The story of the Nigeria’s Secretary General Of The Federation (SGF),Distinguished Senator George Akume is one that cannot be told in a hurry.
It is a conversation that would require at least two or more volumes, taking into consideration his record of achievements, beginning with his stellar performance in Benue State; the red chamber of the National Assembly, and still counting at the Federal Executive Council.
Ironically, in spite of these enormous contributions, I am aware of his unenthusiastic inclination toward overtures in some quarters to formally document his statesmanship as well as the silent achiever that he is. I say this with every sense of responsibility because I have been a very keen participant observer of the political activities of the Distinguished Senator for about 25 years, which kick started almost immediately after the 1994/5 National Constitutional Conference which was supposed to be part of the then botched transitional programme.
Recently, I commenced a serial analysis in honour of the June 12 Democracy Day, and its significance, especially in relation to the Benue State leadership conundrum and its implications entitled: THE BENUE POLITICS AND LEADERSHIP FARCE AND THE EXCEPTION. After the introductory part however, I received not a few calls from friends and personalities, urging me to instead turn same into a more formal document for the benefit of posterity since the area in question was so vast as it was instructive; and, after due consideration, I decided to oblige.
Nonetheless, following the presentation of a comprehensive, national action plan to facilitate the creation of a significant number of additional jobs that would augment Mr President’s Road Map toward lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by the Hon. Minister few weeks ago, I thought it auspicious to fast track the write up to “the George Akume Era.”This is more so as the Benue antecedent not only amplified his pro democracy instincts but also his progressive, modernizing and developmental agency, even long before he was called upon to contribute his quota in the Federal Executive Council.
The least that the out pouring of encomiums and testimonials that trailed the brilliant presentation at the executive session requires is, perhaps an abridged version of the Hon. Minister’s longstanding, numerous but unsung, selfless contributions at the grassroots as well as at the state level which no doubt earned him the well deserved appellation of “the Father of Modern Benue,” during his previous executive tour as the 3rd Executive Governor of Benue State; and it was due this profound goodwill that before the 2019 farce, any candidate he endorsed in any election in the state was simply validated by the electorate.
THE GEORGE AKUME ERA AS THE GOVERNOR OF BENUE STATE (1999-2007).
There is no gainsaying that Distinguished Senator George Akume is a consummate servant- leader, philanthropist, administrator and politician who is indeed God fearing.
Before coming to the limelight, he rose steadily from the civil service ranks, held several important positions including chairmanships of Local Govt Area Council and head of directorates before bowing out of the civil service as a Permanent Secretary to vie for the governorship of the state.
He was born and brought up in his native Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State before moving out to traverse the state, the nation and beyond in search of educational attainments and other endeavours.
Coming from a disciplined, hard working and humble background, he grew up to become a humane, sociable, and a service oriented person; extremely kind, amiable, fair minded and one who relates seamlessly with everyone without discrimination on the basis of class, gender, race, religion or ethnicity.
His father was one of the early political leaders who worked with his kinsman, the late Chief J.S. Tarka, among others to mobilize grassroots political support in the First Republic, and it would seem that this must have influenced the young Akume to join politics later in life.
However, it is evident that while in the civil service, and especially after the creation of Benue state, and in spite of several military interventions and experiments with civil rule, he observed that the people were still struggling with issues of poverty, unemployment, disease, ignorance, environmental and climate challenges as well as lack of basis amenities, industries and infrastructure.
Given the methodical, measured and focused manner with which he tackled these issues when he assumed the leadership of the state, it became obvious that the plight of the people was the reason he aspired to the governorship of the state.
Therefore, on the eve of the 4th Republic when he campaigned for that position, it was not surprising that he was very well received by the people, having regards to his pedigree and antecedents. The people who were profoundly impacted by his exemplary qualities and track record of performance in public service overwhelmingly voted him into office as the 3rd executive governor of Benue State, and was sworn in on the 29th of May, 1999.
The government of Akume sought to promote integrity, transparency and accountability in the conduct of public affairs by avowedly committing itself to the principles of true democracy, separation of powers, social justice, equity and the rule of law.
Having been familiar with the life long socio-economic and political challenges of the state, he brought into the office a policy document tagged “THE BENUE ADVANCE PLAN,” which espoused the holistic vision of his administration for a modern Benue, the objectives of which were tailored toward addressing the peculiar problems of the state.
Akume consistently demonstrated his commitment to the principles of true democracy, good governance and unhindered participation in the democratic process. Even though he was an incumbent state chief executive, he never sought to rig out his rivals from opposing political parties once they were duly elected by their constituents. Instead he sought their cooperation for the development and over all interest of the people.
Through this policy direction, Akume endeavored to promote the spirit of peaceful coexistence among the ethnic nationalities within the state; and beginning with the constitution of the Cabinet, he ensured a fair and equitable representation of all the state’s constituent parts and sections, and strived to do the same in the distribution and allocation of other political and socio-economic values of the state.
