WHEN Gabriel Suswam won his first term in 2007 as governor of Benue State against Professor Daniel Saror, he had stated that he would involve the ANPP in his administration, but he never did till the conclusion of that term. This time, he has another opportunity to emulate the late President Umaru YarAdua by attracting a certain percentage of real members of the opposition into his government. If he takes this action, he would reduce the political tension in the state to a barest minimum.Suswams second duty between 2011 and 2015 would be to develop a new middle-class in Benue State through targeted empowerment of the people. Understandably, he has declared that his major objective during his second term would be to create wealth.The seeming revolt against his administration stemmed from the low patronage the middle class enjoyed during his first term. The governor needs to re-introduce small contracts of N3 million to N10 million, with reasonable margins of profits to deliberately reach to his kith and kin in the next four years. Otherwise, his popularity would decrease.In the early days of his administration, the governor started the de-centralisation of government business. But this laudable policy was later abandoned. He needs to empower the ministries and agencies to take the pressure off the Government House. At present, all forms of patronage start and end at the Government House.Similarly, observers believe that local councils in the state should be closely monitored to start empowerment schemes to reach out to the rural dwellers.It is accepted even by Suswams critics that he performed well in terms of the development of rural and urban roads and construction of three major water works. However, most of the rural roads and water works have not been fully completed. He needs to drive the projects to completion and commence the construction of roads in the new layouts in Makurdi, as most of them have no amenities.Speaking during a radio interactive programme, the re-elected governor stated that he would also concentrate on the industrialization of the state in his second term.But before starting new factories, the governor needs to revive others that his predecessor constructed, such as the Plastic Company in Makurdi, the Fertilizer Blending Plant in Makurdi, the Cassava Processing Plant in Makurdi and install the machinery of the Fruit Juice Company in Wanune.Though Suswam procured tractors for farmers, his administration, in the course of his first term, did not work assiduously to develop this sector. There is need to improve the agricultural sector to reduce the rate of unemployment and youth politicians in the state. Currently, almost all fresh graduates in the state claim to be politicians, working in several amorphous groups. The ugly situation has degenerated that when offered employment, they decline to take same.During the second term, Suswam would have to take the courageous decision of reviewing downwards the school fees of Benue State University, Makurdi. Most families have taken solace in the education their wards acquire from this school established by the late Governor Adasu. However, the recent increment of fees in the school has alienated the government from the poor parents sponsoring their children in the state.Finally, Governor Suswam needs to review his relationship with the media, especially the resident media. The conflict at his second term celebration was avoidable and unnecessary. Security men harassed the Benue State Correspondent of Peoples Daily, Uche Nnorom. They dragged him from his seat in the presence of the governor, after media and protocol aides of the governor had identified him for allegedly writing a report considered unfavourable to the government.Another journalist, a publisher of a local tabloid, Samson Yanor, was arrested at the Government House and taken to a secluded area, frisked and threatened by security personnel. His phones were seized, but later released.Yanor told journalists that a media aide of the governor had identified him as a loyalist of former governor of the state, Senator George Akume, claiming that he promoted the senator during the elections.The governor, who has had previous understanding of the workings of the media, must revive his moribund media platform and inject fresh blood that would promote better interaction between him and the media. He must also realise that the media remain a marketplace of ideas where the government, the opposition and other interests canvass their positions, whether or not they are palatable.The government should ensure that the position of his administration is always in the public domain. He should not allow the clampdown on journalists, which some of his aides is trying to foist on him, in the twilight of his administration.The governor should be a leader to all residents of Benue State and rise beyond the disagreements and conflicts that trailed his victory at the polls. NIGERIAS High Commissioner to Canada, Professor Iyorwuese Hagher, succinctly situated that period when told journalists, after the re-scheduled Benue North West senatorial elections last week, that the victories of Governor Gabriel Suswam and Senator George Akume would be considered pyrrhic if both politicians failed to translate their advantage into the benefits of the people.At the declaration of the governorship election results on Wednesday night, the people of Benue State must have come to the conclusion that the state has a long way to go in