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Buhari Is A Failure, Left Us In Suffering, Says Ortom
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has expressed his view that the preceding eight years would be ingrained in the collective memory as the most disastrous era in Nigeria’s history.
According to him, during this period, Nigeria, which had thrived under the leadership of former President Goodluck Jonathan, experienced an unprecedented descent into abject poverty, rampant insecurity, and pervasive mismanagement.
Governor Ortom emphasized that the nation had never witnessed such a profound level of inept governance as it did throughout the last eight years.
The Governor who made the assertion during the commissioning of the headquarters of the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards, BSCVGs, in Makurdi said the President Muhammadu-led administration “took Nigeria from the top to bottom making life miserable for all Nigerians.
“I served under the then President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and we all saw how Nigeria flourished under that administration. We all knew what the prices of foods and services were at the time.
“We also know what our exchange rate was at the time and what it is today. I want Nigerians to do a simple comparison and you will realise how bad it has been under this government and how Nigeria has been taken several years backward by the Buhari government.
“The fact is that never in the history of Nigeria did we experience this kind of bad governance in the country.
“Corruption is so endemic in this government yet people who steal chicken are thrown into prison but people in government who are busy stealing the wealth of the people are walking free.
“The President recently apologised to Nigerians; we accept the apology but he must be told that he failed woefully and Nigerians are feeling the impact of that failure because we are all suffering.”
The Governor who also berated President Buhari for refusing to disarm armed Fulani herdsmen and branding them a terrorist organisation for masterminding the killings in the country said, “The President told us he is retiring to tend to his cattle, is it because he is returning to be a herder that he failed to deal decisively with herdsmen? That was unfair to Nigerians.”
Recalling that his government was denied several accruals because of his insistence on equity, fairness and justice, the Governor assured that he would continue to speak out against injustice in the country saying “like a former lawmaker would say, ‘if you talk you die, if you don’t talk you die. So for me it is better to talk and die because I will also speak the truth no matter whose ox is gored.”
The Governor who also commissioned the Benue Television complex as well as the remodelled Benue Government Complex, thanked Benue people for standing with him assuring that he would always stand with the people.
Earlier, Commander of the BSCVGs, Mr. Ayima Ajobi who commended the Governor for setting up the guards disclosed that “the state government has trained a total number of 1,574 BSCVGs personnel drawn from the pool of those who were recommended by the traditional rulers at the grassroots, profiled by the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services, DSS, and underwent a rigorous medical screening exercise.
“The command has unfortunately suffered casualty figure of nine of its trained personnel. Of these numbers, eight of them were killed in active service at their various duty locations while the last member died after a brief illness.”
Critical stakeholders are lamenting that fuel importers, licensed by the Nigerian government, are selling imported premium motor spirit (PMS) also known as petrol around N200 per litre, above what local refiner, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals (DPRP) is selling.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) noted that the importers including Matrix, AA Rano, Hayden among others have started pricing imported petrol significantly above the rates offered by the DPRP, raising concerns over the effectiveness of the government’s import licensing policy.
IPMAN’s National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Ukadike, said independent marketers had expected the import licences to serve as a check on domestic fuel pricing but are now shocked to find out that the policy had failed to deliver the desired outcome.
“The independent marketers of Nigeria have looked at the price volatility, the issue of the import license, the issue of sales of petroleum products and dollar, and holistically I will want to use the opportunity to urge the federal government to look into this thing transparently through NMDPRA, who is the authority of the industry,” he said.
According to him, the recent import licences issued to marketers have not helped reduce fuel prices as anticipated.
“The recent import licenses, which are termed to be used as a guiding principle or a check to domestic petroleum products being refined here in Nigeria, is not yielding the results as was expected by the independent marketers,” he stated.
Ukadike expressed surprise that some importers were reportedly selling imported petrol at about N1,350 per litre, despite lower prices from the DPRP.
“We were shocked, even as I am talking to you now, that the licenses that have been given to AA Rano, Matrix and all the rest of them to be able to import petroleum products are trying to peg the price of petroleum products at N1,350, which is far, far distant from what Dangote has been selling to us,” he said.
He further questioned the quality and pricing of imported products, insisting that the policy was undermining the purpose for which the licences were granted.
“The essence of NNPC or NMDPRA or the federal government opening up this import license is also to checkmate the domestic price of petroleum products, whereas where we find out that these products are being brought into this country, one, their qualities are questionable, two, their prices are higher,” Ukadike added.
The IPMAN spokesman also warned that continued fuel importation at higher prices was increasing pressure on Nigeria’s foreign exchange market, with the naira approaching N1,400 to the US dollar.
He argued that imported petroleum products priced using the international PLATTS benchmark were about 20 percent more expensive than products supplied by the DPRP, making imports less competitive.
