• Ortom
Special Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Titus Zam, has disclosed that some of the information and communication technology department staff have been booted out for fraudulently compromising the efforts of the bureau and government at sanitizing the payroll of the councils’ administration in the state.
Zam, while briefing newsmen yesterday at the bureau headquarters in Makurdi, stated that some staff of its ICT department were summarily dismissed on the orders of the state Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom for capturing names of non staff on the payroll without following due process and authorization and subsequently collecting huge sums of money.
The Special Adviser added that Ortom has directed that the offenders must face the wrath of the law and the funds collected must be refunded to the coffers of the state treasury.
As stated by the former chairman of Gwer West Local Council, conscious efforts are being made to sanitize and streamline the system and called for collective efforts of all and sundry to enable him achieve the feat.
He stated that the Governor who is also a former council chairman of Guma local government area of Benue State stressed that, “we are putting heads together to re- orientate the councils towards achieving the desired result”
He noted that for local councils to perform maximally and achieve result there must be tenure elongation adding that the two years added to the tenure of the council chairmen is not enough to make any concrete impact.
He therefore advocated for a four years tenure for local councils so as to coincide with their governors buttressing that in such a situation meaningful achievement will be recorded while the tenure lasts.
He said the claims in some quarters that he diverted N3 billion naira is not true adding that such insinuation is coming from his detractors who are envious of his sterling qualities.