Igbos have capacity to rule Nigeria – Benue Governor, Ortom

The governor, who made the expression in Makurdi, the state capital, on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, when Igbo PDP Forum paid him a courtesy visit, said the South-Easterners are accommodating and hard working.

What Ortom said: According to Ortom, the Igbos are peaceful, stressing that they have the ability to live with other ethnic groups in the country.

“The Igbo are accommodating and hard working. They are a group that can live with other ethnic groups and not like those that are killing my people and they want me to keep quiet."

Ortom makes a vow: He vowed to continue speaking to authority on the incessant attacks on Benue people by suspected armed herdsmen.

“I will never keep quiet concerning incessant attacks on my people by herdsmen until the authorities do the right thing. I will continue to speak against injustice,” he said.

What Ortom is not saying: While Ortom faces politics, Nigerians anguish over the insistent flooding of Benue state; the food basket of the nation.

Flooding will cause more stress to the food system: The minister of finance, budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed, said there are signs that the recent flooding in the country would cause more stress to the food system, affecting harvest and prices.

“The floods that have been happening are going to cause more stress on our food system. We realise that the floods are currently destroying crops and therefore the harvest that is expected will be much less, and it will mean that more of our people will struggle to afford food,” she added.

What you should know: A Pulse Explainer narrowed down the reason for the recent flooding situation in Benue. It said that due to the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, many Nigerian communities along the courses of River Niger and River Benue have been affected by floods.

Find out how the Nigerian government may be responsible for the floods here.