There’s No Room For Repression And Dictatorship In Nigeria – Ortom

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has come out to say that the Federal Government should stop intimidating Nigerians.

He recently came out to blast FG’s reaction to Bishop Matthew Kukah’s address to the United States Congress Committee on Foreign Affairs regarding the wave of insecurity in the country.

According to him, there was nothing wrong with that Kukah said, and as a patriotic Nigerian, he would have said similar things if he was the one addressing the audience.

Ortom added that Nigeria is practising democracy, and there shall be no room for repression and dictatorship.

His words, “He (Ortom) expects the Presidency to rather be worried that Nigeria is ranked as the most terrorised nation in Africa with an average of over 2,000 deaths per year on account of terrorism. He emphasises that the combative approach the Presidency has adopted in engaging citizens on issues will not solve the problems confronting the country.”

“The President went on to announce to the world on that occasion that apart from the Civil War era, Nigeria had never been more insecure in the country’s history.”

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Samuel Ioraer Ortom (born 23 April,1961) is a Nigerian politician, businessman, administrator and philanthropist. He was a Minister of State Trade and Investments in Nigeria during the presidency of Goodluck Jonathan. Ortom was elected governor of Benue State as a member of the All Progressives Congress in 2015. He was re-elected as governor on 29 May 2019.

Ortom worked for different political parties in Benue State including the National Centre Party of Nigeria as State Publicity Secretary; State Treasurer of the All People’s Party (APP); and State Secretary as well as State Deputy Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He was also Director of Operations of the PDP gubernatorial campaign in Benue State in 2007 and Director of Administration and Logistics of the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organization in 2011. He was PDP National Auditor before his appointment as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in July 2011.

Through the establishment of Oracle Business Limited Foundation, Ortom has set aside funds in St. Theresa’s Hospital, Makurdi and Rahama Hospital, Gboko Road, Makurdi, for treatment of hernia and snakebites free of charge to the patients. The foundation also works to alleviate hardship for prison inmates, while also offering various forms of skills acquisition for better reintegration into the society. The Oracle Driving School is another outreach, which trains qualified drivers on a regular basis.