Firstly, to engender good governance through checks and balances as a necessary feedback mechanism for those in power, his govt cultivated a mutually beneficial and harmonious working relationship with the state legislature and the judiciary which accounted for the unprecedented massive growth and development across all sectors of the Benue political economy before by the time he left office.
Having laid a solid foundation for the smooth take off of the administration, he advanced projects and programmes that fostered all inclusive, sustainable growth and development through the deliberate empowerment of the indigenous small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) so as to diversify, stimulate and boost the private sector of the local economy which was hitherto dependent upon subsistent farming and the state civil service.
Therefore, to take the poor, unemployed, dependent masses out of poverty and reduce the incidents of crime and other social vices, the governor made it a policy of his administration to patronize and empower local contractors, artisans, the youth and women through their engagement on the numerous construction and infrastructural projects and programmes that were initiated.
Unlike the situation in the past, this policy energized the private sector by improving the purchasing power of the citizenry, and for the first time in the history of the state, the ordinary people, including the unemployed, started setting up private businesses, building houses as well as buying all kinds of vehicles. It was during this time that the construction of burnt brick houses became popular as they sprang up almost everywhere in the metropolis and across the state.
In addition, Akume made the regular payment of salaries of civil servants, emoluments and their overall wellbeing a priority and, so did not owe workers their entitlements throughout his two terms in office.
The govt also initiated and built a number of housing projects for civil servants and other low income groups on owner occupier basis including the BIPC Housing estates located in Nyiman and North Bank areas of the Makurdi metropolis.
Moreover, in order to remove the stigma of civil servants who live in official quarters as tenants and whose families were subjected to trauma on account of either retirement or death, the govt decided to monetize and transfer the ownership of all those houses on owner occupier bases to the occupants. This policy brought a huge relief to innumerable civil servants and their families.
Members of the state assembly and the judiciary were not left out as the government built befitting judges quarters complex as well as the legislative estate with roads and other amenities.
Furthermore, he encouraged senior civil servants and entrepreneurs to build their private homes in a service layout which became known as “judges Quarters.”
The governor also started and built his private home on the layout and before long, individuals whose incomes had improved joined in the construction of their private houses, a phenomenon that was hitherto unknown in the past dispensations when citizens were afraid of investing in modern structures for fear of being victimized by rival politicians. Today, the layout has become a mega estate and the modern houses that adorn same are comparable to those in any of the high brow areas of Abuja or any other Nigerian city. This has been unprecedented in the annals of the state, and only a selfless leader can support and carry along its citizens as such.
On the other hand, his dear wife and the then First Lady of the state, Chief Mrs Regina Akume, JP. used her pet project–the Hope Alive Foundation to provide succor to the sick, the poor, widows, orphans and the most vulnerable in society.
In the area of education, the govt reintroduced the erstwhile overseas sponsorship programme for the training of promising Benue students to study relevant courses in different educational institutions abroad.
Extensive investments were made in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions of learning including Special Science Secondary Schools and ensured that salaries of teachers were paid as at when due.
To enhance the viability of the Benue State University (BSU) and secure accreditation for the Faculty of Medical Sciences that is key for the training of doctors, the govt did everything possible to meet all the requirements including a massive construction of the ultra modern college of health sciences complex of the BSU, complete with fully furnished lecture halls, students hostels, staff quarters, auditoriums, cafeterias, recreational gardens, beautiful pavements and landscaping; complimented with all the teaching and learning equipments as well as the necessary infrastructures.
This state of the art college complex which was commissioned by the then President Obasanjo has been adjudged one of the best not only in the country but in the whole West African sub region.
Similarly, during his second term in office, Akume went on and built the gigantic, world class teaching hospital complex; provided it with all the needed infrastructure, hospital equipment, and furnishings, to serve as a one stop referral tertiary medical institution for the state and beyond, and to ensure that graduating medical students carry out the requisite practical training for their professional qualifying examinations.
Although the govt also built and equipped many other primary and secondary hospitals across the state during its tenure, these two landmark modern tertiary institutions were the crowning glory of the administration’s achievements within the health services sector.
The govt equally paid attention to the issues of portable water supply, environmental sanitation and erosion menace that had become a perennial occurrence in the capital city and its environs. First, harnessing the River Benue resource, the greater Makurdi Water Works project was built and installed with the huge requisite pumping equipment. Nevertheless, it is sad commentary that since Akume’s exit from the govt house, his successors have been unable or failed to carry out the complete reticulation of the distribution system in order to end the water shortage in Makurdi, though humongous sums are said to have been sunk in the scheme even as the residents continue to buy drinking water from local vendors popularly known as “mai rua.”
Simultaneously using ecological funds, the govt undertook and completed the construction of the First Phase of the huge Idye erosion control project that traversed the length and breath of the metropolis, thereby drastically reducing the submersion of the metropolis that became a recurring incident every raining season.
