News Editor
By Edwin Philip
The internal crisis engulfing the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State may have taken another dimension as a member representing Gwer/Gwer West Federal Constituency Arc. Austin Asema Achado, a loyalist of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, claimed that the State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hycent Alia is taking their political differences to another level by sealing off premises of the City Bay Park and Benyster Micro Finance Bank, all businesses belonging to him and located in Makurdi the State capital, in the guise of not paying registration fee to the government.
Hon. Achado, who was addressing a group journalist at his residence, explained that a team from the Benue State Revenue Service ( BRS) on Dec. 23, 2024, notified his business of non payment of registration fee, the penalty amounting to N 219 thousand while the registration fee was just N20, 000 including another
N18,000 penalty for defaulting. He said as soon as they gave that bill, his staff went to BRS and paid the money and both receipts of payment bill presented by the BRS officials was also on the social media “which I am sure you have seen” But when they paid and came back they discovered that the place was sealed, which prompted a return to BRS to complain, you gave us this bill and we have paid, and we have come to see that the place is sealed up”
” They came and opened the place not knowing that there was a hidden agenda to sealed that place, so the innocent civil servants didn’t know. They thought that this person has paid so let us go and unseal it, then a team of police men and other security officials that the governor has set up came well armed with teargas and guns, beat up people at the park, people have to run helter skelter” he said.
According to the lawmaker, City Bay Park has 24 sub tenants , which implied that the 24 shops are owned by different individuals and not by him .
“All those people that sale fish, chicken, suya repair computers and the rest are not my family members, they are people from different tribes, the people whom the governor call the masses are the owners”.
“He locked up those shops, some of them got loans bought fish and all those fish were locked up and are rotten now and some of them got clothes that they were sewing for the people either for Christmas or for wedding ceremonies, they couldn’t access their shops, now they are several events that were booked for 24th 25th and 26the all those events did not take place. These are people of Benue, most of whom had voted for Alia yet this is what they get in return, because he is out to attack me. If he wanted to attack me he would have come to knock down this house, because this is my personal house but as long as that business is concerned they are many people involved, some just wanted the leisure of going there to relax during the Christmas”.
He added that people come for outside the state to enjoy the modernised aesthetics that City Bay provided, which is second to none in Benue State.
Speaking on the sealing of Benyster Micro Finance Bank , he said the bank has been operating for eight years without support from the State government and has given out loans to Benue people.
” The bank has given out over five billion naira loan to Benue people who are doing business here, the state government started a bank they could not maintain it and they now want to run down Benyster Micro Finance bank, it is the highest mischief that a government could do against its own people. “You are talking of investment in Benue, I don’t think they are more than three investors more than my family businesses, there are none, if you want to encourage business in Benue and you are serious, you need to put politics aside”
“When the president of Nigeria goes out of this country for investment what he does is that he takes with him major business players and go with them, the major business players in the country whether they supported him or they supported Atiku it doesn’t matter, he is thinking of Nigeria, if he thinks of serious business in Benue you don’t engage us, if you invite any Lebanese outside to come to do business, when he comes and cannot see the local players, he will only take your money and leave and that is what has been happening, so no serious business is going on but just to close down business that private people are doing, the government itself is doing little or nothing that is what is happening in Benue”.
“It is quite abnormal for somebody to behave the way he does. Look at the time of this yuletide when people are coming home to celebrate you lock all recreation centers; it doesn’t look normal, instead you should use that opportunity to move round and talke to the Benue people who are outside, tell them to come home and invest but instead you want to be fighting at every point in time, you don’t run a government by fighting the people, you run a government by mobilizing people, building the State” he added.
Reacting to cases of insecurity around the State, he said outside Makurdi the State capital, most communities in the State are under siege by non State actors.
“You see the very good thing is , whatever you talk, whatever you try to dramatise within the people the day of reckoning will always come, because if you tell us that everywhere in Makurdi is safe yet you can’t move 15 km here outside Makurdi, I can’t bet you go to Naka 15 km from Makurdi you cannot go because the heardmen have taken over all those places go to Logo LGA, go to Kwande LGA, go to Guma LGA, there is high insecurity in the land but you sit in Makurdi and say that everywhere is safe there is no problem”.
Speaking on the 71st birthday anniversary of the SGF, Dr. George Akume, the lawmaker said it was a joyous day, we all thank God for our leader senator Dr George Akume, he has been doing well and God has blessed him, he is a man who is blessed by God, he has done so much for Benue people , he mean so well for Benue State, it is so painful to see that when he brings up people and then we discuss with such people on how we can move the state forward and as soon as they come, their priority changes to looting and they forget all that was discussed’.
He added that Akume, meant well for the State and, he desire things should move on well and the people of Benue should leave together in unity. He called on the people to pray for the governor to succeed.
