Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has broken his silence over the crisis within the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state, saying it stemmed from his refusal to share state funds with some party chieftains.
Speaking at the Adamawa State Tiv Day celebration in Yola on Saturday, the governor said his refusal to share state funds with some individuals was responsible for the crisis in the APC in Benue.
“The APC crisis you people are seing in Benue State is not because I’m not working for the people of the state, some chieftains of the party want to convert the state into their private estate and I said it will not happen under my leadership,” he said.
“There was Benue State before those individuals and there will be Benue State after those individuals, I was voted by Benue people, nobody has more than one vote, so the people of the state will decide my fate and not few individuals who believe in their families interest and not the state’s interest,” he stated.
Alia, who was represented at the event by the Executive Secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, James Iorpuu, urged Tiv people in Adamawa State to be good ambassadors of Benue and embrace peace and unity for the development of the country.
He said no single ethnic group could build Nigeria, adding that all ethnic groups in the country must come together to build a peaceful nation for generations yet unborn.
The governor donated ₦5m towards the construction of a Tiv unity house in Adamawa State, noting that unity and peace were the hallmarks of development.
Representing Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Alhaji Abdullahi Prambe, commended the Tiv people in the state for their lawful activities and urged them to remain peaceful for the development of the state and their businesses.
“Adamawa state will continue to support all the residents of the state and provide a business friendly environment for all to boost the economic activities of the state,” he said.
In his welcome remarks, the President of Mdzough U Tiv in Adamawa State, Prof. Iorwuese Anum, said the Tiv nation stood for unity, peace and development in the country.
He commended Fintiri for providing a friendly environment for residents of the state to live and carry out their lawful activities.
Anum said the infrastructure development under Fintiri’s administration had not only boosted economic activities in the state but also reduced security challenges.
The don called on Tiv people in Adamawa State to remain law-abiding and engage in profitable ventures to promote peace and unity.
The Mdzough U Tiv Adamawa State chapter conferred chieftaincy titles on the Vice-Chancellor of Modibbo Adama University, Prof. Ibrahim Umar; the regional manager of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Barnabas Myaornyi; and Mr. Godwin Tyoachimin, in recognition of their contributions in their respective fields.
