By Chiangi Avese, Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has called on unions, groups, and individuals intending to join the planned August 1st, 2024 protest across the country to shelve the idea, bring forth their demands, and give the government a chance to look into them.
Governor Alia stated this on Sunday, shortly after Mass at the Chapel of Grace, Government House Makurdi.
August 1st, 2024 has been muted as the planned date for demonstration by unidentified groups across the country, who are citing hardship and bad governance as the reasons for the protest.
According to Governor Alia, “the planned protest needs to be shelved in the state and country, especially as the present government is trying its best to put smiles on the faces of the people”.
He commended the State Commissioner of Police, CP Hassan Steve Yabanet, as well as the Department of State Services (DSS), for inviting some union leaders and groups for a round table discussion, dissuading them and their members from joining the protest, especially as the government has uncovered plans by some individuals to infiltrate the protest with intentions to cause destructions.
The governor appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his steadfast love for Benue, saying, all the projects his administration is currently executing across the state, were as a result of the support the state is enjoying from the President, adding that the President places Benue highly in his plans.
On the crisis in Ukum, the governor described it as unfortunate, stating that a Commission of Inquiry has already been set up by the government to look into crisis, saying the government will take its position when the committee finally submits its report, calling on the people to always place the peace of the state first.
Governor Alia blamed Abuja politicians for playing a major role in the continued militia attacks in Ukum, stating however that, although the trust the militiamen initially had in the government was betrayed by the previous governments, he will continue to extend an olive branch, but will not watch a few miscreants destabilize the peace of the state.
While assuring the people of Benue that insecurity will soon be a thing of the past, the governor equally commended uniformed men for their efforts at securing the state, charging them to continue to be vigilant, even as he said security is the prerogative of every citizen of the state.
He thanked the leaders and congregants of the Government House Chapel for organizing prayers for the Government and People of the State, saying his administration will continue to do its best to deliver on its mandate.
