Comrade Aluh Moses Odeh, a Benue youth activist is the national leader of thr All Middle Belt Youth Forum (AMBYF).
He spoke with Sunday Sun on critical issues concerning his state, the coming local government elections and why Governor Hyacinth Alia must conduct free, fair, credible poll, among others
Excerpt:
Would you say the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu and the security agencies are handling the issue of insecurity well?
Well, I can say that while the Tinubu administration and security agencies have made notable progress in addressing security challenge, I would not say they have achieved huge success. However, there has been significant improve-ment such as the reduced menace of bandits on the Abuja-Kaduna highway. Recently, the National Publicity Secretary of All Middle Belt Youth Forum shared a situa-tion report with me about his hitch-free journey from Kaduna to Abuja and back, even at 1.am, indicating an improvement in security. More-over, the planned peaceful protest in Agatu Local Government Area to request for military deployment to counter incessant killings by Fu-lani herdsmen demonstrates the people’s confidence in the military. Rather than criticising the govern-ment, we should acknowledge areas of improvement and encourage the administration, while also pushing for further progress where needed. Collective effort is crucial in stamp-ing out insecurity.
Let’s know the situation regarding herdsmen attacks in Benue in particular and the Middle Belt in general?
The situation concerning the herdsmen attacks in Benue State and the Middle Belt has improved significantly compared to what we witnessed in the previous administra-tion, where collusion between the military and killer herdsmen led to widespread displacement and loss of confidence in the military. Under Gen. Christopher Musa as Chief of Defence Staff, confidence is being re-stored, as seen in Agatu Local Gov-ernment Area, where residents are calling for military deployment to counter the attacks. While there have been improvements in Southern Kaduna, Plateau and Taraba states, more needs to be done to address the issue. Notably, the herdsmen have changed their tactics in the last two years, focusing on destroying crops to create food insecurity, which is a major contributor to hunger in Nigeria. To prevent starvation and ensure food security, the government must prioritise security in the Mid-dle Belt, particularly during farming seasons, to enable farmers to access their lands and protect their crops.
How do you see the performance of the incumbent Benue State governor so far. I mean, your humble assessment?
The Gov. Hyacinth Iormem Alia is trying to a large extent to look at his performance in just 15 months com-pared to his predecessors in terms of developmental strides within the two senatorial districts, but where he got it totally wrong is the complete neglect of Benue South Senatorial District without a single ongoing project, considering the massive work in his two senatorial districts. On the insecurity that bedeviled our state, he was able to strengthen the Anti-Open Grazing Law with the introduction of Anti-Open Defeca-tion and Urination and Late Night Movement, to restore sanity in the state capital. Also, for the first time, a Benue State governor could work without borrowing money and saved over N32 billion for the state. His bold-ness to close the channel of looting the state treasury dry in the name of former governors and their deputies deserve commendation. However, we from Zone C are not getting fair share in terms of state and federal appointments and in terms of his developmental strides. Without being bias, in Zone C we do not see any-thing. But, it was under Gov. Alia that I saw structures in Makurdi, the state capital, being pulled down to give way to development.
Would you say the Benue State law-makers at federal and state levels are performing creditably well?
The truth is that some of them are doing their best at the federal level like the House Representatives member from Enone (Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency), Hon. Philip Agbese, who comes first in humani-ty. His quality representation in the Green Chamber has earned him the confidence of his constituents. He pulled down the separating walls between elected and grassroots peo-ple and is doing his best to respond to their critical needs. He has said that commencement of his constit-uency projects is in the pipeline as some have been approved and a contractor also approved, awaiting funds for mobilisation to site. Hon. David Ogewu, Hon. Blessing Onuh and Hon. Ojotu Ojema are doing us proud, likewise others from Zone A and B, especially Sen. Titus Zam, who sponsored the Anti-Open Graz-ing Bill and others at the National Assembly. None of them has given us a bad name so far. At home, I think we should commend the State House Assembly for the working relation-ship with the Executive and some amendments made so far stopping the wide opening of our treasury to former governors and their dep-uties. But, I won’t fault them for the amendment of 2012 Electoral Law that gives power to Organising Sec-retaries of political parties in Benue State to submit lists of candidates of their parties participating in Local Government election to override the power of State Chairmen of political parties. This is because of their irrec-oncilable crisis in their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). They should also amend the rules of the House to override the Speaker’s power so we can take them seriously.
How do you see the way Federal Govern-ment palliatives are being distributed in Benue and the other Middle Belt states?