Besides, throughout its tenure, the govt committed itself to the cleanliness of the state even as the administration embarked on the beautification of the capital city by earmarking recreational gardens and parks, planting of numerous planting of designer trees along the main roads and streets; the design and construction of major roundabouts including the famous food basket one at the Wurukum junction in Makurdi.
The govt also built the Benue Television Complex and also invested a lot of resources on Radio Benue by acquiring new transmitters and equipment to enhance the reach of the station to all nook and crannies of Benue and its environs.
Transportation was also given a boost as Benue Links was supported to acquire hundreds of vehicles which included Marco polo luxury buses that conveyed passengers to most states in Nigeria.
Youth, sports development, and culture were not left out as the state’s football team, the Lobi Stars was fully funded and continually won national and international laurels, just as the state troupe of arts and culture equally garnered national and intercontinental trophies and recognition for their superlative performance.
Apart from the foregoing, Akume consistently demonstrated his commitment to the principles of true democracy, good governance and unhindered participation in the democratic process. Even though he was an incumbent state chief executive, he never sought to rig out his rivals from opposing political parties once they were duly elected by their constituents. Instead he sought their cooperation for the development and over all interest of the people. For instance, between 1999 and 2007 while he was governor of the state on the platform of the PDP, Distinguished Senator Prof Daniel Saror was voted into the red chambers for two consecutive terms on the platform of the then minority ANPP but he wasn’t bothered with that but rather focused on the business of the state without begrudging the senator. Ditto other representatives of the people from the opposition parties at the national, state and local levels.
In like manner, Hon. Bunde Tofi of blessed memory won his chairmanship of the Buruku Local Govt on the platform of the ANPP. Again, rather than antagonize, the Governor ensured that Buruku and others LGs received their federal allocations and used same to execute people oriented projects of which he consistently went round to commission those as governor of the good people of Benue state.
That was when there was a true semblance of democracy in action in the state, but today, by the standard of the present state political leadership, a politician of Akume’s stature is not fit to win a local govt counselor of his ward not to talk of being reelected senator of his zone B constituency in the state. This can never be anything short of voodoo politics by the erstwhile pretentious protégés of the present Hon. Minister.
The doctrine of party supremacy and interest were promoted during the Akume era so much so that he carried along the party hierarchy and members alike through regular briefings at either state caucus or stakeholders meetings during which party chieftains had the opportunity of interacting among themselves as well as with the Governor.
He made sure that these chieftains were all patronized one way or the other by his administration. Moreover, he respected and sought their counsels on important national and local issues.
More importantly, Akume pro actively positioned so many of these political leaders, some of whom he used his good offices to promote to whatever level they have attained today, either as Governors, Senators, Hon. Ministers, Commissioners, National and State party EXCO members, etcetera.
It is regrettable to remark that our best leaders are rarely celebrated during their life time and instead, they are sought to be brought down only to begin afresh to groom new ones to take their places, but it takes time to successfully do that to fruition, and hence we have continued to progress in friction without progress.
However, it is heartwarming to observe that, in spite of all these and more, one of the foremost Nigerian universities, the University of Jos (UniJos), years back, found him most deserving and did award him an Honorary Doctorate degree in honour of these unprecedented accomplishments which was celebrated by mammoth crowds at a colourful ceremony in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
It was therefore, not surprising when he was unanimously chosen by his colleagues in his second term in office to serve as the Chairman of the then Northern Nigeria Governors Forum.
Yet, some of his erstwhile beneficiaries have sustained the conspiracy of using the scarce resources of Benue people to ensure that he must be politically brought down because of the fear of some old woods in their ranks whose political stars are already dimming and who, in a typical nature of a Benue politician or Tiv at that, being in their gray twilight, stalk for an opportuned time to bring down a rival in the name of “Ku imongu ngu nyoon ga.”
Indeed, leadership anywhere comes with a huge prize but contrary to their evil expectations, he is instead on a threshold of a better and more glorious political future.
Just like every governor of the state, Akume also faced security problems within and between neighboring states of Nasarawa and Taraba, but he always used diplomacy and tact to contain the situation and prevent such from spiraling out f control, even as the govt equally shouldered the responsibility of taking care of thousands of IDPs for years on end.
One of the greatest moments of anxiety during his tenure was when a number of military personel were ambushed and fatally attacked around the Zaki Biam — Wukari borders of Benue and Taraba states, and the reprisal attacks that followed the adverse security situation.
I was the government spokesman at the time and I recall the diplomatic shuttles that Governor Akume undertook between Benue and Taraba and Nasarawa states on the one hand, and Benue and the Presidency on the other which drastically calmed down frayed nerves on all sides.
As a human being, our unassuming and amiable Hon. Minister also has his foibles, but doubtless he has been divinely endowed a better leader far more than any of the political merchants we have in our mist and will unfortunately continue to be part of the petty and mundane politics in our depressing climes.
