Benue to Ignite Energy Revolution with New Commission – Gov. Alia
Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has announced plans to establish an independent Energy Commission to coordinate investments, launch a high-powered task force for the state’s energy master plan, and sign an MoU with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to accelerate private capital in renewables.
In a sleek Abuja conference room at the Hilton alive with the hum of power brokers and investors, Governor Alia took the podium on Wednesday at the REA Roundtable Engagement with Benue State. Themed “From Strategy to Accelerating Private Investment in Benue State’s Renewable Energy Ecosystem,” the gathering crackled with promise for Nigeria’s food basket, long crippled by blackouts that rot harvests and idle factories.
Benue produces over 40% of the nation’s yams and soya beans, yet unreliable electricity forces farmers to diesel generators or lose crops to spoilage, while hospitals and schools flicker in the dark—stories echoed from remote Kwande villages to Makurdi markets, where power shortages slash yields and dreams.
Alia cut through the darkness with his blueprint: the Energy Commission as a “special, independent vehicle,” a one-stop platform to marshal projects, mobilize capital, streamline approvals, and deploy funds with precision. “It will serve as the one-stop platform for energy investment in the state.
The impact of these strategies will be transformative,” he declared. Imagine industrial zones in Makurdi humming steadily, slashing costs to lure factories from Lagos; solar-powered schools letting children study past dusk in Tiv, Idoma and Igede farmlands; hospitals delivering uninterrupted care. Electric bikes and CNG buses would zip through Otukpo, Makurdi, Gboko, Ihugh, Katsina-Ala and Vandeikya streets, curbing emissions, birthing green jobs, driving inclusion, productivity, and climate resilience—positioning Benue as Nigeria’s energy-led industrial benchmark.
To make it real, a high-powered task force launches immediately, crafting a comprehensive energy master plan to prioritize projects, build bankable pipelines, and forge transparent regulations that breed investor trust. This blueprint spans renewables, CNG for transport and industry, even coal bed methane for baseload—tailored to Benue’s agro-heartbeat.
Governor Alia drew directly from the Electricity Act 2023’s decentralization wave, now empowering over 11 states to regulate power independently. “In developing our energy strategy, Benue has carefully studied Nigeria’s ongoing power sector reforms, particularly the decentralisation of electricity generation and distribution enabled by the Electricity Act, 2023,” he explained. Far from copying federal models, Benue adapts them to its unique profile: hybrid decentralized systems blending solar mini-grids, embedded power for agro-zones, and captive solutions for off-grid hamlets, easing national grid limits while aligning with Tinubu-era transitions.
REA Managing Director Abba Aliyu fueled the fire, revealing a $750 million fund under President Bola Tinubu to roll out 1,350 mini-grids for 17.5 million Nigerians, 250 interconnected ones, and over 10 million solar home systems. “The gathering was for the governor to invite private investors to access the funds to achieve 100 per cent electrification in the state,” Aliyu emphasized, spotlighting opportunities like stalled 40kW solar projects in Anwase that could roar back to life.
The room thundered as Benue and REA inked their Memorandum of Understanding, a pact brimming with collaboration. Goodwill flooded in: Finance Commissioner Hon. Michael Oglegba lauded Alia’s fiscal foresight amid scarcity; Benue Investment and Property Company MD Dr. Raymond Asemakaha linked it to rising factories and property booms; Special Adviser Hon. Fidelis Unongo celebrated unbreakable intergovernmental ties.
Other dignitaries including Attorney -General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Prof Ornguga, Commissioner for Lands Rev. Dr Frederick Khanna, Commissioner for Rural Development and Co-operatives Dr Ortese, Executive Secretary, Benue Investment Promotion Agency, BENIPA John Paul Kpenkaan, DG, Benue Climate Change Bureau, Dr Daniel Mailumo among others piled on, hailing the dawn of jobs, growth, and green mobility.
On the ground, hope stirs. Makurdi trader Terhemen Iorhemen, who nursed his shop on fumes during outages, envisions powered mills preserving beans. Ukum farmers dream of cold storage ending post-harvest losses, while Kwande residents eye revived mini-grids lighting homes.
From diesel despair to decentralized dawn, Alia’s commission signals Benue not just surviving Nigeria’s energy crunch, but pioneering its reinvention—one watt, one job, one electrified field at a time.
