Samuel Ortom is a Nigerian politician, businessperson, administrator, and philanthropist. He was Minister of State for Trade and Investment under President Goodluck Jonathan‘s administration.
He became Governor of Benue State in 2015 before winning a second term in 2019.
Table of Content hide 1Samuel Ortom Biography 2Career 3Governor 4Samuel Ortom achievements 5Controversies 6Samuel Ortom net worth 7Family 8Tribe 9ConclusionSamuel Ortom Biography
Ortom was born on April 23, 1961, in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. In 1970, he went to St. John’s Primary School in Gboko, but in 1974, he transferred to St. Catherine’s Primary School in Makurdi, where he finished primary school in 1976.
He proceeded to Idah Secondary Commercial College in Idah, Kogi State, for his secondary education in 1976. He spent two years in the school until the financial constraints of his father’s retirement in 1979 prevented him from completing his formal secondary education. He went on to drive for a living.
Later, he earned the General Certificate of Education and the Salesmanship Diploma. He studied at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, where he graduated in 1998 with a diploma in journalism and the Interim Joint Matriculation Board Certificate in 1995.
Later, he attended Benue State University, earning an Advanced Diploma in Personnel Management in 2001 and a Master of Public Administration in 2004. Through remote study, Ortom obtained a Ph.D. from the Commonwealth University in Belize.
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Career
Ortom started in sales for Gyado Foods Company, where he eventually advanced to the position of Sales Manager.
He held ownership and chairmanship positions in Oracle Business Limited, Oracle Oil Mills, Oracle Printing Press, Oracle Farms Limited, Capital Prints Limited, and Achieve Engineering Limited.
Dr Samuel Ortom is currently a patron of the Independent Print-Media Publishers Association of Nigeria, IPPAN, and served as its national president at one point. He led the Standards Organization of Nigeria’s (SON) governing council.
He later founded the Oracle Business Limited Foundation, which provides redemption, restoration, and empowerment services.
Ortom served as the State Publicity Secretary for the National Center Party of Nigeria, the State Treasurer for the All People’s Party (APP), and the State Secretary and State Deputy Chairman for the People’s Democratic Party, among other political parties in Benue State.
Additionally, in 2007 and 2011, he served as the Director of Administration and Logistics for the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organization. He also served as Director of Operations for the PDP’s gubernatorial campaign in Benue State. Prior to being appointed Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in July 2011, he served as PDP National Auditor.
Later, in July 2011, he was named the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Minister of State for Industry, Trade, and Investment, a position he held until October 2014.
Ortom resigned from his position as minister of state for industry, trade, and investments in October 2014 to run for Governor of Benue State on the PDP platform. On April 11, 2015, he switched to the All Progressives Congress, APC, where he eventually won the governorship race after being unable to win the PDP ticket.
Governor
He ran for Governor of Benue State in April 2015 and was successful on the APC platform. Due to a problem within the party, Ortom announced his resignation from the APC in July 2018.
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Ortom was reelected as Governor of Benue in the 9 March 2019 gubernatorial election and the 23 March 2019 supplementary governorship election after receiving 434,473 votes, while Emmanuel Jime of the All Progressives Congress came in second with 345,155 votes.
After the election, Jime contested Ortom’s victory and submitted a petition claiming that the Electoral Act of 2010 and its subsequent amendments were substantially broken. The Supreme Court upheld Samuel Ortom’s election on January 21, 2020.
Samuel Ortom achievements
Among the governor’s accomplishments are the Amnesty Program, the Anti-Opening Grazing Law, and the rapid graduation of 200 doctors of medicine from Benue State University.
While the new State Assembly Complex was still being built, the governor finished 42 primary healthcare facilities and the deputy governor’s office. Eleven abandoned road projects had contractors recalled; other projects, including Oshigbudu to Obagaji and Zaki-Biam-Afia-Gbeji, were finished; and more contracts were issued for building other roads, including two important motorways.
In addition, the Bureau of Rural Development and Cooperatives is working on 34 other rural road development and electricity projects. Additionally, the bureau is completing 38 projects of a similar nature that previous administrations started.
Governor Samuel provided basic healthcare and educational facilities at Internally Displaced Person camps in Benue State.
Ortom persuaded the United Nations University for Global Peace to create its first African University for Peace in Benue State. He oversaw the $6 billion BENGIS (Benue Geographic Information System) project.
Controversies
The inhabitants of Idoma-speaking regions accused Ortom of underrepresenting them in state government positions in 2015. This came when Ortom appointed individuals to four important administrative positions, which Tivs largely held. The Idomas admitted they were sorry they had chosen to put him in power.
The National Broadcasting Commission filed a complaint against Channels TV in 2021 for allegedly breaking broadcasting laws by showing a program with Ortom as the host, in which he made inciting, divisive, and unfair comments. According to reports, Ortom expressed his concern over the rising level of insecurity in Nigeria and said President Buhari was working toward ‘fulanizing’ the nation.
Following his repeated criticisms of President Muhamadu Buhari, Ortom claimed in January 2022 that he was being purposefully barred from Aso Rock and meeting with the President.
Samuel Ortom net worth
Governor Samuel Ortom’s net worth is estimated at $2.5 million.
Family
The governor is married to Chief Mrs Eunice Erdoo Ortom. They have six children together as well as grandchildren.
Tribe
He is from Guma Local Government Area in Benue State.
Conclusion
His interests include farming, aerobics, badminton, reading, philanthropy, and evangelism.
In addition to being a devout Christian, the governor has travelled extensively and has visited many nations in Asia, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa.
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