In Father Alia, Benue State Looks In A New Direction

By Jibola Rasheed

When Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia won the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to fly its flag in the 2023 election, there was a sense of victory that a man who understood the feelings of the people was in the race to succeed Governor Samuel Ortom. Alia is a Catholic priest who chose to drop the robe of the pastor for the garb of the politician. Yet he won the election overwhelmingly, making a mark as the second Catholic priest to win elections to rule the state. The first was Fr Moses Adasu who was governor between 1992 and 1993.

Alia’s emergence has animated political circles in Benue State and beyond. Considering that under Ortom, the state was seen as besieged and needing not just physical but divine intervention, perhaps the choice of Alia was well considered. Announcing the result, Prof. Faruq Kuta, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s returning officer in the state, said Alia polled 473,933 votes to defeat Titus Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who came second with 223,913 votes, a trouncing of a little over two to one.

As he takes the oath of office, today, May 29th 2023, Alia has his work cut out for him to provide good governance to improve the lives of the people in every area, particularly in areas considered as mundane as the payment of salary to civil servants and pensions to pensioners where Ortom failed. And, why the governor, despite leading a passionate campaign and posturing as a fighter for his people against injustice, failed to win his Senate seat and retain the state for his People’s Democratic Party, PDP.

Ahead of his Inauguration today, Benue indigenes have been setting the agenda for the new governor. The Benue journalists association, CBJ, in a statement signed by its President, Dr Anule Emmanuel, while congratulating Alia and his deputy governor-elect, Dr Sam Odeh, on their victory in the governorship election, said their victory came at a trying time when the state was in dire need of purposeful, sincere and committed leadership.

“Your well-deserved victory bestows a degree of trust in your capacity to lead Benue in a most genuine, purposeful, and committed manner to engender speedy economic growth and wellbeing of our people.

“We expect you to swing into action immediately after your inauguration on May 29 in tackling the lingering issues of non-payment of salaries, pensions, decaying infrastructure, insecurity and other frontline challenges.”

For the Tor Tiv, His Royal Majesty, Orchivirigh Prof. James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, traditional ruler of the Tiv people, the dominant ethnic group in the state, Alia has a tough task ahead of him. Speaking at his Palace in Gboko, while receiving the new governor, Prof. Ayatse said Alia’s emergence was ordained by God and advised him to work for the good of the indigenous people and for peace in the state.

Campaigning for the election in January, Alia had promised a purposeful government. Unveiling his manifesto, he announced a robust engagement that will include amnesty for repentant bandits/militia that have been terrorising Benue people and have affected farming, the main occupation of the people. In what he called his “Strategic Development Plan for a Greater Benue”, Alia said it is structured on seven priority pillars, which  include Security of Lives and Property, Agriculture and Rural Development, Commerce and Industry, Human Capital and Social Development, Infrastructure and Environment, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Political and Economic Governance.

On security, the new governor promises to  “establish Permanent Integrated Forward Operation Bases for security men at all the flash points where there have been cases of armed attacks and displacement of people.

“Evolve a policy for the rehabilitation and resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) into their ancestral homes.

“In the area of agriculture we will resuscitate state government agricultural agencies like Benue Agricultural Development Company (ADC), Benue Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (BNARDA), and Benue Tractor Hiring Agency (BENTHA) to encourage modernized agricultural practices in the state.”

On health he said his administration would Upgrade and equip all Primary Health Centers (PHCs) via the Primary Healthcare Board in the council wards.

“We will establish at least a functional diagnostic laboratory in each senatorial district of Benue State. Facilitate the procurement and installation of functional ventilators in all health institutions, especially general hospitals.”

On education, the new governor says he will “ensure the effective implementation of compulsory free primary education throughout the state.

“Engage and train adequate teachers for public schools with an emphasis on science, computer, technical, and mathematics teachers to re-enkindle public trust in public schools.”

He also promised to “review the legal status of the Benue Internal Revenue Service, BIRS, block revenue leakages and increase remittances to make it a reputable revenue-generation organisation.”

Benue State is one of the most indebted states and fears have been raised on how this will be handled. Governor Alia’s plan is to seek debt renegotiation and debt relief where possible. He says he will seat with the debt management agencies of the government, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Debt Management Office, and the Federal Ministry of Finance, to ascertain the actual debt burden of the state, promising that: “we will evolve modern strategies such as recovery from the guarantor, conversion to sinking fund and restructuring, in the management of debt burden.”

Indeed, Benue State people will hold him to his words, especially on the declaration of his victory, when he said: “I recognise what an enormous privilege and honour it is to be trusted with the government of the State, especially at this time, and I’m deeply conscious of it. I would like to say that God does not call the qualified! He qualifies the called.

“I may not be the most qualified Benue son to lead the state at this time but the Good Lord who has called me will qualify me.” He has a task on his hand to lead a purposeful and result oriented government.

Alia who is 57 years old, was Born on May 14, 1966, in Mbangur, Mbadede, Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State. He joined the priesthood by attending seminaries and Catholic Universities from which he holds various degrees such as Master of Religious Education from Fordham University in New York, United States of America. He was ordained a Catholic priest on July 7, 1990, in Makurdi and soon after introduced a healing program that soon made him a household name in the state, especially for the poor, “the sick and afflicted”. It was not totally expected when in May, 2022, Alia joined Benue State’s gubernatorial race, running on the APC platform, which primary he won overwhelmingly. Though the Catholic Church distanced itself from Fr Alia, he went on to win the election convincingly.