Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has announced the implementation of a 30-year development master plan aimed at ensuring continuity in the state's development agenda beyond his administration.

Alia said the plan was designed to ensure that future administrations build on existing projects, rather than abandon completed initiatives or repeatedly start new ones. He noted that Benue had never had a comprehensive development master plan despite being 50 years old.

The governor said his administration consulted residents, including farmers, market women, other stakeholders, to identify the areas requiring priority attention. He said the plan would focus on sustaining reforms, infrastructure development, healthcare, agriculture, other sectors.

Alia also said the long-term blueprint was intended to protect development projects from vested interests, resistance to reforms, changes in government. He cited Lagos as an example of how consistent implementation of a master plan could sustain development across successive administrations.

The governor said the administration was also relying on community participation, farmer cooperatives, private-sector partnerships to ensure that projects such as the revived Taraku Mills remain sustainable after his tenure.

He maintained that reforms would naturally face resistance, but said patience, proper implementation would demonstrate their benefits to residents.