Fr. Alia New Media Centre

🔥 “Today, I join millions of Nigerians in celebrating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his third anniversary in office.

Three years of bold leadership, tough choices, and a clear national direction.

We acknowledge the progress, the sacrifices, and the steady push to rebuild our nation.

Congratulations, Mr. President.” 💥

©️ Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia

“HAPPY 3RD ANNIVERSARY IN OFFICE TO ALL OF US.

Three years ago, you gave me your trust to lead Benue at a critical moment in our history. Today, I return that trust with deeper commitment, renewed strength, and greater determination to serve you better.

Together, we have made significant progress in education, infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, ICT, security, and human capital development, etc. We have also faced challenges, but we remain focused and unshaken.

To every Benue family, please hear me clearly:

“I will stop at nothing to keep our people, our state, and our families safe.”

Thank you for your prayers, support, and belief in our shared vision of a new Benue.

The journey continues, and we are not slowing down.

God bless Benue State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

©️ Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia

ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, REV. FR. DR. HYACINTH IORMEM ALIA, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF BENUE STATE, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS THIRD ANNIVERSARY IN OFFICE, ON FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2026

My dear people of Benue State,

Today marks exactly three years since I took the oath of office as your Executive Governor, with a solemn promise to serve God and humanity, restore hope to our people, and reposition Benue State on the path of peace, growth, and prosperity.

With profound gratitude to Almighty God and deep appreciation to the resilient people of our dear state, I stand before you today humbled by the remarkable journey we have undertaken together. These three years have not been without challenges, but they have equally been defined by courage, sacrifice, determination, and steady progress.

When we assumed office, Benue State was confronted with enormous difficulties ranging from decayed infrastructure, unpaid salaries and pensions, weakened institutions, insecurity, unemployment, and declining public confidence in governance. The task before us was enormous, but we made a commitment to change the narrative and rebuild our state from the foundations.

Today, I can confidently say that together, we have made visible and measurable progress.

From the very beginning, we recognized that no meaningful development could take place without peace and security. Conscious of my constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property, this administration has consistently provided logistics, operational support, motivation, and intelligence to security agencies across the state.

To strengthen the fight against criminality and terrorism, we procured and handed over 150 Hilux vehicles and other critical logistics support to security operatives. In addition, we have provided over 600 motorbikes to enable security personnel access difficult terrains often exploited by criminal elements after carrying out attacks on innocent communities.

Beyond this, we established the Civil Protection Guards and the joint task force code-named “Anyam Nyor,” to complement the existing Operation Zenda. These interventions were carefully designed to reinforce the efforts of conventional security agencies in combating crime and restoring peace across the state.

At this point, I must sincerely appreciate the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his unwavering support in the fight against insecurity in Benue State.

Today, the impact of these efforts is becoming evident. Many of our displaced people are gradually returning to their ancestral homes, while the number of persons in the internally displaced camps are gradually reducing as relative peace returns to many parts of the state.

While restoring security, we also moved decisively to rebuild governance and restore dignity to public service. Our administration has prioritized workers’ welfare because we understand that a motivated workforce remains the backbone of productivity and efficient service delivery.

And through prudent management of resources and fiscal discipline, salaries are now paid more consistently and promptly. Pensioners, who were once neglected and painfully referred to as “dead people,” are gradually regaining their dignity through sustained payment efforts and reforms within the pension system.

In the area of infrastructure, we undertook deliberate interventions to revive neglected public facilities and critical government assets abandoned for years. Today, our urban renewal initiatives and road construction projects are transforming the landscape of our cities and communities.

So far, we have completed over 50 intra-city roads, while more than 50 others are currently under construction. In the rural areas, no fewer than 370 kilometres of roads have been constructed, with many more at various stages of completion.

To improve transportation and ease traffic congestion, we completed two interchanges in Gboko and Makurdi and also attracted the construction of the flyover bridge at Wurukum Roundabout in Makurdi. Work will soon commence on the interchange in Otukpo.

