Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue state, says if he has the power, he would kill all the snakes in the world in order to make people free from snake bites.
Reacting to the report that he has a snake farm in the state, Ortom said though it is not a crime to rear snakes, he had never contemplated undertaking such activity.
He said he was currently rearing pigs, snails, cattle, and mushroom but would not venture into snake farming.
The governor, however, said he had a scheme where victims of snake bites had been receiving free treatment in the last 20 years.
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He also said he made an arrangement with St. Theresa’s and Rahama Hospitals, all in Makurdi, the state capital, to treat snake bite victims on his account.
Ortom disclosed that between February and June, he had incurred an outstanding bill of over N30 million to settle, adding that none of the victims was related to him.
He said he decided to initiate the scheme because most of the victims were usually poor people who could not adequately foot the bills of their treatments.
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According to the governor, his steps in in such humanitarian service is to save lives and not because he had money.
The governor advised his opponents to strive to base their criticisms on critical issues rather than ”baseless and unfounded as well as unthinkable things.”
He said he desired to take Benue to lofty heights and would partner with any individual or group of persons with useful ideas that could add value to his government.
Ortom promised that the remaining part of his tenure would be more fruitful with a view to trickling down many dividends of democracy to every nook and cranny of the state.
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