Who Can Rescue Education In Benue State?
Sir: The ongoing administration in Benue State under the leadership of Governor Samuel Ortom currently owes primary school teachers 11 months salaries, secondary school teachers five months salaries and the state own university is presently on strike due to the laxity of the state government towards the education sector in the state. Education is an essential thing in every society because it brings development. Therefore, any government that cannot take the education sector seriously thereby giving urgent attention to it in order to address issues affecting the progress of the sector within her area of control, such a government is of no value to the society and the people who represent the government in that society should be sent packing.
It is a surprise that the administration is still blaming the previous government for her inability to move the state forward instead of concentrating and making good use of the available resources in the way that can bring positive change in the state. It is very unfortunate that the state governor is using the salaries and allowances of the workers in the state to expand his personal businesses and nobody is saying anything about it. Immediately after the arrival of Samuel Ortom as the state governor, the public institutions in the state especially schools are going down but his Oracle farm business is expanding ceaselessly but the majority of the people are not noticing it.
It should be noted that the Federal Government has released the bailout funds to the ongoing administration in the state under the watch of Governor Ortom to pay all the outstanding salaries and allowances of the workers in the state but the funds were diverted or rather, embezzled. Despite that, there have been other funds given to the government in the state by the Federal Government to enable her to pay all her debts but still, the debts are still accumulating. Yet, the current government in the state is still blaming the previous administration as if the previous administration is responsible for the diversion or embezzlement of the bailout funds and other funds released to her by the Federal Government to pay the outstanding salaries and allowances of the workers in the state. Now, education sector in the state is dying gradually and the ongoing administration in the state is watching helplessly. Surprisingly, the government is still talking and planning of holding back the power in 2019 even with her obvious display of incompetence.
At this point, let me remind the present government in the state that the former administration was kicked out of the power for owning only four months salaries and allowances of the workers in the state but in her case, it is even more than four months. Therefore, my advice is that the current administration should start preparing her things now to enable her to get out of the government house in 2019 without forgetting anything there except, her plan is to change for good within the remaining years or to manipulate 2019 coming elections in the state in her favour.
Source: The Guardian
