MAKURDI, Nigeria — Samuel Ortom, Governor of Benue State, announced on Sunday, May 28, 2023, that he would hand over a debt burden of N187.5 billion to his successor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia.
The debt includes arrears of salaries, pensions, gratuity, loans, and other contractual obligations.
Addressing attendees at a ceremony in which he presented his handover notes to the Governor-elect, Ortom outlined that his administration had accrued a total of N734.9 billion during his eight-year tenure.
However, he acknowledged that expenditures, including miscellaneous expenses, amounted to over N735.6 billion, leaving the state with the high liability.
“The total income that accrued to the state within the tenure of my administration from all sources was N734.96 billion as at April 30, 2023,” the Governor said.
“The total expenditure on both recurrent items and capital expenditure amounted to N735.6 billion as at 30th April 2023.”
Despite the daunting debt figure, Ortom assured attendees that the burden would significantly decrease when pending financial inflows materialize.
He projected that proactive measures his administration had taken to negotiate and reduce the debt could drop the state’s debt profile to N45.2 billion.
“Although the debt situation of the state government at this time of the exit of my administration might appear to be on the high side, I wish to assure you that my administration has taken proactive steps to negotiate, ensure significant debt reduction/reliefs,” Ortom explained.
Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, the incoming Governor, expressed gratitude to his predecessor for his service to the state and for presenting the handover note, an essential step for a smooth transition.
Notably present at the ceremony were the Deputy Governor-elect, Dr. Sam Ode, his spouse, and other top government officials.
As Governor-elect Alia prepares to inherit the considerable debt, citizens of Benue State will be looking to him to fulfill campaign promises and manage the financial challenges confronting their state.
