Hyacinth Alia, the governor of Benue State, has reaffirmed the resolve of his administration to deliver good governance to the people, not simply to a select group of persons who regard themselves as influential.
The governor said this during a briefing for State House Correspondents on Thursday in Abuja, just after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.
According to Alia, he was at the State House to brief the President on Benue State’s problems, particularly the state’s ecological and security conditions.
The politician who was formerly a cleric asserted that the poor people, who chose him to represent them, are what sustain democracy, not those who view themselves as the state’s power brokers.
He went on to say that his administration is committed to giving Benue State residents more authority, especially the young people.
The governor reported that more than 10,000 young people are receiving training in digital skills, and some of them are receiving state government sponsorship to study in China.
“I work for the people. I have no idea who the major shots are. I take the masses seriously because we have to be in this seat with our consciences. The magic happens when a leader acts like a servant. I know where it pains them the most because I have been there. They ought to be gentle with both the impoverished masses and themselves.
To make sure that our youngsters are empowered and given power, we have sent a few young people to China to develop skills. There is no justification for us to be food insecure. The insecurity that impacted certain LGAs caused us to stall down, but we have now picked up speed. Next week, 9,700 highly qualified and educated teachers will be hired by our education department, Governor Alia revealed.
Regarding the security situation in Benue State, he stated that while there are occasional clashes in three local governments, overall there is a fair amount of calm in all 23 local government areas.
In addition, the governor refuted claims that he is pressuring voters to support particular candidates before Benue State’s local government election on October 5.
