Benue State Governor, Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has said neither Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) nor himself are the problem but “cheerleaders,” warning cheerleaders to not speak if they don’t have anything positive to contribute. He disclosed this during funeral oration at the interment of second republic minister and leader, Wantaregh Paul Unongo, OFR.
It had not been clear if both political leaders are at logger heads until last Saturday, at the burial of Wantaregh Unongo, when the cat was publicly let out of the bag.
According to Fr. Alia, “There is no need at any point for heating our polity because that wouldn’t take us anywhere.
“There shouldn’t be Alia and Akume factor. Cheerleaders, Akume is not the problem, you the cheerleaders are the problem. I invite you to desist.
“Akume, the great Senator and SGF, must have a place of honour and no one must take that place.
“I invite young people to see where we departed from the true leadership of honour and development. I invite all of us to take advantage of the passing of Unongo, who sought to govern this state but a governor we never got and revive his own spirit. Let’s see what we can do to contribute not what we can do to divide each other and Tiv politics.”
The Governor explained that success comes only when the people are united.
He described the late Wantaregh Unongo as someone who stood for the masses, someone who builds and develop human capital, someone whose impact cannot be exhausted and never got tired of fighting for social justice, noting that he would be surely missed.
“He had a number of aspirations. Let’s make it a duty to catapult it to a finish,” the Governor stated while indicating that Unongo will be immortalised.
While acknowledging that cheerleaders are the problem, Akume accused former Governor Gabriel Suswam and Chief Barnabas Gemade of reaping where they did not sow.
The SGF lamented that he loves Fr. Alia but the cheerleaders have taken the Governor away from him.
