By Egena Sunday Ode
Vice President Kashim Shettima has admonished the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume and the Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia to sheath their swords and work together as members of the same political party in the interest of the state.
Shettima gave this advise publicity while addressing the audience at the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Summit held at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday. He represented President Tinubu at the event.
The Vice President’s advice may have been informed by reports of a cat and mouse relationship between the governor and his political godfather which culminated in parallel congresses of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) held in Benue State penultimate week.
The reports suggested that loyalists of the two political gladiators held separate congresses of the party in the state and proclaimed factional leaders emerging from the exercises.
Shettima told Akume and Alia to reconcile their difference as failing to so could drag the state and its people backwards and deny them the much deserved development.
He pointedly told Akume to initiate the peace process as an elder statesman, saying that Benue deserves nothing less than peace and development.
Shettima said: “Lastly, one can hardly get a forum better than this. I want to use this forum to make a special appeal to His Excellency Senator George Akume and His Excellency Governor Hyacinth Alia to mend fences and work effectively.
“Senator Akume, apart from Dr. Abdullahi Ganduji, Senator Akume, is the longest serving public servant in the current dispensation. He’s in his seventies. He started work in Benue State government house. He was the director of protocol. He was a permanent secretary. He was a governor for eight years, a senator for 16 years, a minister for four years, and now the secretary to the government of the federation. You have seen it all.
“You are an elder statement, reach out to our junior brother. Let’s build Benue together. Benue deserves peace. Benue deserves development.
“What binds us together, as I have always said, supersedes whatever that divides us. The trajectory of global growth is facing Africa, and Nigeria will make or mar that transition.
“Nigeria is greater than all of us. And as Martin Luther King rightly said, we either learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. And we are not a nation of fools. We are a nation of very intelligent, very smart people that know their onions.”
