By Edwin Philip
The internal crisis engulfing the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Benue State may have taken a dip for the worse.
This follows the sealing off businesses belonging to the member representing Gwer/Gwer West Federal Constituency Arc. Austin Asema Achado, said to be a loyalists of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume by the orders of the state government.
According to reports from Benue State says the State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hycent Alia is taking their political differences too far by sealing off the premises of City Bay Park and Benyster Micro Finance Bank all businesses belonging to Representative Achado.
The businesses located in Makurdi the Benue State capital are being sealed off in the guise of failure to pay registration fee to the State government.
Hon. Achado while addressing a group journalists at his residence in the Makurdi Sta said a team from the Benue State Revenue Service ( BRS) on Dec. 23, 2024, notified his business of non payment of registration fee, the penalty amounting to N219 thousand while the registration fee is just N20, 000 and additional cost of N18,000 which is the penalty for none payment of registration fee.
He further explained that as soon as they gave that bill his people went to BRS and paid the money only for them to come back to discover that the place has been sealed off. He said after their complaint the team from BRS came and unsealed the business premises.
“They came and opened the place not knowing that there was a hidden agenda to sealed that place. So the innocent civil servants didn’t know, they felt that since we have paid, let then come and unseal the place…
Later a team of police men and other security men suspected to have been sent by the governor came well armed with teargas, guns to beat up people at the park, forcing people have to run for their dear lives”, he said.
According to the lawmaker, the City Bay Park has 24 sub tenants , which implies that the 24 shops are owned by different individuals and not by him .
” All those people that sale fish, chicken, suya repair computers and the rest they are not my family members, they are people from different tribes; the people whom the governor call the masses are the owners”.
“He locked up those shops, some of them got loans bought fish and all those fish were locked up and are rotten now and some of them got clothes that they were sewing for the people either for Christmas or for wedding ceremonies they couldn’t access their shops, now they are several events that were booked for 24th 25th and 26the all those events did not take place, this are people of Benue, most of this people are people who voted for Alia yet this is what they get in return, because he is out to attack me, if he wanted to attack me he would have come to knock down this house, because this is my personal house but as long as that business is concern there are many people involved, some people who wanted the leisure of going there to relax drink during the Christmas could not”.
He further disclosed that people came from outside the state to enjoy the modernised aesthetics that City Bay provides, which according to him, is second to none in Benue State.
Speaking on the sealing of Benyster Micro Finance Bank , he said the bank has been operating for eight years without support from the Benue State Government and has given out loans to Benue people.
” The bank has given out over five billion naira loan to Benue people who are doing business here, the state government started a bank they could not maintain it and they now want to run down Benyster Micro Finance bank, it is the highest mischief that a government could do against it own people, you are talking of investment in Benue, I don’t think there are more than three investors more than my family businesses, there are none, if you want to encourage business in Benue and you are serious, you need to put politics aside”.
“When the president of Nigeria goes out of this country for investment what he does is that he takes with him major business players and go with them, the major business players in the country whether they supported him or they supported Atiku it doesn’t matter, he is thinking of Nigeria, if he thinks of serious business in Benue you don’t engage us, if you invite any Lebanese outside to come to do business, when he comes and cannot see the local players, he will only take your money and leave and that is what has been happening, so no serious business is going on but just to close down businesses that private people are doing, the government itself is doing little or nothing that is what is happening in Benue”.
“It quite abnormal for somebody to behave the way he does look at the time of this yuletide when people are coming home to celebrate; you lock all recreation centres, it doesn’t look normal, instead you should use that opportunity to move round and talked to the Benue people who are outside, tell them to come home and invest but not to be fighting those that dare to try. No one runs government by fighting the people, you run a government by mobilizing people, building the State” he added.
Reacting to cases of insecurity around the State, he alleged that outside Makurdi the State capital, most communities in the State are under siege by non State actors.
“You can say Makurdi is safe yet you can’t move 15 km here outside Makurdi, I can’t bet you go to Naka 15 km from Makurdi you cannot go because the herdsmen have taken over those places . Kwande LGA, Guma LGA forinstance, there is high insecurity in those places too.
Speaking on the 71st birthday anniversary of the SGF, Dr. George Akume, the lawmaker said it was a joyous day, we all thank God for our leader senator Dr George Akume, he is doing well and God has blessed him, he is a man who is blessed by God, he has done so much for Benue people , he mean so well for Benue State.”