Furthermore, we have completed the 4-kilometre drainage canal stretching from Achusa through Idye to Wurukum and down to River Benue. In addition, over 30 modern drainage systems with extensive width and depth have been constructed to effectively contain floodwaters. These projects have significantly addressed the perennial flooding that previously devastated parts of Makurdi metropolis.

Under our “Project Light-Up Makurdi” initiative, major roads and numerous streets within the state capital have been illuminated with solar-powered streetlights. Beyond beautifying the city, this initiative has improved security and boosted economic activities as businesses now operate for longer hours.

In education and healthcare, our administration has made strategic investments aimed at building a healthier and more educated population.

We have rehabilitated and constructed over 400 structures, including storey buildings, in primary schools across the state. We also recruited 9,700 teachers to strengthen the educational sector and improve learning outcomes for our children.

Similarly, over 500 personnel have been employed into the health sector to improve healthcare delivery across the state. Infrastructure at the Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, has also been upgraded and modern medical equipment provided, positioning the facility as an emerging medical tourism centre.

In line with our vision for educational advancement and innovation, we established the Benue State University of Agriculture, Science and Technology (BSUAST), Ihugh, in Vandeikya Local Government Area. This institution was not created merely as another degree-awarding university, but as a specialized centre focused on agriculture, science, and technology-driven solutions capable of addressing real-life challenges and contributing practical value to society.

To further encourage technical and technological advancement among our youths, we also expanded the Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University by establishing the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture Campus in Adikpo, Kwande Local Government Area.

As a government, we recognize that agriculture remains the soul of Benue’s economy. Consequently, we introduced reforms and partnerships aimed at boosting food production, supporting farmers with annual farm inputs, and attracting investors into agribusiness and agro processing.

Today, we have established a tractor assembling workshop within the Bureau for Agricultural Mechanization, where over 200 youths have already been trained in tractor assembly and maintenance.

In addition, we have attracted a 250 million dollars National Food City Complex located at Ogyoma-Akpa in Otukpo Local Government Area. Construction work is already ongoing, while government has approved a 12-kilometre access road to the complex. Upon completion, the project is expected to generate over 15,000 direct jobs and an additional 5,000 specialized employment opportunities.

These efforts reflect our unwavering determination to restore Benue’s pride as the true Food Basket of the Nation.

Beyond agriculture, our administration has sustained renewed momentum in commerce and industrial development through deliberate policies aimed at reviving the economy and improving the business environment.

We have strengthened revenue generation systems, encouraged private sector participation, and created a more business-friendly atmosphere that supports traders, entrepreneurs, and investors.

In the industrial sector, our government has initiated reforms and partnerships targeted at reviving dormant industries, while also establishing cottage industries that are already generating revenue and creating employment opportunities.

Notably, we have established a multi-billion-naira Food Basket Brewery, producers of Zeva Beer and other beverages, as well as the Fruit Juice Processing Company designed to add value to our abundant citrus produce which previously lacked commercial viability.

These initiatives are laying a solid foundation for industrial growth, job creation, and long-term economic transformation across Benue State.

Our commitment to development also extends to water supply and public utilities. We have rehabilitated the Otobi Water Works and resolved long-standing reticulation challenges. Today, the people of Otobi, Otukpo, and surrounding communities are once again enjoying pipe-borne water after over 40 years of neglect and dysfunction.

In line with global realities and the demands of the modern economy, this administration has equally prioritized digital transformation and human capital development.

We have trained over 10,000 youths in digital skills, while the first batch of over 20 youths have been sent abroad, particularly to Belarus, for advanced training opportunities.

Furthermore, we commenced the training of 40,000 state and local government civil servants on e-governance tools and ICT skills. We also launched the Electronic Document Management System (EDM), the Benue Geographic Information Systems (BENGIS) Portal, the Benue State Executive Council Digital Platform, and the Benue Youth Startup and Innovation Support Portal.

