By Peter Awunah, PhD
awunahpeter@gmail.com
In a remarkable turn of events, the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has allocated a staggering total of N1.3 trillion among the various tiers of government in Nigeria this month. This unprecedented distribution has significant positive implications for states across the nation, particularly for Benue State, which is set to receive approximately N30 billion for both the state and local governments.
Given this substantial influx of funds, one might expect a corresponding improvement in infrastructure, public services, and overall governance. However, the reality in Benue State under the leadership of Governor Hyacinth Alia paints a starkly different picture.
Since the removal of the oil subsidy in May 2023 by the Federal Government, state allocations have soared by an astonishing 300%. This surge in revenue presents a historic opportunity for development and progress in a state that has long struggled with various socio-economic challenges. However, despite this financial windfall, the Benue State Government has conspicuously failed to capitalize on the available resources to foster growth and enhance the living conditions of its citizens.
Governor Alia’s administration has been marked by a disturbing lack of transparency and accountability. The absence of public disclosures regarding the state’s revenue sources—both from federal allocations and internal revenue—raises serious concerns about governance. The people of Benue State are left in the dark, unsure of how their resources are being managed and whether they are being utilized for the common good.
Governor Alia brags about payment of salaries and pensions as if other states are not paying the same during the Tinubu mega naira rain for states. No state is owning civil servants this time. Payment of wages and pensions is not an achievement. It is the right of workers and retirees.
Since the N70,000 national minimum wage was introduced, many states have implemented it and some have taken the benchmark higher than N70,000. But Alia is silent! He is saying nothing and doing nothing regarding the new minimum wage.
Other states also inherited arrears of salaries and pensions but have since the removal of fuel subsidy and the attendant increase in allocations cleared the backlog of salaries and pensions. Their Benue counterpart Hyacinth Alia is however saying nothing and doing nothing. But we remember that the issue of pension and salary arrears was a major campaign topic for him before the 2023 elections.
It is on record that President Tinubu released N5 billion to Benue State as palliatives last year. Other states who received similar interventions purchased modem luxurious buses to ease the transportation challenge of their people, but in Benue State, Governor Alia has repainted three of the old Marcopolo buses that Governor George Akume bought for Benue Links many years ago and has put them on the roads for intra city shuttle service. The palliatives the Federal government sent in the form of grains such as rice have been hoarded at the indoor complex of Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi to be used during the Christmas season among cronies of the Governor.
In the area of security, Benue State is worse off. Despite increasing his approval limit from N50 million to N250 million and his security votes to a whopping N1.5 billion monthly, and despite receiving a share of the N50 billion intervention on security from the Federal Government, governor Alia has abandoned the people in the hands of terrorist Fulani killers and bandits who have chased thousands out of their homelands and taken over. Now, our people have to beg and pay Fulani invaders to allow them to go to their farms or bury their dead.
Another worrisome issue is the neglect of basic infrastructure—the lifeblood of any community—which is glaringly evident in the state capital, Makurdi. Township roads have deteriorated to the point of being impassable, and refuse dumps have become a common sight, creating health hazards and undermining the quality of life for residents. Such conditions are unacceptable, especially considering the substantial funds allocated to the state and local governments every month since June last year.
The lack of visible projects or initiatives in the last one year and five months since Governor Alia took office is alarming. None of the 23 local governments in Benue State can point to a single completed project during this period, reflecting a troubling disconnect between the state government and the needs of its people.
The people of Benue deserve better. They deserve a government that prioritizes transparency, actively engages with them, and demonstrates a genuine commitment to improving the state’s infrastructure and public services. The Alia administration must be held accountable for its inaction and failure to utilize the significant financial resources at its disposal.
Governor Alia must take immediate steps to address these issues by providing a clear breakdown of the state’s revenue and expenditures, outlining plans for development, and ensuring that funds are allocated to projects that benefit the populace. The time for excuses has passed; the people of Benue State are running out of patience.
Dr Awunah writes from Durumi, Abuja.
