Benue State Government has reacted to a statement issued by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in the State where they have questioned the fiscal discipline of the Governor Hyacinth Alia led administration.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Tersoo Kula described the statement as a political script designed to distract the people of the state from the progress recorded by Governor Hyacinth Alia within three years of office.
According to him the Mohammed Abdulrahman wing of the party in the state has claimed that “despite reportedly receiving over N1.2 trillion within the last three years,” there is no meaningful development in State.
Kula noted that the group’s only intent about the N1.2 Trillion claim and financial transparency is to misrepresent facts and figures his is because budgets all over are run on cash flows, loans, grants and aid.
He equally stressed that over the three years of the Alia administration, the Benue State Budget inclusive of FAAC, IGR, grants, Aid and loans, (termed Discretionary and Non-Discretionary funds) were approved at N179.7b(2023), N373.1b(2024) and N550.1b(2025), which aggregated to 1.1trillion.
The CPS futher explained that approved budgets do not amount to the actual amount gotten in a year, and the average budget performance is calculated ( whether cash flow or non-discretionary).
“Therefore, the actual amount realized as State inflows in terms of Discretionary and Non- Discretionary funds that the State is in receipt of is 69.1% of N1.1trillion, which if calculated comes to 762.8b.
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He said the loans left by the same PDP government under Ortom, which amounts to 359.6b are still being serviced on a regular basis, with some deductions carried out from the source some he said are in the form of judgment debts or garnishees.
On the issue of Security and IDPs in the state, the Press Secretary said the claim by the PDP that “Insecurity has worsened alarmingly,” ignores context and data adding that the results may not be as wholesome as expected, but there is an improvement.
Kula said the Alia administration inherited a state where 17 Local Governments areas were under consistent attacks by terrorists but the government’s coordinated operations with federal security agencies has reopened key roads, enabled farming activities to resume in multiple LGAs, and facilitated the gradual return of some displaced persons.
Also, on the allegations that “governance at the grassroots has virtually collapsed, while citizens continue to suffer from poor infrastructure and economic hardship,”he reminded the party that within three years of the Alia led government, the Governor has rehabilitated over 300km of rural roads in addition to over 225km of intra-city roads. Governor Alia has also rehabilitated and erected new structures at the Fr. Adasu University Teaching Hospital, upgraded over 50 Primary Healthcare Centres across the state, reconstructed and built over 400 structures in primary schools across the state, constructed two interchanges (underpass) in Gboko and Makurdi, restored water works at Otobi amongst other very many other. All these projects are visible and not fake as was the case when the PDP was in power.
On the amount paid as salaries,he said the same PDP administration had shortly before they left office in 2023, circulated a salary wage bill of N7 billion only for a few months into his administration, Governor Alia had addressed the press where he said almost N2b monthly savings were made after a payroll audit.
We therefore, urge the divided party to put its house in order, concentrate more on redeeming its bad image before the Benue people, rather than attempting to undermine Governor Alia’s laudable strides in the state.
Editor: Roluke Ogundele
