Makurdi – Prof. James Ayatse, the Tor Tiv and Chairman, Benue Council of Chiefs, has commended the Federal Government for its prompt intervention toward tackling the floods sweeping through the state.
Ayatse made the commendation on Wednesday in Makurdi, when the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, visited him during his (Osinbajo)’s assessment tour of flooded areas in Makurdi.
The monarch said that government’s quick response in providing relief materials had cushioned the hardship faced by victims of the disaster.
“The gesture showed a clear demonstration of the President’s love for the people of the state,” he said.
He, however, appealed to the Federal Government to award the contract for the construction of Makurdi-Gboko, Makurdi-Otukpo roads, and declared the two roads as “deplorable death traps”.
Ayatse said that Benue was an agrarian state and therefore needed good roads to transport food produce to other parts of the country.
He appealed to governments at all levels to make the payment of workers’ salaries a priority, and urged the Federal Government to assist Benue to defray its backlog of salaries.
The monarch assured government of the support of traditional institution in the implementation of policies.
Earlier, Osinbajo had assured the traditional ruler that the government was determined to find a lasting solution to flooding in the state.
The Vice President, who admitted that paucity of funds was a major setback of the administration, however, assured that efforts would be made to find ways of tackling some of the issues raised by the Tor Tiv.
