The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has disassociated himself from wheelbarrows recently purchased for empowerment of youths in the state.
The social media was awash last week with pictures of wheelbarrows bearing “Gov. Ortom for you”. The reports had alleged that the governor purchased the items for onward distribution to unemployed youths. But Ortom, through his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, denied the claims, saying the consent of the governor was not sought and that he did not give approval for anyone to inscribe his name on the wheelbarrows.
“Ortom is aware that the wheelbarrows in possession of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) were recently donated by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) for victims of crisis in parts of the state, so he couldn’t have claimed credit for the gesture.
“The Ortom administration has numerous laudable empowerment schemes for youths of Benue, but the donation of wheelbarrows is not one of such schemes,” he said.
Akase added that based on the development, the governor has directed the Secretary to the State Government to issue a query to the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Boniface Ortese, to explain why the action was taken by his office just as he ordered the agency to immediately remove the inscription on the wheelbarrows.
