FR. ALIA HAS COME TO WORK

Thursday, November 16, 2023 It is understandable that you are expectant of a miraculous reconstruction of the state, both infrastructure and and mental wise. Alia took over a wrecked state with a penurious citizenry that have been betrayed serially by the very people they trusted. A people that leadership slippage forced them to expect very little from the superintendents, resulting in the unfortunate development of a huge trust deceit between them and the elected. The task is truly arduous for your Governor, but certainly, surmountable. Taking off from point zero is by every standard, burdensome. The interesting thing here is that, Governor Alia came prepared. He has come with a vision and mission to fix the broken because he saw it shattered before he staked to step in to fix. He has already started on a good footing; evidence and testimonies abound. Before there will be progress, let there be food; let the people, especially those in the employment of the state keep food on the table for their families. Let the aged, the senior citizens of the state that were once declared and looked upon as dead people be paid their dues for them to get Medicare and resuscitate their health. In that light, salaries and pensions have become constant. Civil servants and pensioners now have permanently, the 25th of every month to keep a date with the banks for their salary alerts. Gratuity payments (100% on retirement) are not left out. Then, work is speedily ongoing on 16 township roads in the state capital. Northbank part of the town that was hitherto abandoned has begun to receive attention. Streets in Gboko are already receiving attention. Otukpo and Katsina-Ala will soon be visited. The light up Makurdi project is started and underway. Soon, the majority of streets in Makurdi will have renewable solar street lights. Plans are in top gear to fix and re-surface all major roads in Makurdi and major towns in the state. Already, erosion control measures have started on roads and streets in Makurdi and shall be replicated in other towns too. The Benue State House of Assembly complex has been totally reconstructed. “The focus in attracting new investments and resuscitation of moribund companies will stimulate economic activities that have already received a boost by the regular salary payments and ongoing infrastructure projects. Alia has come to work. Alia is working” Both Government House and State Secretariat have been connected to the 33kVA power line, the first time ever. Work is ongoing to connect our revered Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi. The hospital is underway to be revived and repositioned for the optimal healthcare delivery system it was meant to be. The facility will surely soon take its original position as the reference hospital in the middle belt of Nigeria. The administration has already sponsored 10,000 youths who are undergoing IT related training powered by Google. We cannot overemphasise the importance of human capital development. Training of civil servants also begins in the days to come. Benue is now one of the few to implement the 65-year retirement age for teachers and only recently started paying hazard allowances in our medical facilities. This is not to mention special allowances to NYSC doctors and the revival of budding arrangement with medical students of the BSU School of Medical Sciences. Furthermore, the state recently procured 100 buses for Benue Links to improve services and help reduce the burden of transportation on the populace. Work is ongoing on several state owned companies to bring them back to life. The government has been able to do these and much more without borrowing because of the renewed focus on IGR and marked reduction in the cost of governance. The procurement act and fiscal responsibility framework received a big boost via pronouncements by the government aimed at reducing corruption and increasing transparency in the system. This has freed up resources hitherto frittered away through surprisingly ingenious fraudulent schemes. The focus in attracting new investments and resuscitation of moribund companies will stimulate economic activities that have already received a boost by the regular salary payments and ongoing infrastructure projects. Alia has come to work. Alia is working. Sir Tersoo Kula Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Benue State Source: Blueprint Newspaper - Page 11