Benue State’s former governor faces scrutiny over 23 cars and a possible fleet of more than 100 vehicles
Former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has said that vehicles given to him by the state government were seized after he left office, sparking a debate over the number of cars he and his administration may have taken. Ortom, who left office in 2023, claimed that 23 cars were allocated to him and other members of his administration through the State Executive Council (SEC) after they had been in use for more than four years.
“As I talk to you, after I left office, vehicles that were given to me legitimately by government, this government went and seized them in a manner that was not befitting,” said Ortom.
According to Ortom, the SEC—composed of the governor, deputy governor, Secretary to the State Government and commissioners—approved the allocation of the vehicles. He added that the allocation was not limited to the 23 cars that were publicly reported; “and other members of his administration” also received vehicles, suggesting that more than 100 cars may have been taken as parting gifts.
Ortom’s defence of the allocation has drawn criticism. He noted that most Nigerian officials drive cars older than five years, and that a four‑year‑old Chinese‑made car he owned was originally priced at N4.8 million but would now fetch between N11 million and N13 million on the used market. If the 23 cars and the additional vehicles were sold at their original purchase price, Benue State would have to spend an estimated N6 trillion to replace them.
In response to the controversy, Governor Hyacinth Alia, a Catholic cleric who succeeded Ortom, has ordered the retrieval of the 23 cars. It is not yet clear whether other vehicles allocated by Ortom’s SEC were also seized.
The dispute has raised questions about the legality and fairness of allowing outgoing governors and their appointees to take public property. While the regulation that permits such allocations exists, critics argue that it is inequitable, especially when long‑serving public servants are not permitted to do the same.
Last week, former Cross River Governor Donald Duke remarked that military rule was “in many respects better than civil rule since 1999,” a comment that has added a broader political context to the debate over governance and asset disposal in Nigeria.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
