The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has said that the state deserves to benefit from the 13 per cent derivation revenue funds.
This, according to him, was because the state is blessed with huge solid minerals.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur, Governor Ortom, therefore, called on the Federal Government to include the state on the list of states to benefit from the 13% derivation revenue funds as a solid mineral-producing state.
He reiterated that Benue State has abundant mineral resources such as cement, zinc as well as gold, which he pointed out were recently discovered in large quantities in Kwande local government area of the state.
The governor, therefore, stressed the need for the state to be designated a non-oil producing state to also derive maximum benefits from its natural resources.
Ortom further noted that his state would secure a license from the Federal Government to regulate mining activities within its territory and directed the Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Solid Minerals to facilitate the process of acquiring the license.
According to the governor, the exploration of more mineral resources within the state has already commenced which he said would boost the internally generated revenue profile of the state.
He explained that, even though Benue State was without an industrial base and as a non-oil producing state, the State Government was doing its best to meet its obligations to the people, pointing out that Benue was paying the highest salary ranking after Lagos and Rivers States.
Governor Ortom further reaffirmed that the establishment of the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards (BSCVG), was not targeted at intimidating anyone as alleged in some quarters, saying the mandate of the home-grown security outfit was to “complement the conventional security agencies in taming insecurity in the State.”
The Governor also mandated the Special Adviser on Security Matters, Col. Paul Hemba (Rtd) to liaise with heads of security agencies in the State to enforce total compliance with the restriction of motorcycles in the state as earlier resolved by the state Security Council.
Reacting to renewed killings by armed terrorists in some parts of the state, the Governor encouraged the people to stand firm and resist the attackers in self-defence and called on the people to also practice group farming to have the collective strength to wade off the killers.
On recent political developments in the country, Governor Ortom maintained that the challenges bedevilling the nation required a holistic approach.
He pointed out that this was beyond partisanship, emphasising that: “What will produce results for the country is what genuinely needed to rescue the nation from total collapse.”
