The Governor of Benue State, Fr. Hyacinth Alia, on Friday, August 28, concluded what was billed as a “Thank You Tour” across the state; a governance exercise that, beyond its official description, offered a rare window into the administration’s thinking ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It was the governor’s second major town hall engagement with the people since assuming office on May 29, 2023.
The first was essentially about securing the mandate. This second tour was ostensibly to thank the people for their support and to appreciate them for backing his bid to seek a second term in office.
But there was more to the tour than thanksgiving.
With the 2027 elections approaching, the governor used the meetings to listen to the people, explain his administration’s policies, give an account of his stewardship, address controversial issues, reassure the people on security and agriculture, and, perhaps most importantly, speak directly to the electorate about issues his political opponents could otherwise exploit against him.
Several messages stood out.
Ranching: Fr. Alia moves ahead of his critics
Perhaps the most politically consequential message of the tour was the governor’s position on ranching.
“Nobody is going to get your land and give it for cows because this is what you say you don’t want. So what you don’t want is what I don’t want myself as well,” Alia told the people.
The statement was significant because ranching has become one of the most politically sensitive issues in Benue.
There is, indeed, an irony here.
Before the emergence of the Fr. Alia administration, ranching had been presented as one of the ultimate solutions to attacks on farming communities by herders and the attendant killings, displacement, destruction of livelihoods and disruption of the state’s social and economic life.
The Federal Government was repeatedly accused of failing to support Benue’s position. Attempts by successive federal administrations to introduce programmes such as RUGA and grazing reserves met resistance.
The issue has returned to the centre of political discourse following the Federal Government’s proposed pilot ranching programme in Benue, the FCT and Plateau State. Benue rejected the proposal.
Some argued that livestock production is private business and should not be imposed on the state. Others insisted that no land is available for such a project.
Against this background, Fr. Alia’s declaration assumes political significance.
For his opponents, the Federal Government’s ranching initiative was fast becoming a political weapon. They could accuse the governor of betraying Benue’s position, of compromising on land and, ultimately, of siding with the very interests blamed for years of bloodshed in the state.
The governor appears to have understood the danger.
The “Thank You Tour” gave him an opportunity to take the argument directly to the people. He did not leave his opponents to define his position. He went to the people and told them himself.
Not at a campaign rally. Not through a political spokesperson. Not through social media propaganda.
He said it directly before the people: Benue land would not be taken from its owners and handed over for cattle ranching against their wishes.
It was a pre-emptive strike.
Before his opponents could mount the podium to accuse him of selling Benue land to “Fulani herdsmen”, he had already told the people that he would not support what they did not want.
He has now attempted to remove that weapon from their arsenal.
Pat Akem-Vanger, a retired Army general, captured the sentiment after the governor’s declaration: “Benue spoke. Governor Alia listened.”
Security was another major theme of the tour
Fr. Alia’s strong endorsement of the establishment of the 5 Division of the Nigerian Army in Benue, together with the deployment of additional battalions, was significant.
Insecurity has been a recurring headache for successive administrations in the state.
Under former Governor Gabriel Suswam, “Operation Zenda”, a joint security task force involving the military and police, was deployed to tackle robbery, cultism and other criminal activities.
His successor, Chief Samuel Ortom, experimented with several approaches, including livestock guards and forest guards, to confront the growing security challenge.
None provided a lasting solution.
For Fr. Alia, establishing the Army division offers a new opportunity.
During the tour, he urged criminals and armed groups operating in the state to leave the trenches and embrace peace.
But he also issued a warning.
A “whirlwind fire,” he said, was coming — one that would burn off everything in its path.
The warning is particularly significant for areas where banditry, kidnapping, robbery, gang violence and communal disputes have remained persistent problems. Several communities in the state have endured years of insecurity, with politics often complicating the situation.
Two amnesty efforts have been attempted. The first failed to produce lasting peace. The second was derailed after the military captured Terwase Akwaza, popularly known as Gana, while some of his associates fled back into the bush.
The consequences have been devastating.
The local economy has suffered. Young people who should ordinarily be engaged in productive ventures have been attracted to the quick money associated with carrying an AK-47 — locally called “Kala”.
The governor’s latest message suggests that the approach may now be changing.
Traditional rulers: From peanuts to better pay
Another important announcement was the planned increase in the salaries of traditional rulers.
For years, many traditional rulers have operated on salaries that bear little relationship to the responsibilities attached to their offices.
Some, according to accounts, receive as little as Thirty Thousand Naira (N30,000.00) monthly.
Yet these are the custodians of tradition, culture and community authority. They live among the people and are often the first point of contact when conflicts arise.
The governor’s announcement therefore carries both social and political significance.
As Ferdinand Shinyi, one of the governor’s aides, observed, the new salary structure would improve the welfare and self-esteem of traditional rulers and potentially enhance their ability to serve their communities.
Improving their welfare therefore inevitably strengthens the governor’s relationship with an institution that retains enormous influence across Benue communities.