These initiatives reflect our belief in a society that is informed, empowered, innovative, and fully prepared to compete in today’s technology-driven world.

My dear people, while challenges still remain, one thing is undeniable: Benue is rising again. Hope has returned. Confidence in government is being restored. Our streets are becoming livelier, our institutions stronger, and our future brighter.
None of these achievements would have been possible without the support, sacrifices, and cooperation of our traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil servants, security agencies, development partners, party faithful, and the good people of Benue State.

To all of you, I express my profound gratitude.

As we begin another phase of this journey, I assure you that this administration will not relent. We shall continue to work tirelessly to deliver more dividends of democracy, deepen peace and unity, and build a Benue State that future generations will be proud of.

Together, we shall continue to move Benue forward.

May God bless Benue State.

May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Thank you all.

THREE YEARS OF PURPOSEFUL, INTENTIONAL AND TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP OF GOVERNOR ALIA

FRIDAY, 29/05/2026

When Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia took the oath of office on May 29, 2023, as the sixth democratically elected Governor of Benue State, he inherited more than the keys to Government House. He inherited a state fatigued by insecurity, stalled by unpaid salaries, and yearning for a new kind of leadership. Three years later, the verdict across the Food Basket of the Nation is settling into three words: purposeful, intentional, and transformative.

I. PURPOSE: THE CLERGYMAN WHO CHOSE THE ARENA

Leadership begins with why. For Governor Alia, the purpose was never in doubt. He campaigned on a simple premise: Benue needed healing. Not just spiritual healing from the pulpit, but economic, administrative, and social healing from the seat of government.

Benue in May 2023 was a state where civil servants marked calendars by unpaid salary arrears. Pensioners died in queues. Rural communities were ghost towns, displaced by years of farmer-herder conflict. Schools and hospitals were shells of their former selves. The social contract had frayed.

Governor Alia’s purpose was to restore that contract. He framed his administration around seven priority pillars: Security, Agriculture and Rural Development, Commerce and Industry, Human Capital Development, Infrastructure, ICT/Digital Economy, and Governance Reform. But beyond policy documents, his purpose was personal. As a priest who had spent decades listening to the poor, he came to power with a bias for the vulnerable.

That purpose showed up first in payroll. Within his first 100 days, the Alia administration cleared months of salary and pension arrears that had lingered for years. For teachers, nurses, and local government workers, the alert tone on their phones became the first sermon of the new government: a government that pays. By year three, the state had moved from backlog to a consistent salary schedule, with civil servants now receiving pay before the 25th of every month. Purpose, for Alia, meant dignity restored through wages earned.

II. INTENTION: GOVERNING BY DESIGN, NOT DEFAULT

If purpose is the why, intention is the how. And in three years, Governor Alia has demonstrated that he is not governing by accident or reaction. Every major policy has carried the fingerprint of design.

Security: From Reaction to Architecture
Benue sits in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, and for over a decade, it was the epicenter of violent conflict. Alia’s intention was not to merely deploy security forces after attacks, but to build a security architecture that prevents them.

The administration launched Operation Ayem A Kpatuma II and deepened collaboration with the military and local vigilantes. But more critically, it established the Benue State Bureau of Homeland Security, creating a framework for intelligence gathering and rapid response at the community level. The result has been measurable: dozens of displaced communities in Guma, Logo, and Kwande have begun returning home after years in IDP camps. The governor’s monthly security vote is now publicly tied to community policing equipment, communication gadgets, and logistics, not shrouded in secrecy. Intention meant turning security from a slogan into a system.

Agriculture: From Food Basket to Agribusiness Hub
Benue’s identity is agriculture, but for years it exported raw produce and imported poverty. Governor Alia’s intention was to move the state up the value chain.

In three years, his government has distributed over 500,000 improved seedlings, facilitated tractors for mechanized farming, and reopened the Benue Tractor Hiring Agency. The state partnered with the Federal Government and private investors to revive the Taraku Mills and establish new agro-processing zones for soybeans, rice, and yams. The Bureau of Agricultural Development and Mechanization was created to end the era of hoes and cutlasses.

