By Austin Angwe, Makurdi
Benue State governor, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia, has described as grossly misleading for anybody to ascribe to his laudable and well-intended developmental initiatives within the period under review as reckless fiscal adventure.
Governor Alia who was reacting to the condemnation by the Benue PDP over recent approval of N100b loan granted his administration by the Benue State House of Assembly for infrastructural development in the state, argued that the outburst was unexpected, especially given the party’s history of clueless and reckless governance.
Alia in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Tersoo Kula released to journalists at the weekend said under the immediate past administration, Benue was adjudged the worse in fiscal responsibility, a situation which he noted consistently scored Benue under PDP leadership last in capital projects execution nationwide, revealing also that after thorough checks, government discovered another debt of N170b left bringing the actual debt burden to N359b.
The cleric governor alleged that PDP in Benue democratized poverty through government failure to pay salaries and pensions, arguing that in contrast his administration has made it a priority policy to pay civil servants and pensioners promptly, a development he said has made civil servants and pensioners as well as entire Benue community to nickname him as Mr. 25th.
He recalled that within the period under review he has made massive strides in development in all sectors through prudent management of scarce resources and ingenious financial engineering, stressing that government under his watch has demonstrated unparalleled fiscal discipline, transparency and prudent management of state resources which he noted as a clear departure for what he described as wasteful years of PDP leadership in the state.
According to Governor Alia, the immediate past government of PDP in the state left a debt burden of N187.7 billion what he described as a weight that has constrained the state’s finances and development capacity.
” This administration later discovered that the first figure the immediate past administration gave as its debt burden was grossly understated, we later uncovered another N170b the state owed through Local Government Arrears” Alia revealed, expressing disbelief that the former governor accumulated such debts but refused to pay civil servants and pensioners their entitlements.
The governor equally revealed that after receiving several interventions from Federal Government, including bailout funds, LNG funds and two tranches of the Paris Club debt refund, the former governor still handed over a debt profile of N187.7b, 12 months arrears of salary for Local Government staff, about 36 months pension arrears and a landscape of collapsed infrastructure across the state bringing the total debt to N359b.
He also recalled that when he assumed office he did not only clear the backlog of salaries and pensions but equally paid over five months arrears of salary owed former political appointees who were appointed by the immediate past government.
The governor who said he has restrained himself from borrowing over the past two years due to the unsustainable debt burden it inherited, noted however, that he has to follow same steps having paid off the debts substantially, revealing that the amount stands currently at N125b.
He said with the recent approval of N100b by the Benue Assembly, his administration would renovate and equip general hospitals to strengthen the healthcare sector and improve tertiary healthcare delivery, renovate and construct science schools across the state to reposition education and promote technical learning.
The funds the governor maintained will also be used to complete on going roads, bridges, drainages and electricity projects abandoned by previous administrations, build skills acquisition centres to tackle youth unemployment through vocational training, to construct and equip smart schools in all the federal constituencies across the state to modernize learning as well as develop infrastructure at the Benue State University of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Ihugh.
The Governor who said the N100b request from the Assembly is not frivolous or politically motivated, explained is strategic and developmental driven aimed at fast- tracking key infrastructure across the state, describing as the height of hypocrisy for the Benue PDP which left behind massive debts, salary and pensioner arrears as well as crumbling institutions to masquerade as champions of fiscal responsibility.
While restating his commitment to transparent governance, infrastructural renewal and the welfare of the Benue people, Governor Alia, assured that not a single Kobo out of the loan would be misused as the money will be invested in projects that would have direct bearing on the lives of Benue people.
He urged the PDP to set aside bitterness and face reality that Benue is now on a path of responsible governance, insisting that political blackmail will not derail the ongoing transformation as his administration would always remain focused, warning that the rebuilding history of the state will remember those who stood for progress and its way and urged the people to disregard unsustainable insinuations.