In a deepening of the cold war between Benue State governor, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia, and the members of the National Assembly from his state, Governor Alia has handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) an impounded truck of relief materials and palliatives meant for victims of communal clashes and armed herders attacks in Kwande.
The materials were facilitated by the member representing Kwande/Ushongo federal constituency in the Federal House of Representative, Hon. Terseer Ugbor.
The governor, who charged the anti-corruption agencies to “conduct a thorough investigation over suspicions of diversion” had accused the House of Representatives member of diverting the materials.
A few days ago, a truck conveying assorted relief materials meant for IDPs in the Kwande/Ushongo federal constituency was impounded on the orders of Governor Alia, while offloading at a warehouse in Makurdi. It was thereafter taken to Government House.
A Press release by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersor Kula states that “preliminary investigations revealed that the goods were coming from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and were meant to be sponsored by the state government and lifted by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA)”.
He stated that Governor Alia, who discovered that some of the trucks conveying other materials, such as mattresses, were still missing, directed anti-graft agencies to liaise with a three-man committee from the state and conduct a thorough investigation to uncover more facts.
Kula disclosed that the materials were not meant to be offloaded in Makurdi but distributed directly to the IDPs by officials from the North Central Zonal Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in collaboration with officials of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
Governor Alia, who, he said insists that the right thing be done directed the Acting Executive Secretary of SEMA, James Iorpuu, officers of the EFCC, and others to closely monitor the situation and ensure that due process is followed and the materials are distributed to the rightful people.
The governor thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for having Benue people at heart but called on the National Assembly members from the state to consider the conditions of vulnerable people in their state and ensure that they provide for their constituents whatever the federal government gives them.
In a strong denial, however, Hon. Ugbor said the allegations of diversion of materials were false and malicious. He stated that he couldn’t have diverted the materials that took him over 6 months to facilitate, and which the IDPs were looking forward to receiving, having told them he was bringing them relief materials.
In an open rebuttal posted on his Facebook page, Hon. Ugbor said the decision to offload the materials in Makurdi was taken in agreement with NEMA, pending when all logistics and proper planning will have been completed for effective distribution to the targeted beneficiaries at Jato Aka at a later fixed date.
The APC lawmaker who said he was away in the United States of America (USA) for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the invitation of the Presidency explained that Kwande does not have a large and secure warehouse to safely store such large palliatives and that the decision to store them in Makurdi till his return was to enable him to supervise the distribution of the materials, adding that not a single item is missing or diverted from the consignment.
On the accusation that the materials should have been taken to the state by NEMA and handed over to SEMA, Ugbor said no such law exists.
“It is also a fact that these are not SEMA palliatives, and no law says we must inform SEMA or the state government before bringing Federal Government palliatives into Benue. The requirement is to collaborate with SEMA for distribution”.
“All my efforts through calls and messages to the governor to personally explain and assure him of my good intentions were ignored, but I sincerely hope the issue can be resolved as soon as possible to enable us to continue the process of facilitating these relief materials to the peaceful and long-suffering people of Kwande”.
Governor Alia and members of the National Assembly from Benue State have been locked in a cold war for long.