By Solomon Iorpev

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.

Purpose: The Clergyman Who Chose The Arena

Leadership begins with why. For Governor Alia, the purpose was never in doubt.

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 a 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.

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 a government like a system, not a bazaar.

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 a 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 is the Technical Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Media, Publicity and Strategic Communication.

By Aisha Gambo

In Gabari village, Kufena, Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State, young Halira Nuhu (not real name) is hawking “Fura da Nono”, a meal made from cow milk and millet, during school hours.

Nuhu dreams of becoming a doctor, but her condition would not allow her to accomplish that dream.

In her village, boys’ education is prioritised, while girls are sent to hawk or married off early.

At 12, Nuhu was given out in marriage to her cousin.

This, indeed, reflects the reality of many girls in her community.

“I was married off at the age of 12, I’m now 15 and I have one son; in my tradition parents choose spouses for their children and girl child education is not prioritised, we go hawking.

“I attended only primary school and stopped because my father was not financially stable; so, my mother said I should hawk before a befitting spouse is chosen for me,” she said.

Similarly, Saude Maude (not real name), a resident of Hanwa, Zaria, got married at the age of 13.

As an orphan who lost her father while she was still a baby, Maude could not finish secondary school due to poverty.

“It was my mother who took care of me and she couldn’t pay for my school fees after JSS 3. So when I got a suitor, I was married off; I was devastated but there was nothing I could do,” she laments.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), about 7.6 million girls in Nigeria are out of school, including 3.9 million at the primary level and 3.7 million in junior secondary school.

UNICEF further reports that more than half of girls of basic education age are not enrolled.

Evidence from various studies also indicates significant dropout rates between primary and junior secondary levels.

Experts, however, attribute this trend to a combination of factors, including poverty, early marriage, unintended pregnancy, gender-based violence, limited awareness, and inadequate parental support.

Consequently, these challenges continue to restrict many girls’ access to education and contribute to higher dropout rates, especially as they transition from primary to secondary school.

A report by Save the Children says 78 per cent of girls in the northern region of Nigeria are married before the age of 18, while 44 per cent of girls are married before their 18th birthday across the country.

In Kaduna State, the School Census Report revealed that 25 per cent of adolescent girls dropped out of school due to factors such as early marriage, insecurity, poverty, among others.

In response to this development, the Kaduna State Government developed an Education Policy in 2019, which made provision for Second Chance Education (SCE).

The state also developed a 10-year Education Sector Plan (ESP), named Kaduna State 2019–2029 Education Sector Strategic Plan.

The plan is a comprehensive and strategic framework developed with the support of development partners to guide the planning, implementation, and evaluation of education policies and programmes.

The Director of Planning, Kaduna State Ministry of Education, Salisu Lawal, stated that SCE is being implemented with support from development partners like the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) for girls who dropped out due to marriage or pregnancy.

Recently, Kaduna State validated the Gender in Education Policy to tackle structural barriers such as safety, access, and retention that disproportionately affect girls.

The policy is aimed at addressing the specific needs of male and female learners across different age groups and communities.

Notably, the initiative goes beyond general assumptions about gender and instead focuses on how education can be delivered effectively to different categories of learners.

Second Chance Education is one component of the broader policy, which supports adolescent married girls and mothers with learning materials, uniforms, and conditional cash transfers to motivate the girls and their families.

Zainab Maina-Lukat, the Technical Assistant on Education Systems Strengthening, AGILE project, said the policy was designed to address inequalities and barriers within the education sector.

She said the policy proposes practical solutions to support young mothers and female teachers, including the establishment of early childhood care centres within schools to enable them continue their education or careers.

According to her, the policy recognises that learners face different challenges depending on their age, gender, and circumstances.

The policy also highlights disparities in academic progression, especially in science education.

While about half of girls in private schools transition into science streams, the figure is significantly lower in public schools.

Albeit these challenges, being married and giving birth did not stop Nuhu and Maude, who dropped out of school due to tradition and poverty, from pursuing their dreams.

Nuhu has now returned to school and is in JSS one through the SCE supported by AGILE.

Her husband and father gave their consent for her to continue her education after a mobilising officer enlightened them on the programme.

“My father is excited that I am going back to school and my husband supported me with uniform and learning materials,” she says.

However, the major challenge Nuhu faces is balancing married life and education.

As a nursing mother with the zeal to learn, she has to keep her 11-month-old baby at her in-laws’ place before going to school.

“Nobody will take care of my baby when I’m in class and I want to concentrate, so I have to keep him with them,” she said.

Transportation from her husband’s house to school is another challenge.

Nevertheless, Nuhu wakes up early and treks for 40 minutes to get to school.

Returning to school has given her a sense of responsibility.

She regrets marrying early, saying she still feels she is not ripe for marriage at 15.

She now hopes to become a girl child advocate, where she will sensitise and empower young girls to complete at least Senior Secondary School before marriage.

Likewise, Maude, now 17 with two children, has returned to school and is in SS1, dreaming of becoming a journalist.

She said she would work hard to ensure her children get better education before marriage.

