Ortom advises appointees against diversion of funds

Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue has warned Chairmen and members of statutory boards in the state against diversion of public funds.

Ortom gave the warning on Tuesday in Makurdi while inaugurating the chairmen and members of 19 boards of various establishments.

”Ours is a call to serve and not to make money. In our administration, no one is allowed to divert public funds into private pockets.

“Anyone who does that will face severe sanctions. The meagre resources of the state must be diligently managed to get the best results for the people.

He told the appointees that their coming on board would facilitate service delivery to the people of the state in various sectors.

”I wish to recollect that even before our administration came on board in May, 2015, some of the boards we are inaugurating today were not reconstituted.

”The implication is that running of the parastatals as well as their services have not been at optimal level.

“But as we inject some new blood in them, we are hopeful that they would perform better for the good of Benue people and the state,” he said.

The governor said that the board members were appointed at a very challenging time.

”It is necessary to remind all the appointees that they came to serve at a time that the challenges are numerous but the people’s expectations are high.

”The implication of this is that you should swiftly deploy your experience to respond to all these challenges and expectations.

”The need to look inwards, make sacrifices and boost internally generated revenue with which to meet government obligations cannot be overemphasised.

”Even though we are getting out of recession, the accumulated funding challenges that we have been experiencing over time still make our financial position to be precarious,” he said.

Ortom urged them to have cordial working relationships with the parent ministries, management teams and staff to achieve optimum results.

”We shall endeavour to enhance and facilitate your work by fulfilling our statutory responsibilities within the available resources,” he said.