By Barbara Nwaiwu
Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying they have strengthened the state’s economy, while backing state police and reaffirming support for local government autonomy.
Alia stated this on Wednesday, during an interactive session with State House Correspondents organised by the Presidential Media Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said increased allocations from the Federation Account, coupled with improved internally generated revenue, had expanded Benue’s fiscal capacity, enabling the state government to invest in roads, healthcare, education, agriculture and security while meeting inherited financial obligations.
“My people should be fully assured that every additional resource accruing to the state will continue to be utilised responsibly and transparently, as we are doing,” the governor said.
According to Alia, his administration inherited several months of unpaid salaries and pensions, with some local government workers owed entitlements for as long as seven years. He said prudent management of public resources and improved federal allocations had enabled the government to clear much of the backlog while sustaining regular payment of workers’ salaries and pensions.
The governor said the state had rehabilitated more than 550 kilometres of roads and constructed over 420 kilometres of new roads, while schools and other public infrastructure were being rebuilt across the 23 local government areas.
On healthcare, Alia said the rehabilitation and upgrading of primary and secondary health facilities had improved service delivery and attracted patients from neighbouring states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“We have become a medical tourism power. If our state were not safe, people would not be coming. The most vulnerable people are the sick, and if they can travel to Benue for treatment, it tells you that security has improved,” he said.
He attributed the improvement to strengthened security through the Benue Civil Protection Guards, the Joint Task Force code-named Anyam Nyor, community vigilantes and technology-driven intelligence gathering, adding that improved security had enabled many internally displaced persons to return to their communities and resume farming.
Speaking on agriculture, Alia said the state had consistently subsidised fertiliser over the past three years, with government paying half of the cost while farmers paid the balance. He added that the Federal Government recently supplied more than 600 truckloads of fertiliser to Benue, in addition to over 6,000 metric tonnes secured through strategic partnerships.
“The state government pays 50 per cent while farmers pay the balance. That is why food production has increased, and we will continue with the programme because it is working,” he said.
The governor said the administration was also expanding agricultural mechanisation through tractors, farmer cooperatives and Young Farmers Clubs, while disclosing that it had cleared over N1 billion in salary arrears and resolved longstanding legal issues delaying the revival of Taraku Mills to attract new investors.
Backing the establishment of state police, Alia said community-based policing would strengthen intelligence gathering because personnel recruited from their local communities understand the terrain and can identify criminal elements more effectively.
“When people police their own communities, they know who belongs there and who does not. Intelligence becomes much easier to gather,” he said.
While acknowledging concerns over possible abuse, he maintained that effective legislation, oversight and accountability mechanisms would address such fears.
“We should not abandon state policing because of fear. Every advanced society operates some form of local policing. The answer is regulation, accountability and monitoring,” he said.
Alia also dismissed claims that local government and judicial autonomy were being undermined in Benue, insisting that both remain fully operational in line with constitutional provisions.
“Our local government autonomy is sacrosanct. The judiciary also enjoys full autonomy. These are verifiable facts,” he said.
The governor maintained that President Tinubu’s economic reforms had placed Benue on a stronger development path by creating opportunities for greater investment in infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare, education, security and human capital development.
“If the reforms were not working, I would be the first person to say so. The roads we are building, the hospitals, schools and agricultural investments are possible because the economic reforms are working and Benue is benefiting,” he said.