Benue owes N359billion debt – Alia

• Governor Alia disclosed this at the Interdenominational Church Service organised to mark the 63rd Independence Anniversary celebration at the Methodist Church
• Alia said the outrageous debt left by previous administrations was too much burden for the state to bear

Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has said that the state is owing N359 billion as opposed to N187.7bn that his predecessor, Samuel Ortom presented to him as the debt profile of the state.

Governor Alia disclosed this at the Interdenominational Church Service organised to mark the 63rd Independence Anniversary celebration at the Methodist Church, South Bank, Makurdi on Sunday.

He said the outrageous debt left by previous administrations was too much burden for the state to bear.

Gov Alia said his administration is committed and undeterred in efforts to fix the state and save it from indebtedness caused by the misplaced priority of the previous administration in the state.

Alia said: “As we speak, the debt burden of our state stands at N359billion. If we are repaying that, how long will it take us to do that. But before we came in we knew that the pot was already broken. So we will take action to fix it because that is why our people elected us.”

Gov Alia added that his government had already taken steps to ensure that Benue workers got their salaries on the 25th of every month and if pensioners were forgotten in the past, they have now been resurrected.

He said his administration was prepared to confront issues stampeding development in the state às God brought him to power for a reason and he ensures maximum development of the state.

Gov Alia urged the people of the state to invest in farming where they have comparative advantage because of the enormous wealth in the sector.

He advised them to take advantage of cassava farming, as the state is known as one of the biggest producers of cassava and yams in the country.

Gov Alia also decried the activities of illegal miners in some parts of the state and it was sitting on huge wealth and yet to fully exploit it and promised measures will be taken by admnistration to exploit the sector.

“So all the illegal mining in the state must stop forthwith. Any truck coming into the state for that purpose must be with the approval of the Federal and state governments,” he said.

He admonished the clergy and traditional rulers to take the lead in ensuring an end to all forms of criminality in the state including banditry and kidnappings as well as the disruption of farming activities in the state.