his predecessor and if he finds any grey areas, he seeks clarification which can be through the legal route as is now the case in Benue. As Governor Ortom has said repeatedly, the probe commissions are not out to witch-hunt anyone but only to guide the process of ascertaining what took place before this administration came to power.
In an earlier outing, Alhaji Tsav accused Governor Ortom of keeping company with thugs. One of the victims of Tsav's arrows is Abraham Kwaghngu, a Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties who Tsav claimed at one time led attacks against Hausas in Gbajimba. Incidentally, the same Kwaghngu was Senior Special Assistant to former Governor Suswam for eight years and the former policeman never raised the issue all the time Suswam was the Governor. Of course, the gentleman refuted the false allegation and brandished his credentials and profile which included a Masters Degree as well as victory in a State Assembly election as well as someone who has held several positions of responsibility. Kwaghngu felt aggrieved and has also been advised to seek redress.
Tsav got it grossly wrong, AGAIN!
Terver Akase is Senior Special Assistant on Media.
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