May 03, (THEWILL) – The Transition Committee of the Benue State Governor-elect, Revd Fr Hycinth Alia, has expressed concern over the delay in the release of handover reports by the Samuel Ortom-led State Government.
A statement signed by the Chairman of the incoming Government’s Committee, Mr Michael Iordye and Secretary, Mr Dan Ashiekaa, on Tuesday, said the Professor Ijohor-led Committee was to complete their assignment within three weeks, which implies that the report should have been ready by April 15, 2023.
“Incidentally, at our joint meeting with the outgoing administration’s team on the 27th April, 2023, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) informed us of the inability to get the reports ready but that he will arrange for MDAs to brief us in one week’s time on his return from his trip abroad.
“This lackadaisical attention to a serious matter like this calls for concern. This information is necessary to enable our smooth take off on the 29th May, 2023.”
The Iordye-led Committee, therefore, enumerates its demands, which include the release of “comprehensive handover notes covering the period of the outgoing administration from 2015 to 2023 for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), including the debt profile and the state of finances of the State.
“Organize an inspection tour of all ongoing projects and any ongoing negotiations that are not yet frozen as contracts.
“It also demanded an updated employee list for State and Local Governments and payroll for the month of November 2022” as well as a comprehensive list of IDPs and their respective camps.
Others are, pension payroll for February 2020, for the State pensioners and that of the Local Governments and any other vital information that may be of use to the incoming administration among others.
Efforts to get a reaction from the Secretary to the Benue State Government, Professor Tony Ijohor, were unsuccessful as his telephone line was not going through at the time of filing this report.
