I Won’t Use Propaganda, Blackmail As Governance Tools – Gov Alia

Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has stated that his administration will allow its achievements and development to speak for him instead of deploying propaganda and political blackmail as a tool for governance.

Alia who made the statement known during his address to the state to mark the commemoration of Nigeria’s 63rd independence day celebration, on Sunday, October 1, 2023 said the government under his watch, has left the doors open for innovative ideas and constructive criticisms, adding that corruption and nepotism are already being relegated.

The governor who said his administration is anchored on merit, equity, equality, justice and fairness in all its dealings,

appealed to the leadership of the NLC and TUC to reconsider their actions for a planned nationwide industrial action, by exercising a little more patience adding that the government is working round the clock to meet their demands.

While appreciating the people of the state for believing and standing by him to deliver good governance, the governor equally commended the people who made the country’s independence possible, thanking God for keeping the country together despite some events that have in the past, threatened its peaceful coexistence.

He declared that, although his administration does not consider regular payment of pensions, gratuity, and public workers’ salaries as achievement, it is more determined to sustain the practice of stabilising the welfare package of the state’s workforce.

Speaking on the brighter future of the state, the governor said he recognizes that the agricultural sector in Benue has the potential to boost food security and enhance job creation when fully tapped, saying it is the reason why his administration procured 100 trucks of fertilizer for distribution to farmers at subsidized rates, shortly after coming into office.

According to him, “the renewed hope in the state which includes award of contracts and mobilisation of contractors to site, for the construction of 16 strategic roads within Makurdi metropolis, the ongoing ICT training of 10,000 Benue youths by the government in collaboration with Google and Microsoft; continuous capacity development scheme for all civil servants as well as the establishment of the entrepreneurship and wealth creation Bureau are all translating into realities.

The governor informed that the payment for this year’s Senior Secondary School Examination fees of all students in government-approved public secondary schools in the state, the purchase of 100 buses which will soon be handed over to Benue Links transport company, will help cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy.

In the area of security, Governor Alia while identifying with the family of the commissioner for information, culture and tourism, Matthew Aboh, and other kidnapped victims in the state, reiterated that criminals and armed banditry have no place in the new Benue under his watch, adding that the government and the security agencies are working tirelessly to ensure the safe release of the kidnapped victims, as soon as possible.

On the menace of communal clashes in some parts of the state, the governor explained that a master plan for peace is in the pipeline to address the trend, even as he said efforts are on top gear aimed to ensure lasting peace, security and safety of lives and property at the state’s border areas.