Benue APC Accuses Gov. Ortom Of Wasting Money On Needless Foreign Travels

The Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Governor Samuel Ortom of wasting public funds on needless foreign trips.

They, therefore, advised the governor to halt such trips and focus on the task of state building and good governance.

The main opposition party in the state also noted that it is yet to see any impact of the governor’s travels on development in the state, hence their call for him to stop the trips.

“In April 2017, Benue’s thick delegation to China headed by the then leader of the state economic team, Prof. Dennis Ityavyar, travelled all the way from Guangzhou to Qinqdao where they, on behalf of the governor, signed a pact with the Qinqdao Bureau of Commerce covering several areas of economic co-operation such as electricity and road construction in the 23 local councils of the state without fruition.

“Just last year, the governor was in Japan to attend the global economic summit whose impact we have yet to see and feel in the state.

“Since the current trip is tagged a trade forum, we were expecting that the governor would assemble a team of trade experts and those knowledgeable in agriculture in his government to make the trip with him rather than exercising a “jack of all trades” attribute,” the statement signed by the Acting Publicity Secretary, James Ornguga read in part.

Naija News further understands that the APC statement might be a direct reaction to a statement on Friday by Terver Akase, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ortom, who disclosed that the governor would be travelling today, February 10, 2020, to participate in the United States (U.S.)-Benue Trade Forum.

Akase said the event, which has the theme “Think Global, Grow Local,” was aimed at promoting economic co-operation between institutions and organisations in the U.S. and Benue State.

The statement also revealed that the governor would take part in an event organised by the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington DC and also attend the Paris yearly international agricultural show in France before returning home.