Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has said the state is the least developed among the 19 states in the northern part of Nigeria.
Alia made the declaration on Friday when he broke Ramadan fast with Muslim faithful in Makurdi.
He vowed, however, that the situation must change as his administration was determined to embark on developmental projects that would put Benue in a pride of place among other states in the country.
“Out of the 19 northern states, Benue is one of the very least developed. It is just now that we are even installing solar streetlights.
“As we started work, hyenas came out to bite. They are demanding that we should not construct roads, build schools, pay salaries, and provide street lights and I am saying, ‘no.’
“The poor masses of Benue voted for me in an unprecedented manner. I should work for the masses. Today I invite the young generation to go to the farms. Let us go to the farm. Join cooperatives and we will support you. The state government will give you the capital to farm,” he said.
Earlier in his sermon, the Chief Imam of Benue, Malam Umar Garba, said, “We ask God to bless Gov. Alia and bless Benue people. Any society that God wants to bless, He usually blesses it with a God-fearing leader. God did not make a mistake by making Alia the governor of Benue,” he stressed
Credit: Punch
