Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state has observed that the economic viability of the country would soon crumble if urgent step is not taken to redress the impending doom in the country.
Governor Ortom made the declaration at Benue presidential Lodge on Friday in Makurdi.
He predicated his views on the recent survey carried out by the World Bank and international monetary fund IMF which predicted the downfall of the nation’s economy if precautionary measures to mitigate it is not heeded.
Governor Ortom asserted that instead of leaders to collaborate efforts and find lasting solutions to the challenges confronting the country, “we are rather busy fighting ethnicity and nepotism. For instance insecurity is on the prowl, innocent citizens are being murdered in cold yet killers are not identified and they go Scot free while our economy is in shambles to an extent of been warned to find measures to recoup otherwise it might collapse. The Situation is getting worse whereby citizens could hardly afford two square meals yet nobody has given a hoot while the Youths are jobless in their millions thereby resulting to people taking to crimes and other vices to make ends meet, as well as other crucial challenges threatening harmonious co-existence of Nigerians” stressing that “we have failed as leaders”.
He further blamed those in corridors of power for not doing much to fight terrorism ravaging the Federation as he further accused the Federal government for not taking proactive measures to nip the crises in the bud.
In his words “as leaders we are supposed to have gone out of the way to provide solutions for our ailing economy so as to totally rebrand and equally restore our lost glory towards sound footing so as to escape the earlier warning of imminent economic collapse as forecast”.
Governor Ortom alleged that the much used slogan of fighting corruption of the present administration is nothing to go by as according to him, he is always taken aback as people who stole billions of naira escape justice and are allowed to go free while the common man who steals chickens are prosecuted and sent to jail for stealing.
He lamented the Spate of injustice plaguing the nation as he recalled with nostalgia how, recently some cows were impounded from herders rearing cattle within federal Capital and were subsequently prosecuted and eventually imprisoned.
“You can imagine when I established an anti-0pen grazing law restriction, random wandering of herdsmen in the state, same people kicked against and not long ago, they are also prohibiting it.
