The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, says the high rate of insecurity in North Central Nigeria, poses a threat to economic recovery of states like Benue.
Mr Ortom made the observation while flagging off a two-day Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons disarmament retreat for North Central states in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State.
Benue State is one of the States severely affected by the reduction in allocation from the federal account, occasioned by the drop in the price of crude oil which is Nigeria’s major source of revenue.
The Governor advised the participating states to ensure the mop-up of small arms and light weapons to encourage investments in key sectors of Agriculture and solid minerals, as a way out of the reduced allocation from the national purse.
Earlier, the Coordinator of the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons Mr, Eineje Onobu, commended the Governor on the success of his Amnesty Programme and recommended the Benue State Amnesty Programme as a model for the sub-region.