ALIA AND THE ‘YES-FADA’ TESTIMONIALS IN BENUE

By Casmir Igbokwe,

As we were about to land in Joseph Tarka Airport in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, all I saw was a landscape that appeared bleak and desolate. The airport itself looked like a ghost town. Only a handful of airport workers were on ground to welcome some top members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors on a fact-finding mission to this food basket of the nation.

This first impression almost coloured my overall view of Benue State. As we entered the capital city from the airport, I felt we could be attacked by herdsmen who have become notorious for killing farmers and some other citizens in the state. I thought the state was finished and should be made a territory to be administered by the Federal Government. Many people who have not visited Benue State think likewise.

But that is a great misconception. A tour of some project sites last week changed my entire view of the state. The state governor, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia, is what one may call a silent achiever. In a little over two years in office, the man has made giant strides in the state. It is not surprising that his people adopted ‘Yes Fada (Father)’ as the campaign slogan for the Rev. Father.

Particularly commendable is his efforts in human capital development. For many governors in this dispensation, development starts and ends with building roads, bridges and flyovers – an avenue through which some of them siphon their state funds. Alia is building roads and bridges as well. But his concentration is in human empowerment, which is the best form of development. He does this by building new factories and resuscitating moribund ones. Through the efforts of the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC), Alia has built factories that created employment opportunities for thousands of his citizens.

They include BIPC Bakery, committed to providing quality bread at affordable prices; BIPC Water Factory, which produces packaged water; BIPC Polythene and Nylon Printing Factory; and BIPC Nails Ltd, established to manufacture nails. Some others are BIPC Motorcycle Hire-purchase Scheme, designed to empower youths with affordable motorcycle ownership through a flexible hire-purchase agreement; and Emperor Fertilizer, aimed at boosting crop yields, empowering farmers and enhancing food security.

Realizing that Benue people are great consumers of alcoholic beverages, especially after a hard day at work, Alia decided to resuscitate the Benue Breweries, now called Food Basket Brewery Limited. Its product is called Zeva Premium Lager Beer. When I tasted this beer at the factory, I felt like dumping my brand of beer for it. For the number of days we stayed in Benue, the beer became my favourite drink.

Zeva Beer factory in Makurdi

There is also a fruit juice factory in Makurdi. The idea is to utilize fruits like mango and oranges produced in the state for this factory. Benue is not a food basket for nothing. The fear of some of my colleagues, especially those in Abuja, is that the emergence of this factory may affect the prices of some of the fruits in the market. If the factory mops up fruits for its use, definitely there will be scarcity and consequently, the prices may go up. It is expected that high demand will engender more production of the products and more employment.

As an agrarian state, Benue produces fruits and other crops in abundance. The governor joked that whoever visits the state must eat their pounded yam. Else, the person will not be allowed to leave the state. The only snag to the production of these food items is insecurity. A number of times, farmers and herders’ clashes have resulted in tragic deaths in some parts of the state. Farmers have had to abandon their farms for fear of attacks by herdsmen.

This has created a very bad image for the state. The assumption is that the entire state is insecure. But Alia told the visiting editors that before he came in, many local governments were under siege. Due largely to his and the Federal Government’s efforts, the number of flashpoints has reduced drastically. Even then, efforts are being made to contain the problem in the few remaining areas.

Some of his approaches to tackle insecurity in the state include inauguration of a security outfit called Benue Civil Protection Guards, engaging with security stakeholders, and leveraging the support of federal security agencies. He has also donated over 100 Hilux trucks and 600 motorcycles to security operatives.

Alia’s desire for youth empowerment showed at the Benue Fashion Hub. There, young people are trained on how to cut and sew clothes. We saw the ones they made, including suits and native wear. Some of us purchased some of these items. The trainees also learn embroidery, machine repairs, and some other skills. After undergoing this training, they launch out to establish themselves. This has helped in no small measure to reduce unemployment in the state.

The Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) is another beneficiary of Alia’s transformation. We were told that before the governor came on board, the hospital was a huge mortuary for patients. Medical equipment and facilities were moribund. The hospital even allegedly dispensed expired drugs that facilitated the death of many patients.

A visit to the hospital showed a remarkable difference from this negative story. The governor awarded a contract worth N13 billion to fully equip the hospital. According to the Chief Medical Director of BSUTH, Dr. Stephen Hwande, the hospital can now boast of advanced medical technologies and equipment such as a 64-slice Computer Tomography (CT scan), in-vitro fertilization (IVF) equipment, and molecular laboratory machines. These pieces of equipment were not refurbished or fairly used. They are brand new. The workforce of the hospital has also been beefed up so that patients can quickly be attended to when they visit the hospital.

Also available in the hospital are new notable projects like ultra-modern cancer centre; VIP Smart Clinic equipped with cutting-edge technology to enhance diagnosis and patient care; as well as Special Needs and Therapeutic Centre. This centre addresses challenges such as Down syndrome, autism, and speech disorders among children with such conditions. The space here is not enough to contain other numerous achievements of the Alia’s administration in the health sector.

The priest-turned politician has also invested significantly in education. He has constructed modern classrooms, digital and non-digital libraries, and renovated existing schools. In one of the model schools we visited, ‘Yes Fada’ was boldly inscribed on the front of the main building. Teachers and pupils were excited seeing us. The smiles on their faces show the positive impact the transformation of their school in terms of infrastructure and other facilities has brought upon them.

The governor prioritized the well-being and professional growth of educators. He not only extended retirement dates and approved promotions for teaching staff; he also ensured prompt payment of salaries and pensions for teachers and retirees. He also approved the recruitment of over 9,000 teachers. There are many other achievements in this sector.

The voice of the Benue State newspaper, The Voice, may appear muffled, but the printing press is not. The present state government has brought life back to that press. It is working and doing the job for which it was established.

In a town hall meeting held on Friday, January 23, 2026, citizens of Benue State, especially the masses, heaped praises on the governor for what he has done and continues to do for them. Youth leaders, women groups, and even Okada riders spoke highly of the governor.

The organized labour in the state is appreciative of the governor’s prompt payment of salaries and pensions. According to the leaders of the labour unions who spoke at the meeting, salaries are paid on or before the 25th of every month. Though Benue is not too buoyant like some other states, the minimum wage to workers in the state is N75,000 a month. This is above the national minimum wage of N70,000 a month. We were made to understand that the governor does not only pay salaries promptly, he also pays arrears owed workers by previous administrations. Each month, he pays the current salary plus one month of arrears owed workers by the previous administrations.

These deliberate efforts to empower people have not stopped Alia from building roads and other infrastructure. A number of these road/drainage projects are ongoing. They include over 26 networks of roads within Makurdi, major underpasses, Tomatar Road in Gboko LGA, Akaazua-Muemue-Anhyura, Mbadede Road in Vandeikya LGA and many others.

Alia is a Catholic priest. He has no wife or child to acquire wealth for. This probably explains why he is deploying the resources of the state for the greater good of his people. Unfortunately, he is greatly misunderstood and his achievements buried because he has not bothered to showcase them. He deserves the accolades from his people. My only advice is that he should maintain the tempo and put machinery in place to ensure the sustainability of his legacies when he is no more in the saddle as governor.