Benue, NEXIM bank, partner to boost economic activities

BENUE State Government and the Nigerian Export Import Bank, NEXIM have pledged mutual cooperation to boost economic activities in the state.

The state government in a statement by Adviser to the Governor on Media and ICT made available to The Guardian said Governor Samuel Ortom and NEXIM Managing Director, Roberts Orya sealed the pact when the Governor visited the management team of the financial institution in Abuja.

“We shall create the enabling environment for the private sector to thrive in our state and collaborate with you by encouraging our indigenes to do business with you and monitoring them to ensure that repayments are made as at when due,” Ortom said.

“The way to go and be able to get out of the woods is to promote public private partnership to industrialize, encourage micro, small and medium scale enterprises, commercial and trading activities as well as investment,” he stressed.
According to him these were the strong points for which his administration had passion to boost massive jobs, wealth and opportunities for unemployed youths in the state.

Governor Ortom stated that he was proud that Orya was a good ambassador of the state and Nigeria and commended the management of the bank for adding value to the economic development of the country.

Meanwhile, the Director General of former governor Gabriel Suswam in the last Benue North-East Senatorial election Terfa Atii has been arrested by the Zone 4 Police Headquarters, Makurdi in a case of culpable homicide following an incident that led to the death of a teenage 14-year-old girl on the Election Day.

Narrating the incident to The Guardian, counsel to the family of the victim, Samuel Shior stated that Atii was alleged to have on April 11, 2015 sent some thugs to snatch ballot boxes at a polling unit in Ushongo town. The thugs, who met resistance from the people, thus began to shoot randomly and a stray bullet hit a 14-year-old girl Aguji Terkumbur, who was washing clothes in a nearby house. She was rushed to Torr Medical Centre where she later passed on.