The intention is clear: Benue must not just feed Nigeria, it must profit from feeding Nigeria. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture shows a 40% increase in dry-season farming participation since 2023, driven by the governor’s direct input support to real farmers, not political farmers.

Infrastructure: Connecting a State Back to Itself
For years, “rural-urban migration” in Benue was forced by bad roads. A farmer in Vandeikya couldn’t get yams to Makurdi without losing half to spoilage. Alia’s intention was to reconnect Benue to itself.

The urban renewal of Makurdi, Gboko, and Otukpo is visible. But the real story is rural. The administration has constructed and rehabilitated over 300km of rural roads in three years, including the Awajir-Oju road, the Lessel-Ihugh-Tse-Mker road, and the ongoing Zaki-Biam-Afia-Gbeji road. These are not political roads. They are economic roads, designed to move produce, not just politicians.

In Makurdi, the underpass at High Level and the rehabilitation of major arteries have reduced traffic time by 60%. Streetlights have returned. The intention is that a state capital should look like one.

Human Capital: Health and Education as Infrastructure
A transformative leader knows that bridges and roads mean little if the people are sick and uneducated.

In health, the Alia administration has renovated and equipped 276 primary healthcare centers across the 23 LGAs under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund. The Benue State University Teaching Hospital received a new MRI machine, dialysis center, and oxygen plant. More than 10,000 households have been enrolled in the Benue State Health Insurance Scheme, with premiums subsidized for the vulnerable.

In education, the story is similar. Over 9,000 teachers were recruited in 2024 to address the teacher-pupil ratio. The government cleared counterpart funding for UBEC, unlocking billions for classroom construction. The School of Nursing and Midwifery, Makurdi, and College of Health Technology, Agasha, have been upgraded. Intention here meant treating human capital as the most critical infrastructure.

Governance: The Death of “Business as Usual”
Perhaps the most intentional shift has been in governance itself. Governor Alia introduced the Benue Geographical Information System [BENGIS] to digitize land administration, blocking leakages and raising IGR. The Treasury Single Account was enforced, and the state’s IGR rose from N1.2 billion monthly in 2023 to over N3.8 billion monthly by mid-2026, without introducing new taxes.

The Civil Service was audited, ghost workers flushed out, and promotion arrears paid. E-governance platforms now allow citizens to track projects. Intention meant running government like a system, not a bazaar.

III. TRANSFORMATION: THE BENUE THAT IS EMERGING

Purpose and intention mean nothing if they do not produce transformation. After three years, the transformation is not in speeches. It is in data, in streets, and in stories.

Economic Transformation:
Benue has moved from a salary-dependent economy to one seeing private capital return. The Makurdi Industrial Layout is being reactivated. The Alia administration has signed MoUs for a $2.5 billion investment in biofuel and ethanol from cassava. The Benue Investment and Property Company [BIPC] has been repositioned, and the state hosted its first Benue Economic Summit in 2025, attracting investors from across Nigeria and the diaspora. Unemployment figures from the NBS show a 7% drop in Benue’s youth unemployment between Q2 2023 and Q1 2026.

Social Transformation:
IDP return is the most human face of this transformation. As of May 2026, over 180,000 displaced persons have returned to their ancestral homes in Guma, Makurdi, Logo, and Kwande LGAs, supported by the state’s resettlement program. Schools have reopened in communities that were silent for five years. Markets are back. That is transformation you can touch.

Political Transformation:
Governor Alia has redefined political engagement in Benue. He has kept a deliberate distance from political godfatherism, insisting that his only godfather is the Benue people. His monthly media chat, “Alia Speaks,” has created a direct line between the governor and citizens. For the first time in years, a governor’s approval rating is driven by project delivery, not ethnic sentiment.

