Alia: Fixing the broken Benue

BY TYAV SAM TYAV

When the former governor of Benue State Gabriel Suswam took over the mantle of leadership in Benue State in 2007, he actually wanted to develop the state as he started with aggressive construction of roads in the urban centres but not all politicians were happy with him.

Before embarking on aggressive road construction, he had told the Benue people that the era of squatting to share money meant for the state had gone.

This did not go down well with the Benue politicians. One former member of the House of Representatives who had served as an Adviser boldly asked the then governor if they were to eat roads. Slowly the then governor Suswam had to bow to pressure and eventually complied with the desire of the Benue politicians.

Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia did not keep people in the dark even before assumption of office. He assured the Benue community that he was going to right the wrong and do everything possible to develop the state. Alia continued to say this anytime he had opportunity to address the people of the state.

While presenting the state government 2024 budget on the floor of the Benue State House of Assembly recently, the governor announced that it was a budget of infrastructure development, job creation and poverty alleviation. He again assured the Benue people that he was going to fix the broken Benue. As observed, Governor Ali started matching words with actions which connotes that he was actually serious with his words.

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Obviously those who are not strangers to the state could attest to the fact that Benue State was really broken and needed to be fixed. No one needed a third eye to see that pensions were not being paid, salaries of civil servants were irregular, state of state roads were worsening as there was no infrastructure development even as there was general insecurity in the state.

Life was becoming increasingly difficult and unbearable even to workers in the state. No one could dream of employment as there were no such opportunity. It was terribly bad even for the business class. Except the anointed ones.

But few weeks in the life of this administration, a sigh of relief was noticed from the Benue pensioners who had lost count of the number of months they were owed. The governor did not only assure them of prompt payment of their pension but equally promised to also pay their pension arrears. We can report with authority that Benue pensioners smile to the banks on the twenty fifth of each month.

A pensioner in Makurdi, Boniface Tor who spoke with The Daily Times, expressed happiness for the prompt payment of their pension. He noted that if the past administration were doing like this the situation would have been better. According to him, with prompt payment of pension, one could plan better for his family.

What brought happiness and enthusiasm in the houses of pensioners in Benue State of late is the promise by the governor that they would not only collect their monthly pension for the month of December on the 15th but he would pay part of the arrears alongside with the December pension to enable them celebrate Christmas with their families. This was part of the speech of the Governor during the official handover of 100 buses to Benue Links to ease transportation problem.

Not only pensioners, as our checks have confirmed but all Benue civil servants are seemingly looking better as their salaries were being paid on the 25th of each month. The governor’s insistence on payment of salaries of the 25th of each month has become the governor’s nickname; Mr. 25th.

Also as part of the desire of the Governor Alia to fix the broken Benue. The governor has already embarked on aggressive construction of township roads. Roads in the heart of Makurdi town that appeared to have been forgotten are being constructed. We learnt from an unconfirmed source that the duration of the roads being constructed in Makudi is about thirty years before one would begin to think of rehabilitation.

If a firm feels it is constructing a road it must be in line with the specifications as the road should remain for about thirty years. You cannot construct a road and the road spoils tomorrow, a seasoned administrator in the Benue State civil service also noted.

A forth night ago, the State Governor, as captured above donated 100 buses to Benue Links. This was a deliberate attempt to ease transportation problem in the state. While performing the ceremony, the governor informed that the state government was pained by the sufferings of the Benue people occasioned by subsidy removal by the federal government. He revealed that part of the money sent by the federal government as palliatives to the state, the state government decided to use the money for the benefit of the entire Benue people.

He announced that transport fare to all parts of the state and beyond would be reduced considerably. As confirmed the transport fare has been reduced for the benefit of the Benue people. Most commuters including Christiana Iveren Tyav, Terzungwe Iorfa, Ngodoo Anyor, and Terlumun Apine who spoke on the issue, lauded the state government on the initiative saying they spent far less to travel out of Makurdi on Benue Links newly acquired buses.

While the pensioners and civil servants are not complaining at the moment, the Benue youths have continued to receive hope from the governor that employment opportunities were by the corner. Governor Alia has continued to sing the song that the state government would create employment opportunities for the teeming youths of the state so as to move the youths from idleness that propels them to criminal activities.

This has kept the hope of the Benue youths alive. But while waiting for such opportunities, the governor has continued to tell the youths that the federal government was going to give soft loans to them to enable them become self-employed. He urged them to avail themselves of such opportunities.

It is beyond reasonable doubt that Governor Alia means well for the Benue farmers. While he as promised to procure seedling for the Benue farmers for cultivation, the governor has also assured that he would assist them in the cultivation of trees. He also assured them that he would also procured and distribute trees stands for the Benue people to plant.

This does not mean the governor has lost sight of the need to procure fertilizer early enough for the Benue farmers. Not quite long the governor in a function in Makurdi told farmers in the state that he would continue to procure fertilizer for the farmers to check food security in the state. A prominent farmer in Benue State who spoke with The Daily Times expressed the belief that the Governor would continue to procure fertilizer and sell to the Benue farmers at subsidized rate.

Also of interest is the fixing of the broken Benue by providing support to the Benue parents with children in secondary schools by registering the West African Senior School Certificate (WASSC) Examination and National Examinations Council, NECO, for students of Benue State who are in graduating classes in government schools. Governor Alia recently assured that the state government had commenced the process of registering the students for the examinations.

This has brought joy to the parents of the affected students. Our checks have confirmed however, that the parents’ desire to benefit from the sponsorship of the examinations have propelled them to move their children from private schools to government owned secondary schools.

But it is quite grotesque and inexplicable to learn that Governor Alia’s political party, the All Progressives Congress, APC’s intraparty crisis is affecting the focused governor to continue to fix the broken Benue as he has started. The internal crisis is slowly getting stronger than the opposition party.

The whole crisis as checked by The Daily Times revolves round not carrying party men and women along. But the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula came out to dispel that so as to put the record straight. He pointed out that from the choice of commissioners and Special Advisers to the appointment of local government caretaker committee members the views of the party stakeholders were sought and complied with.

Our investigation has however confirmed that some of the stakeholders were not just interested in making inputs in appointments but they want the governor to remind them monetarily. If actually what some of them that spoke on anonymous condition was anything to go by, it then means they contrast sharply with the governor.

We learnt that the clergyman was not ready to begin to contemplate about sharing the Benue State resources. We can report with authority that the Benue citizens a explained by the governor are the major stakeholders in the Benue project. The Governor has refused to agree that there are stakeholders somewhere to be attended to. Benue people are the stakeholders, he always explained.

Given that Governor Hyacinth Alia is focused in fixing the broken Benue, there is need for all Benue people to support him to enable him succeed. It is believed that if he remains unperturbed and does not deviate, the governor will be able to conveniently fix the broken Benue for the benefit of all and generations yet unborn will benefit from it.

This explains why all the seeming aggrieved stakeholders should hasten to sheathe their swords and join hands with the governor so that together they will right the wrong. In doing so the words of the late former Lagos State Commissioner of Police Alhaji Bubakar Tsav that there is nothing positive in Benue except HIV will have no application in Benue State as everything will be positive at least for this time.