Alia Unveils 30-Year Master Plan to Sustain Benue Development, Reforms

Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has announced the commencement of a 30-year development master plan designed to sustain the state’s reforms and infrastructure projects beyond his administration.

Alia disclosed this on Friday during a media parley at the Government House in Makurdi, held after a three-day nationwide media tour of federal and state infrastructure projects led by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The governor said the long-term plan was developed to ensure that Benue’s development agenda would not be abandoned whenever there was a change in political leadership.

According to him, the plan would also help protect ongoing projects from vested interests and resistance from individuals who benefit from the existing system.

Alia said his administration had encountered opposition from some people who questioned the need for infrastructure projects and reforms, arguing that the state had survived without them in the past.

He, however, maintained that development required a clear direction, vision and mission.

The governor said Benue, which marked its 50th anniversary as a state in 2026, had never had a comprehensive development master plan capable of providing continuity across successive administrations.

He said his administration therefore consulted residents across communities to determine their actual priorities, rather than simply responding to demands from constituents.

According to Alia, the consultations focused on the needs of market women, farmers and other residents, with the aim of transforming Benue’s towns and economic centres.

He also defended the government’s investment in road infrastructure, saying roads indirectly benefit residents by connecting farms to markets and enabling farmers to transport their produce to consumers.

Alia said the 30-year master plan would ensure that subsequent administrations build on existing projects instead of abandoning them and starting afresh.

He cited Lagos State as an example of how consistent implementation of a long-term development plan could transform a state across successive administrations.

The governor said projects in healthcare, infrastructure and other sectors were being designed with durability and continuity in mind.

He said the government was also adopting community participation and private-sector partnerships to protect major investments, including the revived Taraku Mills factory and the Oju-Awajir road.

Alia described the collapse of the original Taraku Mills as an example of the consequences of poor management of public assets.

He said the revived factory was being anchored on farmer cooperatives and private-sector partnerships to ensure sustainability and prevent a repeat of its previous collapse.

The governor identified resistance to change, inadequate funding and a culture of underperformance as some of the major challenges confronting his administration.

He nevertheless urged residents to give reforms time, arguing that sustained planning and implementation were necessary to achieve lasting development.

Members of the Presidential Communications Team who participated in the Benue tour included Tunde Rahman, Temitope Ajayi, Frederick Nwabufo, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Linda Akhigbe and Dada Olusegun, among others.