The Benue State Governor-elect, Hyacinth Alia, on Wednesday, in Abuja, said the state’s civil service was nearing collapse and needed urgent attention akin to that of an Intensive Care Unit.
However, he said his administration would restore life to the system and make it productive again.
Alia spoke with State House Correspondents after a thank-you visit to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
He was ushered in to see the President by the Minister of Special Duties, George Akume, who is also a former governor of the state.
Alia, a Roman Catholic Priest turned politician, emerged winner of the March 18 Benue Governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress after securing 473,933 votes to beat Titus Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Explaining the sorry state of the Benue state civil service, the governor-elect said the state owes a backlog of salaries, pensions and gratuities which he hopes to pay when he assumes office on May 29, 2023.
He said,
“It is sad that the life of civil service in the state is near collapse, it’s in the ICU, so I just need to get in there and infuse life in it and keep it moving.
“We have a lot of backlog of unpaid salaries, pensions, and gratuities.
“So, already I have got much on the desk to keep a good focus on and I remain hopeful that I am going to do just that.”
Alia lamented that the agrarian state is performing far below its capacity to feed the entire nation. Therefore, his administration will boost agricultural productivity across the entire value chain.
“Once I’m sworn in, I know that what the good people of Benue want are progress and development and there’s so much that we need to put on track for things to work.
“Benue state is an agrarian zone and so we must focus on agriculture and upgrade it.
“Benue is capable of feeding the whole nation, so we are not just the food basket of the nation by name and I am hoping that we will up our game in agriculture and take care of the rest as well,” the clergyman explained.
Asked about his plans to douse the gory clashes between farmers and herdsmen aggravated by the existing anti-grazing law, Alia said “one thing must remain clear, when you say that the atmosphere was quite tensed, let it be on record that Benue people are very hospital people.”
“We are a very friendly people and over the ages, we’ve lived with all cultures and different people. And so, if some mishap had happened in the last eight years, thank God the eight years has expired.
“I want everyone to feel that Benue is a home for everyone. If there were some errors, I am coming to correct them.
“The Benue State Assembly is also a knowledgeable Assembly. So the 10th Assembly is going to work for the people and do the work of the people,” he added.
