Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has challenged his successor, Governor Hyacinth Alia, to provide an account of how the state and its 23 local government areas have utilised about ₦1.2 trillion received from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) since 2023.
Ortom said the funds accrued to the state following the removal of the Federal Government’s petrol subsidy, adding that the people of Benue deserve to know how the increased revenue has been spent.
The former governor made his position known through his media consultant and former Adviser on Media and Publicity, Terver Akase, during a press conference in Makurdi on Saturday.
Akase criticised the Alia administration for allegedly failing to provide a detailed account of its FAAC receipts and expenditure since assuming office in 2023.
He said the administration’s media team had focused on attacking Ortom and former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, while allegedly avoiding questions about financial accountability.
According to him, the Alia administration and the 23 local government councils in the state had collectively received about ₦1.2 trillion from FAAC since 2023.
Akase said:
“The governor’s chief press secretary yesterday spent valuable time attacking Chief Ortom and Chief Aondoakaa but conspicuously avoided the one issue that continues to haunt the Alia administration: accountability.
“Since assuming office in 2023, Governor Alia has enjoyed unprecedented financial inflows from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), following the removal of fuel subsidy, yet neither he nor his aides have provided Benue people with a comprehensive account of how those enormous resources have been utilised.”
He further questioned the total amount received by the state government and local councils and demanded details of projects executed with the funds.
Akase added:
“Alia’s government and that of the 23 local government areas got about ₦1.2 trillion naira from the FAAC from 2023 till date. What projects have been executed with those resources?
“Why are local government areas across the state bereft of visible government presence despite the unprecedented revenue inflows?”
He alleged that the government’s inability to answer such questions was responsible for what he described as its preference for “propaganda over performance.”
Alia’s Government Responds
Reacting to the allegations, Governor Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, defended the administration’s record and argued that higher FAAC allocations should not be viewed as money freely available for development.
Kula said increased federal revenue must be considered alongside the rising cost of governance, inflation, insecurity and other economic challenges confronting the state.
He also compared the Alia administration’s financial circumstances with those of the previous Ortom administration.
The statement said:
“It has become imperative to state clearly that increased federal revenue does not automatically translate into unlimited resources for state governments.
“During Ortom’s reign, many of his fellow governors who were willing to perform had to make the most of what they received from the Federation Account. Benue, under Ortom, was among the states that frequently cited paucity of funds as an excuse for underperformance.”
Kula maintained that the current administration had operated under difficult economic conditions, including high inflation, increased construction costs and insecurity.
He argued that simply comparing FAAC inflows without taking into account the corresponding increase in the cost of implementing projects and running government would provide an incomplete picture of the administration’s performance.
He said:
“The Alia administration, on the other hand, has operated in an environment of unprecedented inflation, rising costs of construction, insecurity and other economic pressures.
“Therefore, quoting FAAC inflows without examining the corresponding cost of governance and development is a deliberately incomplete way of assessing the performance of any government.”
The exchange has further intensified the political disagreement between the two administrations, with Ortom and Alia’s camp trading claims over governance, financial management and development in Benue State.
