By Joseph Adahnu, Yola
The Nongov Youth Association, Makurdi branch has charged Guma Local government Council and ALGON Chairman in Benue State to return to Gbajimba or impeachment for allegedly relocating Council headquarters.
The Association declare this in a Communique issue after the emergency meeting held in Makurdi, the state capital on Tuesday, 22nd and made puplicly on 23, July 2025. The Communique titled “Gbajimba Left in the Cold? Our Headquarters, Our Heritage, Our Voice”
The Nongov Association said, “In a time when unity and a sense of purpose are needed more than ever in Guma Local Government, we the Nongov Youth Association, Makurdi Branch, rises with one voice to express our deep pain, utter shock, and profound disappointment over the recent announcement by the Executive Chairman of Guma Local Government Council and Chairman of ALGON, Hon. Maurice Orwough, regarding the temporary relocation of his official office from Gbajimba to Daudu.”
“In the statement, that Hon. Orwough officially announced that all official engagements, including meetings and visits, will henceforth be held in Daudu until further notice.” The question is, did the local government Council legislative sat for the relocation or and approved by the Benue State House of Assembly before the single decision.
According to Nongov Youth, that Council Chairman claimed that the decision was borne out of his commitment to staying close to the people and gaining firsthand experience of the security challenges affecting the area.
That, ”for over 30 years, Gbajimba has remained the undisputed headquarters of Guma Local Government. It is the nerve center of administration, the heartbeat of governance, and the symbol of unity between the Nongov and Ihyarev blocs of our local government. Whether an elected or appointed chairman hailed from Ihyarev or Nongov, none has ever attempted what Hon. Orwough has now done, move the seat of power away from Gbajimba, they said.
That, the Chairman’s claims justification that the relocation was due to “prevailing security concerns” is not only insufficient, but also insulting to the intelligence of Guma people. If insecurity is the problem, then why Daudu, which has not recorded a single kidnapping or Fulani militia attack? Why not move the office to Yelwata, where over 200 of our people were massacred, prompting even the President of Nigeria to visit Benue in sympathy? Why not relocate to Udei, where four mobile policemen were recently killed, or Ukohol, where soldiers dispersed attacking militia? If security was truly the issue, these are the frontline communities where a leader who means business should plant his feet.
Hon Orwough, if claimed ignorant, why not replicate the courage of his Vandeikya counterpart, who moved to Tsar, a border community facing direct threats? What becomes of Saghev, Kaambe, and Abinsi wards whose people now have to travel the long and insecure roads to Daudu for administrative purposes?
Hon. Orwough’s mention the ongoing renovations at the Council Secretariat and the Chairman’s Lodge is, at best, a cover-up. Renovations are routine and expected. But they should not become a basis for abandoning the headquarters, especially at a time when the people need their leader most.
Since the government is for all inclusive, the move to Daudu is disruptive, exclusionary, and ill-timed. It will distance the government from the people it is meant to serve. Guma is not Daudu alone. Guma is Gbajimba, Tse-Akaahena, Tomatar, Tse Abi, Tse Pev-I, Tse Ginde, Tomatar, Tyulen, Agasha, Abinsi, Udei, Yelwata, Yogbo, Ukpiam, Umenger, Kaseyo, Torkula and beyond.
We believe this action has deep political undertones and risks dividing the already fragile peace between the Ihyarev and Nongov people. For a Chairman whose mandate is to unify, this action is alarmingly divisive. And that, “We further observe, with deep concern, the recent and deliberate neglect of the Nongov Traditional Council by the Executive Chairman, particularly his refusal to extend invitations to the Acting Mue Ter Nongov during key security meetings, notably those held at the ALGON House in Makurdi and in Abinsi, which falls squarely within the Mue Ter Nongov’s jurisdiction.”
However, the following are demands peace,
“Immediate reversal of the office relocation from Daudu back to Gbajimba. A clear and public security plan for the restoration of peace in Gbajimba and other crisis-prone areas.”
It is on this note that, “We call on the Executive Governor of Benue State, His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, and the Benue State House of Assembly, led by Speaker, Hon. Aondona Dajoh to graciously intervene and prevail on Hon. Maurice Orwough to reconsider his stance on the relocation of his office to Daudu”.
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