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From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
The Majority Leader of the 10th Benue State House Of Assembly, Comrade Saater Tiseer has distanced himself and some others from a press statement making the rounds in the social media space.
He was responding to a release credited to a group called Zone A People’s Assembly, (ZAPA) and purported to be authored by myself Comrade Saater Tiseer, Majority Leader of the 10″ Benue State House of Assembly, HE Gabriel Suswam, Rt. Hon. Ikyange Terkimbi, Engr. Dan Ashiekaa, Dr. Annawa, Kula Ter Najime and Fannen Mondo respectively dated 14″° August 2023.
ZAPA, in the said statement, had accused the Secretary to the Government of Federation, (SGF), Sen. George Akume, of nepotism as according to them, he is appointing only his kinsmen into key positions meant for the entire Tiv nation.
They said he is “consciously concentrating his loyalties to Jemgbagh, where he comes from and not the larger Tiv race thereby contradicting the age – long Tiv principle of “ya na angbian”, which mean “eat and give your brother.”
Briefing newsmen on Friday in Makurdi, the majority leaders said denied being part of the group adding that “He does not speak for me.”
In his speaach Tiseer said “There is no way Dan Ashiekaa could have addressed himself as Engr. Dan Ashiekaa. There is an Engr. Peter Ashiekaa not Dan. Again that the alleged authors including myself, Saater Tiseer, did not append any signatures made the write-up so unofficial and most unserious especially, such important releases like this would require signing by the authors to own up such a document.
“I state abundantly and undeniably clear that, as the Majority Leader of the 10” Benue State House of Assembly, I do not lack any space, time and fronts to state my issues and concerns on any media platform within my ambits and comfort, and as such would not descend so low to disrespect my office, personality and character to hide under pseudo accounts to author the said press conference.
He stated that he, Comrade Saater Tiseer, is not a member of ZAPA and has never intended or contemplated at any moment joining the assembly called ZAPA.
Describing himself as a good student of history from Ushongo LGA, Tiseer said he has no business with the appointments of Tiv sons from Jemgbagh extraction knowing fully well that in the
short lived government of Umaru Musa Yar’adua and that of Goodluck Jonathan 2007 – 2015, Ushongo people had enjoyed the opportunity of serving Nigerians in various capacities at the Federal Government:
He named Justice Katsina Alu, Chief Judge of Nigeria, Michael Kaase Aondoakaa SAN, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Dr. Paul Orhii, DG NAFDAC, Mr. Robert Orya, MD/CEO NEXIM Bank, Mrs. Mzamber Waziri, Chairman EFCC, among others as evidences of such benefits.
He said that the purported press conference, that named him as a co-author, is a cheap, shameful and low acts of actors of mischief and perpetrators of disunity, calculated to cause disaffection in order to widen the walls of disunity.
“It is laughable, inglorious, infamous and unpopular that such archaic and barbaric acts are making round the streets of our revered nation.”
He said those sponsoring and promoting lethal hatred and acts of disaffection to note that Kula Ter Najime, is the Chief Press Secretary to the state Governor and so would not cheapen his office to operate under pseudo accounts hence he controls a litany of press men.
“Rt. Hon. Terkimbi Ikyange is a Former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly and a Commissioner designate, who is screened and confirmed and ordinarily legion of press men would want to hear him speak at all times on diverse issues, so would not shamelessly dishonor himself, family and people as purported.
According to him, Mr. Dan Ashiekaa is a Millionaire who is busy with business and can organize a press conference of international magnitude at any time. Comrade Saater Tiseer is the Majority Leader who is also busy with other concerned elected government officials to fix the rot suffered by the Benue People and has not time for frivolities,
He said the mischief makers are only jealous of the Ushongo people and would want to cast them in bad light “but we cannot be cowed by unpleasant activities of vultures of destruction.
“As it stands, Ushongo Local Government area has two commissioner nominees, screened and confirmed, two special Advisers, two Senior Special Assistants designate without forgetting to mention that the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and the Majority Leader of ‘the Benue State House of Assembly are from Ushongo. We have no reason to be ungrateful to the Tiv nation where Ushongo has played key roles and continue to maximally contribute in quantum heap the survival, unity and development of the Tiv nation.
“We have no business with issues raised in the ZAPA press conference where the real authors have owned up to it but that evil men and women are hell bent to harvest animosity as they promote dissent.”
Tiseer, who appreciated the SGF for attracting dividends of democracy to the people of the state, called on all well-meaning citizens of Benue State, home, abroad to discountenance the concerns ‘on the publication released and to also know that Kula Ter Najime, Rt. Hon. Terkimbi Ikyange, Engr. Dan Ashiekaa as wrongly written, and Hon. Saater Tiseer are not and will not sponsor or author such a press conference.
