…unveils agenda to develop oil and gas resources

The Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, has announced plans to close some Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the state, citing improved security that has enabled displaced persons to return to their communities.

Alia disclosed this during a media chat with the Renewed Hope Ambassadors and the Presidential Media Team led by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Strategy. The team is in Benue to inspect completed and ongoing federal and state infrastructure projects.

The governor said the improved security, supported by federal government intervention, had created relative peace across many local government areas.

According to him, this has enabled many displaced persons to voluntarily return home and resume farming.

He explained that security indices are being monitored through security agencies deployed across the LGAs, traditional institutions and residents who provide timely information on developments within their communities.

ALSO READ: Alia, Aondoakaa trade words over Benue insecurity

Alia recalled that 15 IDP camps were established across the state following attacks and displacement. 

He, however, noted that the situation is gradually changing.  

“We are already making some plans to close down some because the IDP occupants have voluntarily gone back to do their farming,” he said.

The governor said the state government is working with the international community, including the United Nations and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to achieve sustainable solutions for displaced persons. 

The objective, he added, is not just to return people to their farms, but to create conditions that will enable them to remain safely in their communities.

He expressed optimism that the declining number of residents in the camps was encouraging. 

Many returnees, he said, are not only farming but also rebuilding houses in their ancestral communities. 

He added that sustained security efforts would allow returnees to rebuild livelihoods and contribute to Benue’s agricultural economy.

Beyond the IDP issue, Alia said his administration declared a state of emergency on road infrastructure, resulting in improved connectivity across several parts of the state. 

He said urban renewal projects are ongoing, while arterial roads in major townships have been reconstructed to improve movement and economic activities.

The governor also highlighted reforms in education and health, saying that hundreds of local government primary schools that suffered years of neglect are being rehabilitated, and 9,700 teachers have been recruited for primary schools. 

He said his administration had removed school fees for pupils from Basic One to Basic Nine in public schools, describing the policy as an investment in families and human capital.

On healthcare, he said primary healthcare facilities have been revamped, while the state teaching hospital has been upgraded to a standard that now attracts patients from neighbouring states.

Alia disclosed that medical equipment ordered through collaboration with the U.S. government and subnational authorities is expected for distribution to primary healthcare facilities across the LGAs. 

He stressed that political promises must be matched with deliberate action and measurable results, and thanked the Federal Government for its support.

The governor further called for a Lagos-style long-term development master plan for Benue to sustain progress beyond his tenure. 

He said Benue, with 23 LGAs and about seven million people, needs a blueprint to guide successive governments, just as Lagos did under President Bola Tinubu. 

Alia added that better exploitation of Benue’s 43 solid minerals, agriculture, and emerging oil and gas resources would improve the state’s revenue and reduce dependence on federal allocations.

Speaking at a dinner hosted by the state government after the media chat, Onanuga thanked Alia and his deputy, Dr. Samuel Ode, for their hospitality.

Onanuga particularly commended the governor for reviving moribund facilities, including the Taraku Mill, Otobi Water Works and the state brewery, describing them as catalysts for economic development. 

He also praised the administration for road development in remote and previously insecure areas, as well as for paying teachers’ salaries and retirees’ benefits inherited from the previous administration.