By Austin Angwe, Makurdi
The Benue State Government has declared that no amount of blackmail will distract Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration from delivering its campaign promises to the people.
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula, made this public at a press conference held Thursday in Makurdi, while reacting to criticisms from former Commissioner for Education, Professor Dennis Ityavyar.
Kula explained that the forensic audit in the Ministry of Education was necessitated by petitions from stakeholders, including the National Union of Benue State Students (NUBESS) and Parents Teachers Association (PTA), alleging financial misappropriation during Ityavyar’s tenure.
He argued that his sudden critical position was to seek sympathy especially when he would be brought to justice to make people to believe when the time comes that he is being haunted because of his critical position.
Kula alleged that Ityavyar’s ministry was among the worst in terms of performance, citing the collapse of the Benue State School of Nursing and Midwifery and crises at the Benue State University.
He also claimed that Ityavyar’s administration introduced tuition fees for secondary schools, scholarship registration fees, and ID card fees, which were never issued to students.
Kula highlighted the achievements of Governor Alia’s administration, including stabilizing academic activities at Moses Orshio Adasu University, employing 9,700 primary school teachers, rehabilitating 16 colleges and secondary schools, and renovating 225 schools.
He also mentioned the approval of the faculty of engineering at MOAU and payment of tuition fees for 121 law students among others.
The Chief Press Secretary said constructive criticisms would always be welcomed by the Alia administration but advised politicians to eschew bitterness and deliberate falsehood.