re-integration of all political and ethnic interests to be coordinated for the development of the state.Re-elected Governor Suswam polled 590,756 votes to defeat the ACN governorship candidate, Professor Steven Ugbah, who scored 499,319 votes. Based on these figures, the political landscape of Benue State is fragmented along clannish and ethnic interests.The release of the results generated initial tension, which had been addressed by the election tribunal. The losing ACN has resolved to approach the election tribunal for adjudication of the controversies arising from the poll.In a statement signed by Samuel Maagbe, the chairman of the newly constituted ACN Mandate Recovery Committee, Professor Ugbah reassured the Benue people that he would work hard to ensure that that he attained victory at the election tribunal. According to Maagbe: As patriots, true and faithful Benue State citizens must always uphold our core values of truth, honesty, justice and fairness. While our legal team is putting together our case, which we shall soon bring before the election tribunal, Professor Ugbah hereby appeals that all his supporters should remain calm, peaceful and law abiding, trusting in the power of the Almighty God to make right all wrongs.To Professor Hagher, Suswams main agenda, as a re-elected governor of Benue State, would be to mend the broken political fences and unite all groups for the good of the state. He believes that Suswam and Akume should close ranks as leaders of the state.There is an urgent need for healing. The key political actors, Senator George Akume and Governor Gabriel Suswam must bury their hatchet because their victory is merely pyrrhic if it does not translate into shared goals and dreams for the improvement of the lives of Benue people, he said.For political observers, the political confrontation between Suswam and Akume, which has led to the widest political gulf in the state in recent times, is needless and utterly uncalled.From the very beginning, most politicians predicted Wednesday outcome and moved for reconciliation between the political actors of Benue State. But some advisers to the governor and some of his political associates, who claimed that they would strategize for the defeat of Akume at the polls, reportedly thwarted the move for political reconciliation between Suswam and Akume.These advisers and associates started granting divisive media interviews and issuing press statements, which truncated the prospects of reconciliation. Incidentally, these advisers lost woefully in the local councils of Vandeikya and Ushongo to the ACN, failing to deliver to Suswam and the PDP.Suswam would have stared defeat in the face if he had not strengthened himself in his Sankera base, and had centred on Kwande, Ushongo and Vandeikya, where those who fanned the embers of discord between him and Akume hail from.As for Akume, it is believed that his complete refusal to accord Suswam the necessary respect, even while the governor made overtures to him, aggravated the problems. On several occasions, Suswam visited Akume at home, but did not receive any form of cooperation from him.Suswam also left a wide room for reconciliation by sustaining staunch Akumes loyalists in his administration in very critical positions that included management of government information and the control of the civil service.However, since both politicians have experimented on their desire to truncate each others political career without success, the only option left for them is to reunite for the good of Benue State. The recent political conflict, especially in the last three months, has robbed Benue of several development opportunities and resources.The beneficiaries of the conflict have been political native doctors on the two divides, who extracted huge resources from their principals to the detriment of the state. These failed politicians formed the habit of arranging fictional crowds of 20 to 30 persons, to collect millions as settlement from their principals.Benue State descended to abysmal levels due to the crisis. All manners of falsehood were peddled, igniting tension while these politicians smiled to the banks.Therefore, before Suswam lies the duty to constitute an all-inclusive cabinet to run the state. He is a second term governor with nothing to fear. His first duty to state is to appoint credible Benue State indigenes as commissioners, permanent secretaries, special advisers and heads of government agencies.He almost met a brick-wall because of the lack of depth and loyalty of his cabinet. His commissioners and permanent secretaries funded the campaign of his opponent. Most of them, who were given their first break in public life by Akume, were tied to his (Akumes) apron strings.The commissioners, who worked conscientiously for Suswam, were those he introduced in the second half of his administration. One of the key commissioners was John Tondo of Lands and Survey, who transformed the campaigns in Guma.Similarly, Mr. Andrew Ayabam, Benue State chairman of BIRS, introduced reforms that gave Suswam advantage heading to the elections. Suswam introduced him personally into his administration.What the likes of Ayabam and Tondo did for Suswam, the advisers, commissioners and permanent secretaries inherited from Akume refused to do for him. Instead, they stood as fifth columnists creating imaginary enemies for the governor to extinguish all his political capital few days to the election.
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