Benue Muslims visit Ortom, decry neglect

The Muslim community in Benue State has decried neglect by the  Governor Samuel Ortom administration.

Speaking when they paid Sallah homage to the governor in Government House on Tuesday, the leader of the delegation, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliu, lamented that their support for the present administration has not yielded any fruits.

According to him, “we are part of this government. We all  supported  the present administration during the last election even at the expense of what the previous administration did for us.

“During the previous administration, we were given seven slots in the state executive council as special advisers and senior special assistants but for the past 16 months since the present administration assumed office, our people have not been considered for anything.”

Aliu explained that the Muslim community in the state should be treated as natives, stressing that, “our forebears were born here; they died and were buried here so,  we do not have anywhere to go, Benue is our home.

The deputy governor, Benson Abounu, who received the team on behalf of the governor, appreciated the community, who are mostly Hausa  for their support for the present administration and promised that the Ortom-led administration would integrate them into the system.