But unlike the traditional political practice of making promises at campaign rallies, this announcement was made during a tour ostensibly organised to thank the traditional institution for supporting the administration.
The governor’s scorecard
The tour also served as a platform for Fr. Alia to present his administration’s scorecard.
He not only received complaints, requests and advice. He also told the people what his government believes it has achieved with the mandate they gave him.
From rural access roads to urban renewal, education, healthcare, agriculture, industrialisation and security, the governor presented the administration’s record.
He reaffirmed his commitment to transparency, accountability and fairness, promising that every part of the state would benefit from its resources.
Industrialisation featured prominently.
The governor has repeatedly argued that Benue must move beyond producing and exporting raw agricultural commodities.
The goal, according to him, is to build an economy that processes, packages and markets what Benue produces while creating jobs for its people.
That explains the administration’s emphasis on agro-industrial investments.
The thinking is straightforward: Industries create markets, markets create demand, demand creates opportunities for farmers and businesses, and the entire chain stimulates the local economy.
Fr. Alia therefore urged farmers to produce more, assuring them that the industries being established would create markets for their produce and help end the era of selling agricultural products at giveaway prices.
Meeting his 2023 rivals: Is Fr. Alia building a bigger political tent?
The planned meeting between Fr. Alia and some of the politicians who contested against him in 2023 is another development worth watching.
It may be coming late, considering that some of the former contestants are now gubernatorial hopefuls on the platforms of other political parties.
Nevertheless, the gesture suggests an attempt at political reconciliation.
The ‘Stomach Infrastructure’ question
If there is one criticism that has followed the Fr. Alia administration persistently, it is the accusation that the governor has abandoned the politics of “stomach infrastructure.”
In plain language, this means directly distributing money and other personal benefits to politicians and ordinary citizens who approach government officials for assistance.
It is a familiar feature of Nigerian politics.
Critics say Fr. Alia has not empowered politicians and appointees sufficiently to “take care of their people.” Some complain that requests brought to government officials are routinely turned away because there is not enough money to go around.
The irony is that the governor has previously stated that his appointees have the authority to assist people within their means. During the Makurdi (Lobi) engagement, his remark that opening up the question of how well his appointees relate with the people could produce “a long talk” suggested that he is not oblivious to the complaints.
The dilemma is obvious.
Fr. Alia has consistently criticised the politics of sharing money.
But politics is politics.
As the 2027 election approaches, politicians are interested in strategies that deliver victory. For some, “stomach infrastructure” is not an aberration but an electoral necessity.
Will Fr. Alia eventually yield to the pressure? Or will he continue to insist that governance should be measured by roads, schools, hospitals, industries, security and other public goods rather than how much cash is distributed to individuals? These questions may become increasingly important as the election approaches.
Suswam’s message in Gboko
One of the more politically intriguing moments of the tour came not from the governor but from former Governor Gabriel Suswam.
At the Tiv Area Council Chambers in Gboko, during a meeting with traditional rulers and the clergy from Gboko/Tarka, Sen Akume’s constituency, Dr Suswam explained why he chose to support Fr. Alia.
The choice of Gboko was instructive.
The tour did not begin there. Yet Gboko occupies a special place in Tiv history as the centre of Tiv traditional civilisation and administration.
Dr. Suswam reminded his audience that he was a son of the soil who had risen to the highest political office in the state. Although he had been on the opposite political side when the Tiv people rallied behind Fr. Alia for the same office, the former Governor said he could not remain opposed to the man the people had chosen. That, he explained, was part of the reason he moved to support the governor.
Coming from a former governor and a prominent political figure, the message is significant.
Suswam supported Chief Samuel Ortom when he needed political support. He is now supporting Fr. Alia.
Whatever the political calculations behind the move, it reinforces the argument that Suswam understands the importance of lending support when it matters.
From Zone A to Zone C: Benue has spoken
From Sankera to Kwande, Jechira to Buruku, Gboko/Tarka to Lobi and Gwer, Oju/Obi, Enone, Otukpo/Ohimini and Apa/Agatu, the people have heard the governor — and the governor has heard them.
That is perhaps the biggest takeaway from the tour.
The people have needs. Politicians have ambitions. Governments have responsibilities. Elections provide the intersection.
The question now is what Fr. Alia does with what he heard.
Will he play politics as the politicians do?
Will he adjust his political strategy?
Will he strengthen his political machinery?
Will he continue to resist the politics of cash distribution?
Will he deepen reconciliation within the APC?
Will the new Army division deliver the security breakthrough the people desperately need?
The “Thank You Tour” may have ended. The real work has only begun.
For Fr. Alia and his team, the message remains that governance is not about making promises from a distance.
It is about going to the people, listening to them, identifying their needs and taking deliberate action.
“We will continue to work with the Federal Government and security agencies until peace is fully restored across Benue,” he said.
“The work continues. The Renewed Hope Agenda continues. And the New Benue we promised our people is gradually taking shape.”
