All hail Alia: The priest-governor bringing hope to Benue
By Diana Elijah, Makurdi
In the bustling streets of Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, the hum of life seemed punctuated by conversations about one man -Governor Hyacinth Alia whose name barely a year and a half into his administration echoes in marketplaces, schools, and churches.
For many, he is not just a governor but a beacon of hope.
Maria Harrison, a teacher who hadn’t received her salary in months under the previous administration, says: “I couldn’t even buy food for my children,” her voice tinged with the exhaustion of those dark days.
But today, Harrison said she can dream again. “Governor Alia is restoring our dignity,” she smiles, clutching a bag of newly purchased edible supplies.
Our correspondent reports that Governor Alia’s ascent to power in the 2023 general election was nothing dramatic, running on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) where he emerged as a unifying figure after years of political disillusionment in the food basket stste.
The discontent was basically toward the former administration, particularly over unpaid salaries which created fertile ground for Alia’s emergence, plus his background as a Catholic priest which only added to the mystique.
Many believed a man of the cloak could bring moral clarity to governance.
And he hasn’t disappointed. From the rehabilitation of roads in the state capital to the revival of moribund health facilities, Alia’s administration has been anything but ordinary.
Residents like John Terungwa in Wurukum now transport their wares with ease, following the newly constructed street roads. “Before, it was as if we were cut off from the world,” Terungwa noted, his eyes lighting up as he speaks.
He added, “Now, my wares can reach the market on time.”
Before now, business owners and tenants hardly wants to patronise property in the Wurukum down to Akpehe vicinity despite its proximity to city centre and that was because of the deplorable state of the streets coupled with the swampy environment which easily gives it an impression of a slum.
Damson Gabriel, an Estate Agent, testified that lots of people who needed houses do not want to live anywhere within the Wurukum vicinity which stretches from the market junction down to Yina junction because of the deplorable state of the streets occasioned by flooding.
“As an estate agent, I can tell you that despite that the planning of the area is good but for years the bad state of the roads prevented us from making brisk business in the area. Residents over the years too experienced lots of hardship.
“You can’t pass this area during raining season and it also affected rents. But now, our businesses have been boosted. A lot of people tell me they need houses around the vicinity now and it wasn’t like that before when clients rejected houses no matter how cheap it was offered to them,” Gabriel added.
Of course, not everyone sings Alia’s praises. Critics argue that his administration’s successes are overstated, while others see room for improvement in sectors like agriculture and housing. Yet, the tangible changes are hard to ignore.
Perhaps the most compelling testament to Alia’s impact comes from Mimidoo Kiva, an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) at the Ichuwa camp in Makurdi whose children hard!y could eat a meal per day, now have enough to eat, sleep under improved shelter and refurbished facilities.
“I prayed for a miracle,” Kiva said, “and it came through Governor Alia.”
Kiva, a mother of three widowed by the crisis which displaced her family from their ancestral Tse-Nule village in Guma local government area to take shelter at the Ichuwa camp hailed the present state government for ameliorating their plights.
She explained, “Things were hard; we experienced extreme difficulties and life wasn’t easy in this camp until the present government began to give us attention on arrival. Now, things are getting better because our camp has been recognised. The people (partners) Alia brought too has brought us great relief.”
Undoubtedly, the euphoria surrounding his leadership is palpable as it’s not just the projects; it’s the renewed sense of possibility, such that for a state that had grown weary of broken promises, Alia is seen as a breath of fresh air.
For instance Alia administration also boasted to have achieved within the period, ongoing renovation of Benue State House of Assembly Complex, renovation of the dilapidated State Civil Service Secretariat and prompt payment of pension to the state pensioners.
Besides, the administration showcased an unequalled commitment to addressing unemployment as within 18 months of its life span, the government recruited over 400 personnel for the Benue State University Teaching Hospital Makurdi (BSUTH), marking an unprecedented achievement since the final return of democracy to Nigeria in 1999 even as the facility its was renovated and with ongoing expansion.
This initiative inspires hope in the unemployed populace, indicating that similar efforts in other sectors could potentially reduce considerable unemployment as presently going on in the recruitment process of at least 9000 primary school teachers.
Similarly, the priority given to healthcare as seen in the rapid transformation at the teaching hospital equally transcended to the resuscitation of the refurbished Muhammadu Buhari Mother and Child Hospital where antenatal is now free of charge and delivery put barely at ₦5,000.
Though stalled, the renovation of the Benue State House of Assembly building is a plus to the administration while the recent renovation and reconstruction of the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) as well other public buildings thumps up the quality of the government in power.
Moreso, the administration flagship project which is the ongoing underpass construction at High Level has pitched Governor Alia in favour with the masses. The training in progress of 10,000 Benue youths in Information, Communication Technology (ICT), development remains one expected to better the lots of young people in the state.
However critics like Jande Amana have questioned the governor over his disregard for laid down procedures such as on June 5, 2023, when he inaugurated the 10th Benue State Assembly and simultaneously announced the renovation contract -proceeding to inspect the site the very next day- at a time there was no Executive Council in place to deliberate or approve such a significant project.
Alia’s critics asked how was the contractor selected and what was the project’s cost? They also think that the administration which frozen banks accounts belonging to government remained high handed because the governor whose very first pronouncement after taking the oath of office was to freeze the state bank accounts had yet to lift the ban.
For these people who tackled the governor’s way of handling governance in the state, Alia does not really place the priority need of the “Food Basket” in its proper position, especially as they critique his abandonment of the Benue south senatorial district left with other any projects unlike the two others where he had cited different projects since coming on board.
Nevertheless, most of the people continued to hail the governor for bringing life back to the state.
For them, as Benue strides forward under Alia’s stewardship, the priest-governor’s legacy is still being written. And for now, in the eyes of many, he has answered a higher calling: bringing hope and transformation to his people.
