Samuel Ortom, former governor of Benue State, says Hyacinth Alia, his successor, has cancelled his entitlements, including provisions for a house and annual medical checks.
Ortom spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s *Political Paradigm*, where he discussed the benefits due to him as an ex-governor.
He stated that the state government denied him the entitlements provided for under a law enacted by the Benue State House of Assembly.
Ortom also noted that his monthly salary as governor was less than N600,000, adding that his remuneration was no different from what other governors earned.
“He cancelled it. There is no financial entitlement,” Ortom said.
“When he came, nothing. The law that was enacted by the House of Assembly states that you take your salary. The salary of a governor, I think, is little.
“My salary cannot be different from any other governor. The salary of a governor is less than N600,000 a month.”
The former governor noted that he was legally entitled to a house in Abuja or any other part of the country of his choice.
Instead, he said he is still living in the Games Village, Abuja, where he has resided since 2008 when he served as the national auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“Well, I was supposed to be provided with a house. You have seen me here in my Games Village house. Which ex-governor is living in Games Village? In the whole of this country, here in Abuja, which governor is living in Games Village?” he queried.
“You have seen me here. I’ve been here since 2008, when I was national auditor of the PDP. How many people have remained here? Many people have come here to challenge me.”
Ortom said the statutory arrangement also included provisions for annual medical checkups at a hospital of his choice—either in Nigeria or abroad—with the costs covered by the state government.
“I’m telling you what was obtainable,” he said.
“I was supposed to have a free medical check every year, in any place of my choice, whether in Nigeria or outside the country, paid for by the state government.”
Ortom, a member of the PDP, governed Benue State from 2015 to 2023. Alia, his successor, belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