Institutional Transformation:
The Benue State House of Assembly has passed 21 executive bills in three years, including the Benue State Bureau of Public Procurement Law, the Benue State Disability Rights Law, and the Benue State Electricity Law. These are not laws for headlines. They are laws for structure. They mean the transformation will outlive the transformer.

THE ROAD AHEAD: YEAR FOUR AND BEYOND

To be purposeful for three years is commendable. To remain purposeful for four, five, or eight is legacy. Governor Alia’s third anniversary comes at a midpoint. The foundations have been laid, but the real test of transformation is sustainability.

The challenges remain. Security, though improved, is not yet total. Federal allocations still dictate the pace of development. The wage bill remains heavy. And political opposition, both within and outside his party, is recalibrating.

But if the first three years have shown anything, it is this: Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia did not come to occupy an office. He came to discharge a purpose. He has not governed by impulse. He has governed by intention. And Benue, slowly but visibly, is being transformed.

Three years ago, he asked Benue to believe. Today, Benue is beginning to see.

The priest who entered the arena is still wearing the collar. But now, it is stained not just with anointing oil, but with the dust of roads built, the chalk of schools renovated, and the sweat of a state being rebuilt.

That is purposeful leadership. That is intentional governance. That is transformation in motion.

Chief Solomon Iorpev
Technical Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Media, Publicity and Strategic Communication.

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‎PDP IN A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO UNDERMINE GOVERNOR ALIA'S LAUDABLE STRIDES
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‎The Factional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State has issued a statement, wherein, they have questioned the fiscal discipline of the Governor Alia led administration.
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‎Funnily, one needs not read the statement twice to decipher that it is a recycled political script designed to distract the good people of the state from the immeasurable progress recorded by Governor Hyacinth Alia within three years of office.
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‎The Mohammed Abdulrahman wing of the party in the state has claimed that "despite reportedly receiving over N1.2 trillion within the last three years," there is no meaningful development in State.
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‎Sadly, the group's only intent about the N1.2 Trillion claim and financial transparency is to misrepresent facts and figures. This is because budgets all over are run on cash flows, loans, grants and aid.
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‎Perhaps, since their recent past was a hub for the mumble-jumble system, the divided umbrella party still mistakes grants and aid as cash flows, which has never been the case.
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‎For instance, the Benue State Budget performances over three years reflects 61.6%(2023); 64.8%(2024) and 81%(2025). Taking an average of over three years, we have a performance of 69.1% from 2023 to 2025.
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‎And it is important to stress that over the three years of the Alia administration, the Benue State Budget inclusive of FAAC, IGR, grants, Aid and loans, (termed Discretionary and Non-Discretionary funds) were Approved at N179.7b(2023), N373.1b(2024) and N550.1b(2025), which aggregated to 1.1trillion.
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‎Non-Discretionary funds are grants and aid, which come in the form of kind or health commodities, interventions by donors,etc that are not really cash backed, or cash budget. Most at times, the funds come in terms of provision of counterpart funding to enable draw down of such items or commodities, which the State has no absolute control over.
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‎It is also worthy to note that Approved Budgets do not amount to the actual amount gotten in a year, and the average budget performance is calculated ( whether cash flow or non-discretionary).
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‎Therefore, the actual amount realized as State inflows in terms of Discretionary and Non- Discretionary funds that the State is in receipt of is 69.1% of N1.1trillion, which if calculated comes to 762.8b. (Note, this is inclusive of grants, which comes in items or commodities) over the three year period). This is an indication that the State could not realize 30.9% of her projections.
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‎Interestingly, the loans left by the same PDP government under Ortom, which amounts to 359.6b are still being serviced on a regular basis, with some deductions carried out from the source. (Some in the form of judgment debts or garnishees).
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‎This is why Governor Alia always emphasize that he is pinching the pennies. Because with N762b over three years, if you subtract Non-Discretionary funds of about N280 billion in three years, one is left with about N562b cash backed or cash budget or Discretionary funds for three years, to offset a loan profile of N359.6billion; pay salaries, run overheads, and fight insecurity (which is really really expensive).
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‎And if not for mischief from the frayed umbrella party, this information is within the public domain on the State's website. But unfortunately, the party prefers to fabricate information and send them out as facts to the unsuspecting public.
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‎On the issue of Security and IDPs in the state, the claim by the PDP that "Insecurity has worsened alarmingly," ignores context and data. The results may not be as wholesome as expected, but there is an improvement. The Alia administration inherited a state where 17 Local Governments areas were under consistent attacks by terrorists. But the government's coordinated operations with federal security agencies has reopened key roads, enabled farming activities to resume in multiple LGAs, and facilitated the gradual return of some displaced persons.
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‎Also, the establishment of new IDPs support centers is a humanitarian response to resettle people previously abandoned, not evidence of rising displacement. Unlike the past, when IDPs were weaponized for politics, this government is investing in security infrastructure, patrol vehicles, and community policing to address the root causes.
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‎Also, on the allegations that "governance at the grassroots has virtually collapsed, while citizens continue to suffer from poor infrastructure and economic hardship," the party must be reminded that within three years of the Alia led government, the Governor has rehabilitated over 300km of rural roads in addition to over 225km of intra-city roads. Governor Alia has also rehabilitated and erected new structures at the Fr. Adasu University Teaching Hospital, upgraded over 50 Primary Healthcare Centres across the state, reconstructed and built over 400 structures in primary schools across the state, constructed two interchanges (underpass) in Gboko and Makurdi, restored water works at Otobi amongst other very many other. All these projects are visible and not fake as was the case when the PDP was in power.
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‎On Loans and Debts, we were all here when borrowings were a regular occurrence during the PDP years. The party left Benue with over N187 billion in verified debts (exclusive of contractual liabilities, judgement debts and other questionable liabilities). What were the huge borrowings during the time for?
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‎But unlike the opaque loans of 2015–2023 that funded little to no projects, Governor Alia has always stated that any loan taken will be project-specific, and will be used for projects such rural roads and agricultural mechanization schemes. Therefore, any facility accessed by the Alia administration has been tied to specific infrastructure, with approvals from the Benue State House of Assembly and disclosure to the DMO. The audited reports have been consistently published for the public.

