From Attah Ede, Makurdi

Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia on Monday said  lack of vision and underhand dealings by past leaders hindered Benue State from benefiting the Federal Government 13 percent derivation from solid minerals found in the state.

The governor made this known while addressing Benue diaspora community on a zoom meeting organised by the Mutual Union of Tiv in America (MUTA) and the Idoma Association in the United States of America.

He said  meeting was to enable the two groups get firsthand information on the present administration’s general policy direction, security initiatives as well as the government’s drive in sectors such as agriculture, Mining, education, health, Banking and Finance as well as physical and digital infrastructure.

Speaking on the mining/extractive industry, the governor said although the state is blessed with mineral deposits, the mining sector remains one area that has not been properly tapped, adding that there was no coordination in the past, thereby allowing huge illegality in the sector.

Alia said, “It is only when we came in on May 29th, 2023 that we made the Benue people realize they have solid minerals.

“Is it that they never existed before we came in? No, they were there. But those who knew; those who were robbing us came in there and carted away what they wanted.

“It is so surprising to hear that it is our very own who were robbing us of the solid minerals. They knew the solid minerals existed there and invited the bad guys who came in behind closed those to rob us.”

The governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula which was made available to newsmen in Makurdi, said the state government had placed a moratorium on Mining activities in the state in order to fish out the illegal miners, adding that traditional rulers have been warned not to sign MOUs with the miners as was obtainable in the past.

He said anyone found engaging aging foreigners who come from nowhere to start mining in the villages will not be spared.

He regretted that Benue as a state with 34 out of the 46 mineral deposits found in the country is not enjoying the 13 percent derivation like oil producing states because of lack of coordination.

According to the governor, the need for coordination in the sector is what gave birth to the Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO) under his administration.

This he said will serve as a link between the state and the Federal Government in the area of policy and tackling of illegal mining, thereby protecting such solid minerals for the government and people of the state.

Speaking on the educational sector and the strategies the government has put in place to bridge the gap between the private and government institutions in the state, and on how he feel religious based organizations and private organizations can invest in the education system in the state, the governor said, “What was on ground upon my assumption of office was terrible.

“We met the Benue system in comatose but that of education was even worse and we are just trying to reinvent our educational system with the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) already geared with programmes to reinvent the educational sector in the state.”

He said his administration has created an agency, Benue Education Quality Assurance (BEQA) through which many discoveries.

“The schools are so saturated with ghost teachers, and the system is saturated with ghost schools.

“Immediately we came into office, we were able to save N1.2billion from ghost teachers.

“We went further and it was discovered that it was not only ghost teachers, but ghost schools as well.

“And the least we found was that the ghost schools had 95 ghost teachers and the minimum Grade level of the teachers in those schools was Grade level 10.

“Just imagine how much they packed! And if we unveil to you those who have been involved in this corrupt system, you will be so shocked to hear names. Yet, this had been going on and on for ages.”

While calling for investment in the educational system in the state, the governor said his administration intends to go back to the basics by granting independence to missionary schools, reintroducing more vocational centres across the state to enable the students acquire skills, as well as intensifying training for the teachers.

On Security, Peace and Wealth Creation as well as his plans for the return of the IDPs to their ancestral homes, Alia said the state has about 13 IDP camps and his campaign promises of returning them to their ancestral homes still stands, adding that his administration is making inroads to address the situation.

On whether the people have started returning back to their ancestral homes, the governor said that has not happened permanently but there is an improvement.

He said the security situation in the state is a combination  of both herders and militia groups, especially in the Sankera axis of the state, accusing some elite of inviting the Fulanis back to the state with the notion that the Anti-Open Grazing law is no longer in force.

He called for more collaboration, partnership and investments to enable the government to revamp the Primary Health Care Centres and Clinics in the villages so that healthcare services can be easily accessed by the people of the state.

On Banking and Finance, the governor highlighted the need to drive the Banking Sector in the state, lamenting the absence of Benue indigenes in top banking positions in the country.

He said the state is suffering from the collapse of Lobi Bank, especially as it was aimed at helping local farmers and businesses to thrive, disclosing that the government is trying to see if there will be an alternative.

“Benue is near empty in this regard. There are no investments in the Banking Sector in the state at the moment.

“It is a challenge. Even to get loans, our people are not properly educated in this regard. And we need individuals who can come in and teach our people,” he stated.

While regretting that most big towns in the state don’t have banks, the governor said it is the plan of the present government to take the Novus Microfinance Bank to be in villages, where certain government grants can be obtained through the bank by the time it is properly set up.

On digital and physical infrastructural development in the state, Alia equally told the Benue Diaspora that immediately he came into office, he declared, “There was no maintenance on the few existing ones that were put in place.

“It is now that our government is doing everything to turn Makurdi from a glorified village to a Capital City.

“The government is doing very deep investments in lighting and road infrastructure to ensure that what is done lasts for a long time.”