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Democracy: Alia Vows to Rewrite Benue’s Socio-economic Narrative, Stand with Masses

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From Attah Ede, Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia on Wednesday lamented that in the last one year of his administration, he has earned nothing close to love from those whose selfish interests he stepped upon to bring comfort, happiness, and succour to Benue State.


The Governor further said he placed the interest of the masses far above those selfish individuals; hence he has no regrets for what he has lost in the cause of the journey to transform the State.

Governor Alia stated this while delivering his speech during this year’s Democracy Day celebrations held at the Ibrahim Badamoshi Babagida(IBB) square, Makurdi.
He however vowed to forever remain committed to building formidable systems and institutions premised on fairness, accountability, democratic ethos, equity and justice; systems that are bigger and stronger than individuals including his humble self.

He therefore solicited for continued support of Benue people to his administration, so that together, they can reposition Benue on the global map and promised to always stand with the people.
Speaking on his achievements in the last one year, the Governor intimated that, upon assumption of office, his administration met Benue in an economic ditch and immediately hit the ground running by engendering economic growth through agriculture and accordingly, procured100 trucks of fertilizer which was distributed to farmers at subsidized rates.
He assured that his administration is more than committed to improving the livelihoods of all and sundry in the state, especially through agriculture.
On Economy and Wealth Creation, Fr. Alia  said his administration has created 1,450 ad-hoc jobs for the Nigeria Fire Extinguishers Control, with plans for permanent integration into the Federal Fire Service.
“We are currently setting up a multifunctional fashion hub in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President, to benefit over 250 professionals in the industry.
“In a similar vein, with 34 out of Nigeria’s 46 solid mineral deposits in Benue, we are on the verge of becoming a mining powerhouse. In view, we have partnered with Sound Core to clean up and develop the mining sector, projecting 3.5 billion Naira in revenue through our annual surface rent scheme.
“While tackling illegal mining and educating communities on the legal benefits, our administration in collaboration with the Federal Government, has formed the Mineral Resource and Environmental Management Committee, to protect resources and manage community conflicts.
“We have revitalized government assets, including the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC) Kaduna Plaza, as well as the Guest Houses in Kaduna and Makurdi towns respectively. While transitioning to digital operations for better service delivery, we have also commissioned a BIPC bakery and water factory, and launched the Emperor Fertilizer and Motorcycle Hire Scheme, all domiciled in the State”.
In the education sector, Governor Hyacinth Alia said his administration has made great strides towards repositioning it, right from the primary to tertiary level.
According to him, as part of palliatives for the removal of fuel subsidy, his government decided to pay for the 2023/2024 examination fees of all students in government approved public secondary schools in the state sitting for the West African Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO), and National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) examinations, respectively.
“At the Benue State University, we have expanded academic programmes, established new faculties, restored scholarships for medical students, and paid outstanding salary arrears. We have upgraded the ICT facilities, preparing over 10,000 youths for the global market. The idea is to train over 60,000 youths.
“As a proof of our zeal towards re-writing the narrative of the education sector in Benue, we allocated 15% of the 2024 budget to education, surpassing the 7% at the Federal level. We have also trained over 150 headteachers, and distributed over 100,000instructional materials across public schools in the state to enhance teaching and learning.
“This is coupled with the establishment of the Benue State Education Quality Assurance Agency (BEQA), saddled with the responsibility of daily monitoring and evaluation of all schools across the State, with the aim of improving the standard and quality of education, as well as reawakening teachers and staff to their responsibilities.
“This has so far yielded huge results, notably being the recent clinching of an international debate trophy in Indonesia, by four Benue secondary school students who represented Nigeria,” Alia alluded.
He stated that Benue under his watch, has also weeded out thousands of ghost workers, ghost schools, and ghost agencies out of  payroll and had gone further to cut off all leakages and conduits of inefficient money consuming channels obtainable in the past.

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Police Detain Woman for Alleged Killing of Co-wife in Bauchi

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The police command in Bauchi State, said it has apprehended a housewife over alleged killing of her co-wife following a domestic violence incident in Bauchi metropolis.

This was contained in a statement by the spokesman of the command, SP Nafiu Habib, on Monday in Bauchi.

He said that the command detained the suspect (name withheld) on Sept.

27 for alleged culpable homicide following a domestic incident at Tafawa Balewa Housing Estate in Bauchi.

Habib said that on Sept. 27, at about 4:05 p.m., the Police C-Division, Bauchi, received credible information that there was a domestic incident between two wives residing in the same household belonging to their husband.

He said that preliminary investigation revealed that the 33-year-old suspect, who is the second wife, allegedly acting under hallucinations, struck the first wife with pestle on the forehead, and the victim fell unconscious.

“Upon receipt of the report, detectives attached to C-Division immediately mobilised to the scene.

 “The scene was documented, and the victim was rushed to the Specialist Hospital, Bauchi, where she was certified dead by a medical doctor. The corpse has been deposited at the hospital mortuary for autopsy,” he said.

