He called on the people of Benue State to pray and sustain their support to his administration, as well as advised them to always endeavour to bring to his knowledge what they would want government to do for them,
Benue State Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has called on Benue people especially those who believed in sharing the common wealth of the state to those in privileged positions to change their perception about governance by rather embracing new ways of thinking and doing business which his administration has introduced in governance.
Governor Alia who made the call in Makurdi, when he spoke at a public lecture/symposium organized by the Benue State Government to commemorate his one year in office, held at the College of Health Sciences Benue State University Makurdi Auditorium, said his administration has deviated from the same old style of conducting government business since the same approach adopted by different past governments in the state have produced little or no results.
He argued that it is not partisan politics that is the problem of the state but the actors who have over the years refused to do things to make democracy in the state function properly, assuring that his administration is set to restore the real ideals of democracy where the masses would be drivers of policies instead of few individuals like in the past.
He called on the people of Benue State to pray and sustain their support to his administration, as well as advised them to always endeavour to bring to his knowledge what they would want government to do for them, pledging to run an open-door policy of administration.
The governor during the occasion, expressed appreciation to President Ahmad Tinubu’s love for the people of Benue State and his administration, as well as security agencies for the relative peace being experienced in the state.
He also thanked all the guest speakers for their sincere advises and promised to implement some of the recommendations for improved living standard of the people.
In a paper titled: Repositioning Benue State for Social Economic Development; The Challenges Before Governor Alia Administration, former economic adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Professor Odey Ojowe, urged Governor Alia to institutionalized his projects and achievements to guarantee sustainability to avoid a repeat of what happened to the legacies of the first civilian governor of the state, Aper Aku, whose companies have become moribund.
He described as unacceptable the practice where past governments bought fertilizer for middlemen to rebag and sale to genuine farmers at exorbitant rates, suggesting that the present administration should register farmers in the state digitally, know what they produce, where to get them for direct benefits to avoid interruption from middlemen.
Professor Ojowu also a former commissioner for Finance in Benue State, advocated for a functional website to showcase the giant strides of the administration within less than a year, adding that the website would equally launch the administration to the world as its performance would encourage investors to do business with people of the state across the globe.
In another presentation on the topic Communication Model for Unity, Peace and Fast Economic Development in Benue State; seasoned broadcaster and Director, Catholic Television Network, Rev. Fr. Patrick Aluminum, emphasized the need for synergy by the government as well as the governor to build bridges for peace and unity needed for speedy development to prevail.
He equally advised the governor that as a priest he should embrace the opposition, open his ears to voices as well as ensure the road network across the state is opened up for people to move freely, adding that he should also appoint only those with the interest of the masses at heart for them to enjoy dividends of democracy.