Ukadike urged the Federal Government to sustain the sale of crude oil to the Dangote refinery in naira, saying the arrangement would help stabilise domestic fuel prices, reduce demand for foreign exchange and ease pressure on the local currency.
He also cautioned against what he described as the indiscriminate issuance of import licences, warning that such a policy could ultimately lead to higher pump prices for consumers instead of promoting competition.
The Sahara Group Foundation (SGF) has expanded its waste management network and recycling infrastructure in Northern Nigeria with the commissioning of two Sahara Go Recycling hubs in Jigawa and Kaduna States.
This was detailed in a statement from the Foundation on Sunday, which had it that the hubs, located at Gidan Hakimi in Shuwarin Local Government Area of Jigawa State and Asharami Retail Station, Badiko, Kaduna South Local Government Area of Kaduna State, are the Foundation’s 21st and 22nd recycling hubs nationwide and its second and third in Northern Nigeria.
According to a statement, the Jigawa hub was delivered with the support of the King’s Council, Shuwarin, while the Kaduna hub was established in collaboration with Asharami Synergy.
The Foundation said the initiative is designed to convert waste into income-generating opportunities for households. The Director of Sahara Group Foundation, Chidilim Menakaya, said the hubs demonstrate the organisation’s approach to expanding practical sustainability initiatives through partnerships.
“By partnering with institutions and sister companies that understand local needs and realities, we are building a recycling ecosystem that communities can own, sustain, and benefit from over the long term,” she said.
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The commissioning ceremonies were attended by members of the King’s Council, the Jigawa State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Nura Doka, the Chairman of Shuwarin Local Government Area, Abdulhamid Balago, the vice chairman, community leaders and residents in Jigawa, as well as Asharami Synergy’s leadership and the Filling Station Manager in Kaduna.
Speaking at the Jigawa event, Alhaji Bashir Abdullahi, Sarkin Gabas and Hakimin Shuwarin, said the facility addresses a longstanding waste management challenge in the community.
“For years, our people have had no organised way to deal with waste beyond burning or dumping it by the roadside,” he said. “This hub gives our young people and our women a way to earn from something that used to just pollute our surroundings.”
At the Kaduna event, the Filling Station Manager of Asharami Retail Station, Badiko, Aliyu Abdullahi Mabai, said the recycling hub complements the station’s operations.
“We are glad to host this recycling hub on our premises,” he said. “It gives our customers and neighbours a simple way to recycle, and fits with what Asharami Synergy stands for as a responsible business.”
The Foundation also disclosed plans to commission another recycling hub in Kano State in the coming weeks following a recent engagement with the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who expressed interest in the initiative.
According to the Foundation, Sahara Go Recycling has supported the recycling of more than 1,000 tonnes of materials since its launch and has directly or indirectly impacted more than 2,000 livelihoods nationwide.
Andy Burnham has officially been sworn in as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, marking the beginning of a new chapter in British politics.
Burnham assumed office on Monday after outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer formally resigned during an audience with the King. Following Starmer’s departure, King Charles III invited Burnham to form a new government, which he accepted.
SEE MORE: UK PM Keir Starmer Resigns
The 56-year-old becomes Britain’s sixth prime minister in the past 10 years, taking office amid mounting economic pressures, political uncertainty and a lingering cost-of-living crisis.
In his farewell speech outside 10 Downing Street, Starmer reflected on his two years in office, insisting his government had left Britain in a stronger position.
“I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago,” Starmer said.
“I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved,” he added.
Burnham is expected to use his first address as prime minister to outline his vision for restoring public confidence in government while prioritising economic growth, easing the cost-of-living crisis and devolving more powers to regional communities.
Speaking in an interview with The Times before taking office, Burnham signalled a break from recent policies.
“What we’ve been doing hasn’t been working. That’s the way I see it,” he said.
“I am going to try and do things in a different way.”
The new prime minister inherits a series of pressing challenges, including slow economic growth, rising government borrowing costs, a growing welfare bill and continued irregular migration across the English Channel.
He has also pledged a different approach to public spending, promising greater investment in prevention and long-term economic development.
“A different approach to public spending and to running the economy — more focused on early investment, early intervention, setting people up for success and much less paying for failure,” Burnham said.
As one of his first policy decisions, Burnham scrapped the nationwide digital ID scheme introduced under Starmer’s administration, saying the estimated £1.8 billion earmarked for the project would instead be redirected toward helping families cope with the rising cost of living.
A former Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham previously served as a Member of Parliament from 2001 to 2017 and held ministerial roles under former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
He returned to Parliament only weeks ago before emerging as Labour’s new leader following Starmer’s resignation.
Burnham now has less than three years to deliver on his promises before the next general election, expected in 2029, as Labour seeks to fend off growing support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
Addressing supporters after securing the Labour leadership, Burnham described the moment as Labour’s “last chance” to regain the confidence of British voters, insisting that his government has a clear plan to steer the country in a new direction.
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