Habib said that the police recovered the pestle used in committing the offence.

He quoted the Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, as directing the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for discreet investigation and prosecution.

Aliyu condoled with the bereaved family and cautioned against domestic violence.

The CP also advised husbands to seek timely medical and psycho-social support for members of their families exhibiting mental health challenges. (NAN)

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FRSC Deploys 170 Ambulances Nationwide for Emergency Rescue

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The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has deployed more than 170 ambulances across the country as part of efforts to strengthen emergency response and rescue operations on Nigerian roads.

The Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO), Osondu Ohaeri, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja, while responding to questions on the operational capacity of the corps emergency ambulance network and its response to Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs).

Ohaeri said the FRSC had the largest number of ambulances among emergency response agencies in Nigeria, with more than 170 ambulances and 60 Zebra points across the country.

He said the figure should however not be interpreted as the number of ambulances currently operational or serviceable as of September 2026.

According to him, an accurate current figure of serviceable ambulances will require the latest fleet-status report from the corps medical and rescue office.

He explained that the figures demonstrated the scale of the corps emergency response network, while the availability of individual ambulances was managed operationally based on their location, condition and assignment.

On the adequacy of the ambulances for emergency rescue, he said the corps continued to maintain and deploy its assets as part of its emergency response responsibilities, stressing that the status of individual vehicles could vary depending on their operational condition and assignment.

The CPEO said the corps was also focused on improving its emergency response capacity, particularly by strengthening rescue deployment and collaboration with other relevant agencies.

He also said that the corps had historically recorded an average response time of about 15 minutes under its documented emergency-response programme.

He cautioned against presenting the figure as the current nationwide average without updated operational data.

According to him, response time varies depending on several factors including the location of a crash, traffic congestion, distance from the nearest ambulance point and accessibility of the crash scene.

He added that the accuracy and timeliness of information provided by callers could also affect the speed with which rescue teams reached crash scenes.

Other factors he said include the possibility of emergency teams responding to other incidents simultaneously.

Ohaeri stressed that the corps had identified faster response to road traffic crashes and other emergencies as one of its management priorities in 2026.

He said efforts were therefore ongoing to strengthen rescue deployment and inter-agency collaboration to improve emergency response to road crashes.

He added that the FRSC remained committed to improving emergency rescue operations, strengthening the deployment of its resources and working with relevant stakeholders to ensure better outcomes for road crash victims.

He reiterated that complaints concerning emergency response, evacuation, treatment of victims or other forms of alleged misconduct should be channeled through the appropriate authorities for investigation and necessary action.

The CPEO further assured that the corps would continue to strengthen its emergency response mechanisms as part of broader efforts to reduce the consequences of road traffic crashes and improve the safety of road users nationwide.(NAN)

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NBA Decries Rising Insecurity in Plateau, Urges Urgent Action

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The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has decried the spate of security challenges currently confronting Plateau and other parts of Nigeria.

The Chairman of Jos Branch of the association, Morgan Dung, said this during a joint news conference on Monday in Jos.

Dung spoke on behalf of the Jos, Bukuru and Pankshin branches of the association.

The chairman particularly decried the recent attacks and killings in Mangu, Barkin-Ladi, Riyom, Bokkos, Bassa, Wase and Kanam Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

Dung, who described the continuous killings of innocent residents as “unfortunate and unacceptable”, called on the Federal Government and the security agencies to tackle the menace.

“The protection of lives and property remain the most fundamental responsibility of government as contained in section 33 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

“NBA frowns at the inability of the government to prevent the continuous loss of lives and property in Plateau and beyond.

“We particularly condemn the recent killing of members of community vigilantes at their duty posts in Mangu, Barkin-Ladi, Riyom, Bokkos and Bassa LGAs

“We call on the government and security agencies to bring the perpetrators to book. This menace must also stop,”he said.

Dung, however, commended president Bola Tinubu over his recent visit to Plateau and the move to establish State Police in the country.

He further called on the government to sponsor an executive bill to fully domicile security issues under the concurrent legislative list.

Dung urged the government to properly and adequately equip security agencies, strengthen border surveillance and secure all forests serving as hideouts for bandits and other criminal elements.

The chairman also commended Gov. Caleb Mutfwang for revamping Operation Rainbow, a state-owned security outfit and training of 2,000 personnel of the neighbourhoods watch.

He, however, called for the licensing of Operation Rainbow to operate with kinetic facilities, implement the anti-land grabbing law and provide structures for police division and forward operation bases in the state.

Dung advised security agencies to deploy more personnel and equipment to flashpoints in the state, insisting that such a move would ensure prompt response to threats.

The chairman, who called on the judiciary to ensure timely dispensation of terrorism cases, advised governors to sign death warrants of convicted terrorists to serve as a deterrent to others.

He pledged NBA’s readiness to promote access to justice, document evidence of atrocities and pursue public interest litigation to ensure accountability (NAN)

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