Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Wednesday, said the reason for his constant cry was that he was not elected to preside over displaced persons or dead bodies.
Ortom stated this when he received in audience the Director-General of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, Mrs Cecilia Gayya, who was represented by Goodluck Audu.
The governor said having foreseen the danger herdsmen invasion on communities might pose to the nation, he decided to raise the alarm and his administration came up with the anti-open grazing law.
He said his allegiance was to his people and lamented that he faced dead threats as a result, but was not afraid of death.
Ortom stated, “At 61, I am no longer afraid of death; in fact, I have prepared my will so that if I die, my people will not fight over my property.
“I feel so sad when I try to make public what is happening in Benue State and people castigate me and insult me. But I remain committed to serving my people.
“And of course, I was not elected to preside over IDPs and dead people. And if something is beyond me, at least, I can raise the alarm for others to come and help me to solve this problem.”
He accused the Federal Government of complicity in the security problem in the country.
On the training of civil servants by ASCON, Ortom said the civil service remained the engine room of any administration, as it was responsible for the success and failure of any government.
ASCON has experts in the training of civil servants. Trainings like this promote professionalism in the civil service. Human capacity development is very key. ASCON has agreed to come down to the state and train our civil servants. There are lots of leakages and waste if workers are not adequately trained,” the governor stated.
Gayya said over 500 civil servants from the state were being trained in human capacity development.
This followed a partnership entered into between the state government and ASCON.
She said infrastructural development without capacity development could lead to a serious administrative crisis, adding that upgrading of the civil service could deliver the government from the woods.
The director-general said the college had the expertise and was always willing to offer services at a moderate cost and would readily come to states to train workers.
(Punch)