One of the five surviving cabinet members of the administration of Aper Aku, the first civilian Governor of Benue State, Elder Toryima Orga, a Harvard-trained Economist, has died at the age of 81.
According to Kaase Toryima Orga, the elder statesman died at about 4:45 pm on Wednesday, 14th May, 2025, and is survived by his dear wife Saratu J. Orga, children, several grandchildren, and other relatives. No date has been fixed yet for his burial.
Elder Orga was Aku’s economic adviser. With his demise, that class has been reduced to four: Sule Yaji (Deputy Governor), Prof. Mvendaga Jibo (Education), Vincent Uji, Esq (Trade and Industry), and Godwin Okpe (Finance).
In a tribute, Dr. Bem Ugoh, a political economist, describes Elder Orga as “the architect of Benue State Economic foundation.”
According to Dr. Ugoh, Elder Orga craved for a better Benue and remained passionate and conscious to contribute ideas and strategies to any development endeavour of the state, with a passion that stemmed from the merit and visionary-driven administration of Mr. Aku.
“He was drafted to originate a blueprint for rapid economic transformation through a sustainable foundation. This led to the establishment of Lobi Bank as a robust funding institution. This became a revolutionary springboard for creating production lines in the Agrarian sector as the mainstay of the Benue Economy. The Benue Brewery, Ber Agbum fish farms, Ikyogen Cattle Ranch and Taraku Mills were rolled out under the supervision of Toryima Orga,” says Dr. Ugoh.
He joined politics after their unfortunate exit from power in 1983, but he did so because of the complexities surrounding contemporary politics, where knowledge and its adherents are recklessly devalued.
“Toryima went through a mental terror of watching the gradual destruction of their legacies. He was among the few survivors to witness this gruesome deconstruction of the foundation they laid with untold sacrifice.
“Toryima, even at the age he died, was deprived of realising his full potential because he matured at the height of the ridiculous reign of mediocrity.
“His death is a lesson to us that modern societies patronise knowledge by engaging their best brains and talents for service opportunities,” concludes Dr. Ugoh.
In 2023, Elder Orga urged Fr. Hyacinth Alia, the incumbent governor of Benue State, to stick to what made him want to be the governor.
“There was something that was pushing him (Fr. Alia); there was something that propelled him to seek to be the governor. Whatever it is, let him just do it,” Elder Orga said in a matter-of-fact tone. He was interacting with Sir Alex Addingi, the Governor’s Special Adviser on International Investments.
“Do that thing that was pushing you to kperan governor (contest for governorship). Is it roads? Do it. Is it education? Do it. Don’t do everything,” he went.
Importantly, Elder Orga said one way of getting it right is “liberating the Benue economy” by doing away with “so many controls.”
“You have to assist the private sector, not compete with them,” he adds, cautioning civil servants: “If you’re not careful, you will let civil servants manipulate you.”
“And he (Fr. Alia) has started well in liberating the Benue economy. You know, the Chinese, in 1979, they just got up and liberated the Chinese economy. So many controls, no; it was done away with. They changed their policy to put people first. Not China o; people first,” he went on.
He was emphatic about road construction. According to him, “it is very important” to construct roads if there is money.