Ummi Bukar, the Programme Director, Participatory Communication for Gender Development Initiative (PAGED Initiative), says extending Nigeria’s Universal Basic Education (UBE) policy to 12 years would improve access to secondary education, especially for girls.

“Extending the policy to senior secondary education would ensure that girls remain in school longer and emerge as more productive members of society.

“It is not enough to create programmes; they must reflect the realities of the target group. Many young mothers cannot return to school because there are no support systems such as childcare or flexible learning hours,” she says.

She, therefore, called for stronger enforcement of existing laws, increased investment in education, and inclusive policies that address the diverse realities across states.

In conclusion, as married adolescent girls like Nuhu and Maude return to the classroom, it is necessary that they receive the support systems required to thrive. (NAN)

By Abiemwense Moru

A young man survived a sudden health crisis only because his liver failure was detected early—proving that awareness and timely intervention save lives.

Health experts have raised serious concerns about low awareness of liver diseases, warning that these conditions remain silent killers and are increasingly becoming a major global health burden affecting millions worldwide.

In commemoration of World Liver Day on April 19, medical professionals noted that the 2026 event received far less attention than major global campaigns like HIV awareness.

Experts argue this lack of visibility reduces the effectiveness of awareness campaigns. Consequently, it limits public understanding of liver health, early warning signs, and preventive measures that could significantly lower disease rates and mortality.

Consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist Dr Kolawole Akande warned that the limited attention given to liver health initiatives restricted their ability to influence behaviour and promote preventive healthcare practices among communities nationwide.

He noted that World Liver Day was created to highlight the importance of liver health and encourage early detection and treatment of liver-related diseases before they progressed into severe, life-threatening conditions.

However, he said insufficient awareness continued to slow progress in combating diseases such as hepatitis, fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer, which collectively contributed to high morbidity and mortality rates globally.

According to him, the liver is one of the body’s most vital organs, responsible for nearly five hundred essential functions daily, including detoxification, metabolism regulation, and storage of nutrients necessary for sustaining life and health.

He said that in spite of its importance, many individuals only became aware of liver disease when it had advanced significantly, making treatment more difficult and reducing survival chances due to delayed diagnosis and intervention.

Akande emphasised that liver diseases often developed silently without noticeable symptoms, underscoring the importance of routine medical check-ups in identifying early-stage damage before it becomes severe or irreversible over time.

He said that early-stage liver damage could be reversed if detected promptly, but late diagnosis significantly limited treatment options and increased the likelihood of complications and death among affected individuals.

Akande stressed that policymakers and healthcare providers must actively promote healthy behaviours, including regular exercise and balanced diets, to prevent lifestyle-related liver diseases and improve overall public health outcomes sustainably.

Akande called for expanded vaccination programmes, improved screening systems, and increased access to treatment services as essential measures to combat hepatitis and reduce its widespread impact on populations.

He warned that many individuals were living with hepatitis without knowing their status, increasing their personal health risks while also contributing to the continued spread of infection within communities and across generations.

Globally, liver diseases accounted for at least 2 million deaths each year, yet many of these deaths are preventable through early detection, vaccination, improved awareness, and adoption of healthier lifestyle practices.

Akande emphasised that prevention efforts should begin with children, particularly through the administration of the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, which played a crucial role in reducing infection rates early in life.

According to him, hepatitis B is the most common cause of liver disease in Nigeria, in spite of being preventable through vaccination, highlighting the urgent need to improve immunisation coverage across the country.

Akande said that after receiving the birth dose, children must complete the full immunisation schedule to ensure long-term protection against hepatitis B and related liver complications later in life.

He also advised adults to undergo screening and vaccination, especially those born before hepatitis B vaccination became part of routine immunisation schedules, as they remained at higher risk of undetected infection.

According to him, adults who test negative should receive vaccination, noting that vaccines are widely available and relatively affordable, making prevention accessible for many individuals across different socioeconomic groups.

Akande underscored the need for stronger government and institutional support to improve awareness campaigns and ensure that liver health education reaches diverse populations across urban and rural communities effectively.

He called for collaboration among public health authorities, healthcare providers, and community organisations to educate citizens about liver disease prevention, early detection, and the importance of maintaining healthy lifestyles consistently.

Akande reiterated that prevention remained more effective than treatment.

Similarly, a general practitioner, Dr Jonathan Esegine, urged individuals to take proactive steps toward protecting their liver health, stressing that increased awareness could significantly reduce the global burden of liver disease.

Esegine advised adopting a balanced, plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, which supported liver function and reduced the risk of developing chronic health conditions over time.

He also recommended maintaining a healthy weight through regular physical activity, as exercise played a crucial role in preventing fatty liver disease and improving overall metabolic health and wellbeing.

Health experts say the theme for World Liver Day 2026, “Solid Habits, Strong Liver,” emphasises that liver health is shaped by daily lifestyle choices, reinforcing the importance of consistent healthy behaviours over time.

They say adopting healthy habits offers a powerful, collective defense against liver disease, improving long-term health and easing the global impact of chronic liver conditions.(NAN)