In every election cycle, Nigerians are entitled to benefits from at least five offices or persons because they cast their votes for them. These are the President, Senator, House of Represen-tatives member, Governor and State Assembly members. Unfortunately, this is not happening. Sometimes you are denied what comes from one source because you may not have been a member of the camp that took deliv-ery of those palliatives. It is Hon. Phil-ip Agbese’s style of delivery directly across party lines to his constituents. Ado Local Government Area took delivery of a truck load of fertilisers from Hon. Agbese which was distrib-uted without hitches across party lines in Ado LGA among the farmers, while Okpokwu and Ogbadibo are to be de-livered soon. I can commend him for that. I recently read on social media that the Ogbadibo State Assembly member gave his constituents who are members of his party, APC, and must be ward chairmen and women leader a bag of fertilisers each across the 13 wards
What is your view on the planned Local Government elections in Benue State?
The planned local government election in Benue State is an oppor-tunity for Gov. Alia to reciprocate the support he is getting from the oppo-sition parties in the state by giving everyone a level playing field. All the candidates, irrespective of polit-ical party affiliation, are Benuelites whom he has sworn to protect and defend. The opposition parties in the state are supporting him as could be seen in their silence over some of his policies that need criticisms. They do not want to distract the governor from delivering dividends of de-mocracy to Benue people. President Muhammadu Buhari conducted an election that produced him and other opposition governors in Nigeria. So, it is incumbent on him to replicate the same in the state. He stands to gain the confidence of the opposition parties, if this election is conducted and judged free, fair and credible. The way some of us in the opposition parties analyse some of his policies and those of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and some APC legislators is far beyond what members of his par-ty can offer. So, I see no reason, as the most brilliant governor in Nigeria, he will rubbish his image. He told his party members that there will be an election and that they should field candidates that can win. He said it is no longer business as usual, where names will be written for the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) to announce as winners. Gov. Alia’s blunt stand on respect for the zoning principle of his party, APC, should be commend-ed. I think he may conduct a free, fair and credible election. Those of us in the Labour Party (LP) are prepared to slug it out with them to clinch power. We are fielding credible can-didates with Courage, Character and Competency across the wards and LGAs. In one of my statements, I told Governor Alia to give all candidates a level playing field, irrespective of political party affiliation. We are all indigenes of the state under his watch. He should ensure that the candidates for the Local Govern-ment election are dominantly the youth. But, with what I saw online as the cost of nomination form, APC has no interest for the youth to unleash their potential, unlike the Labour Party that has given out their forms almost free to the youth.
We are aware that you will be taking part in the coming local government elections in Benue State. What do you see as your role as a youth lead-er in politics?
Yes, I will be taking part in the election under the platform of the Labour Party. I am driven with pas-sion and desire to affect our youths positively by making my ward, Ugbokolo, an ICT hub in Nigeria. I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from the pres-tigious Lagos State University and Executive Diplomas In Application of Artificial Intelligence, Introduc-tion To Social Media and Interna-tional Diplomacy And Protocol. I know that after Covid-19, our world has changed such that one can work remotely from the comfort of one’s home and attend meetings or do businesses in any part of Nigeria. The era is called the Fourth Indus-trial Revolution Age where you don’t have any excuse to fail. So, be-ing armed with this reality, I should impact on the burgeoning youth of Ugbokolo ward. I have friends and some Ugbokolo indigenes that are software developers and making waves in the ICT world that I can leverage on to look in the direction of my ward to impact on our youth positively. I also want to turn our di-lapidated primary school buildings to adult education centres using re-tired teachers and some graduates to train our youth and adults on basic knowledge of reading, writing and communicating effectively. This will enable them to write quotations for jobs they wish to bid for or commu-nicate effectively with others out-side Idoma nation. With this we can promote high literacy in my area. This is not a herculean task. As a representative of the people, I will lobby other council members on the need to support this idea. I will also approach wealthy individuals and philanthropists in our area who are happy about my decision to seek an election position. I am confident that other friends outside the area will sup-port me in this. Political history has it that Ugbokolo ward remains one of the most blessed politically having produced two Senators and not just Senators, but Principal Officers in the Red Chamber, Sen. Ameh Ebute, former Senate President, and Sen. Abba Moro, current Senate Minority Leader, who started their political ca-reer from the grassroots. The massive turnout of Labour Party supporters and members during the primary election and my adoption on August 22, 2024 is an indication that we shall coast to victory on October 5, 2024. What gives me the impetus is the turn out of the people with their PVCs to prove to the world that they are not just a crowd, but a real quality crowd. The Labour Party remains the only party that meets the aspirations of Nigeria.
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