‎Again, there is no hidden fact that the state's monthly allocation like other States has improved under the President Tinubu led government, from an average of N8 Billion monthly in 2023 to an average of N15B currently. This information is also available from the FAAC Secretariat and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
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‎On the amount paid as salaries, this same PDP administration had shortly before they left office in 2023, circulated a salary wage bill of N7 billion. A few months into his administration, Governor Alia had addressed the press where he said almost N2b monthly savings were made after a payroll audit.
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‎Today, there is a full implementation of a new minimum wage of N75,000, full implementation of 40% salary increase for University lecturers, establishment of a new university in Ihugh and implementation of new salaries for various categories of workers.
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‎Again, there is no hidden fact that the internally generated revenue of the state has steadily improved from about N800m monthly in 2023 to about N3 Billion. These numbers are also available in government published records.
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‎We therefore, urge the divided party to put its house in order, concentrate more on redeeming its bad image before the Benue people, rather than attempting to undermine Governor Alia's laudable strides in the state.
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‎Tersoo Kula, mnipr
‎Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of
‎Benue State.

💪💪👃

🔥“Today, I celebrate all children across Benue State and Nigeria on the occasion of the 2026 Children’s Day.

Our children are the heart of our future, and we remain committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment where they can thrive and achieve their dreams.

In Benue State, we have strengthened basic education through free education for Basic 1–6 and Junior Secondary School levels, rebuilt and expanded over 400 school infrastructure projects, and recruited over 9,000 teachers to improve learning outcomes across our schools.

This year’s theme, “Future Now: Promoting Inclusion for Every Nigerian Child,” reminds us that every child deserves equal opportunity, quality education, and protection, no matter their background.

To our dear children: you are the future we believe in. Dream big, stay focused, and keep shining.

Happy Children’s Day!”💥