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.