Benue Approves N294.53m Counterpart Funding For 2026 Malaria Campaign

…Says Alia, engaging with communities whose lands are being considered for ranching
…Ortom: Leave me out of your pilot ranching controversy

The Benue State Executive Council has approved N294.53 million as the state government’s counterpart funding for the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign across the 23 local government areas of the state.

The newly appointed Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon. Solomon Iorpev, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Makurdi

Hon. Iorpev said the approval, granted to the Ministry of Health, was aimed at strengthening efforts to prevent malaria among children, women and other vulnerable groups, particularly during the rainy season when the prevalence of malaria increases.

He explained that the intervention was particularly important for vulnerable communities across the state, stressing that the government remained committed to protecting the health and wellbeing of its citizens.

The Commissioner also addressed reports concerning alleged plans to establish ranches in some parts of Benue State, describing some of the information circulating in the public space as misleading.

According to him, Ortom‘s administration had, on October 16, 2017, granted the Federal Government the liberty to establish ranches in certain areas of the state.

He, however, said the present administration, being a people-driven government, had resolved not to take any decision on the matter without consulting the affected communities.

Iorpev noted that consultations were still ongoing on the ranching matter, noting that Governor Hyacinth Alia was currently engaging with people from communities whose lands were reportedly being considered for the purpose.

He said the position of the State Government would ultimately be guided by the wishes of the people, adding that if the people rejected the proposal, the government would respect their decision, just as it would respect an approval from the communities.

“There is no yes or no answer to the Federal Government on the matter as we speak, and nothing has proceeded yet. No one has started anything in that direction,” the Commissioner said.

He therefore urged the public to disregard speculations on the matter until further information was made available by the State Executive Council.

In a swift reaction to the controversial pilot ranching project of the present administration in the state, former governor, Chief Samuel Ortom denied the allegation heaped on him by the Alia’s administration that he had granted the Federal Government the liberty to establish ranches in certain areas of the state.

Chief Ortom regretted that Governor Alia, through Chief Iorpev, “has chosen to announce his arrival as new Commissioner for Information with such a brazen distortion of history and outright falsehood”.

A Commissioner entrusted with informing the public should be a custodian of facts, not a manufacturer of convenient narratives designed to provide political cover for his government.

“The claim that the Ortom administration gave the Federal Government blanket liberty to establish ranches in parts of Benue State is false”.

“We therefore challenge Iorpev to publish the purported approval of October 16, 2017, which he cited. Let him make public the letter, memorandum, Executive Council resolution, gazette or any other instrument by which Governor Ortom allegedly granted the Federal Government such liberty.

“Let him state the communities and locations supposedly offered. Let him state the land involved. Let him identify the beneficiaries.

“And, most importantly, let Iorpev explain how such an alleged blanket approval could be reconciled with the policy and legal position of the Ortom administration throughout its two terms.

“The historical record is clear. In 2017, the Ortom administration enacted the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law as Benue State’s response to the perennial conflict between open grazing and farming communities.

“That law did not prohibit ranching. It established ranching as the lawful method of livestock production in Benue State while prohibiting open grazing.

“There is therefore a fundamental difference which Solomon Iorpev either does not understand or deliberately refuses to acknowledge:

“Supporting ranching in accordance with Benue State law is not the same thing as giving the Federal Government unrestricted liberty to take Benue land and establish grazing reserves, cattle colonies, Ruga settlements or communal settlements for pastoralists”.