Open Letter To Governor Hyacinth Alia | Benue Citizen Slams Leadership Over Insecurity & Governance

OPEN LETTER TO THE BENUE STATE GOVERNOR, H.E. REV FR HYACINTH IORNEM ALIA
His Excellency, Governor Hyacinth Alia
Government House
Makurdi
Benue State.
Dear Governor Alia,
No vex, Your Excellency, I will not dwell so much on pleasantries, apparently because times are not good for our dear Benue State as blood litters our urban streets and rural villages. However, I hope this letter meets you in good health.
As a concerned citizen of Benue State, I am writing to express my views on four pressing matters that I feel compelled to lend a voice.
1. On the challenging issue of herdsmen killing our people:
Your Excellency, you have failed woefully in providing security and sympathy for your people as the Chief Security Officer of the state with all the taxpayers funds at your command and control. It’s clear that the billions of Naira allocated to Benue State every month, including the huge security votes, are not being properly utilized.
As a governor, you don’t need to indulge blame games over security threats in your state but tackle them accordingly. You first blamed foreign mercenaries for the consistent attacks; later, you said Abuja politicians were behind the attacks; two weeks later, you said it’s some religious patrons, and just last week, you said it’s the villagers assisting the aggressors in carrying out the heinous attacks. These unintelligent blame games make you appear utterly incompetent to govern the state. And don’t think anyone directly affected would want to hear this rhetorics.
It’s unbelievable that you rarely visit sites of such incidents to garner the necessary sympathy, attention and support, especially the recent Yelwata massacre which is about 40km from your office. It doesn’t speak well when you left the bulk of the this responsibility to aggrieved Benue youths to call the federal government’s attention to this inordinate happenings through protest. Even at that, it appears you never wanted the protest in the first place since you called for arrest and had to sack some of your aides who participated in the protest.
Meanwhile, it is clear that the anti-Open Grazing Prohibition Law that you repealed by way of altercation in the state, and your inability to stand firm on the face of this crisis resulted in the attacks that have left over 600 residents dead since you took over power.

Read Also: Mahama Woos Anthony Joshua with Ghanaian Citizenship, Boxer Weighs in on Regional Rivalry

My advice:
Wake up, Oga! orget about the funfair associated with these recent high profile visits to the state, and arm the existing vigilante groups like the Benue Volunteer Guards, or the Livestock Guards; or form a new community volunteer guards, train them on the use of licensable arms, like the Remington pump action guns, equip and mandate them community by community to safeguard their people.
We know that you are religious since you came from a religious background; however, being a governor of a state is much than waiting upon prayers. It’s not in government that you should come and tell us to fast, pray and forgive our enemies. Send them to God so they can negotiate their forgiveness there.
2. Infrastructure:
There are videos circulating the media since yesterday in which mowers were seen clearing grasses along Makurdi city roads in preparation for the coming of Mr President. It’s the lowest show of competence, my brother. It means you and the local government chairman left the city in dire dirts until Mr President signaled his emergency visit. Okwiye!
It is unfortunate that you also failed in providing infrastructure in the state. Forget about the one underpass being constructed in Makurdi township and the restructuring or roundabouts being renovated here and there. Two years in office and not a single landmark infrastructure being commissioned on your second year anniversary is a clear sign of failure. Now that Mr President is visiting, he’s definitely not going to commission any completed project under your administration, except maybe a renovated project. It is unfortunate.
3. Politics:
Your Excellency, you failed in providing leadership for the state. It is unfortunate that the first assignment you could carry out few days after your inauguration is to dismantle the same structure that brought you to power instead of synergising with them. You rarely call party or general stakeholders’ meeting. But you cannot do it alone. Stop buying the dummy that your Chief of Staff is selling to you against Senator George Akume and others. This your idea of I-can-do-it-alone is the reason why the state is still under siege by herdsmen who ordinarily should steer far from the Benue valley.
4. Salaries and pensions:
On the issue of prompt payment of salaries, you are not doing any better than any other State Governor, because since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took over, allocation to states increased by almost 300% whereas overhead in most states remain the same, including Benue State.
So, please ignore those singing praises with gomna, gomna, gomna up and down and focus on what you can do to safeguard property and lives of Benue residents.
I decided to use lay man’s English to convey my message.
Your Excellency, no vex, I look forward to seeing tangible actions taken to address these pressing issues before we start calling you to resign.
Thank you for your time, understanding and consideration.
Sincerely,
Comrade King Apeh Peterhot
Ofiri-ejorgwu Shrine, Ugbugbu, Owukpa, Benue State.