Why I Revamped N70bn Taraku Mill Abandoned for 40 Years

Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has explained that his administration revived the N70 billion Taraku Mill after about four decades of abandonment because the state could no longer afford to waste its economic potential.

Alia spoke on Friday in Makurdi during a media chat with members of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Presidential Media Team, led by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The team was in Benue to inspect completed and ongoing federal and state infrastructure projects, including the Taraku Mill in Gwer East Local Government Area.

The governor said the revival of the mill was part of his administration’s broader plan to establish sustainable economic structures capable of surviving changes in political leadership.

According to Alia, previous administrations lacked comprehensive development plans, resulting in projects being initiated without adequate consideration for continuity or the actual needs of residents.

“There has to be a direction. There has to be a mission and there has to be a vision,” he said.

Alia said his administration developed its blueprint after consultations with communities to identify their priority needs and distinguish them from general demands.

He explained that the government consulted market women, farmers and other residents before deciding where to direct resources.

The governor said the objective was to transform Benue from what he described as “a glorified village status” by developing its towns and economic centres.

He stressed that sustainability had been incorporated into the projects being implemented, insisting that government investments must remain productive beyond the tenure of any administration.

Alia also defended government involvement in strategic businesses, saying the state could not completely stay away from investments capable of creating jobs, retaining capital and stimulating local economic activity.

He cited the Benue Brewery, juice factory and concentrate factory as examples of investments designed to process locally produced agricultural commodities.

The governor said Benue produces large quantities of sorghum, cassava, maize, oranges and soybeans but requires industries capable of converting these raw materials into finished products.

He noted that such industries would create markets for farmers, generate employment and reduce capital flight associated with importing products that could be produced locally.

Alia said farmers with orchards and farms had been identified and organised into cooperatives to enable them to access government support while providing industries with reliable sources of raw materials.

He added that improved road links between Benue and the Federal Capital Territory would create further opportunities for farmers to transport fresh produce to Abuja and other markets.

The governor said the revival of Taraku Mill was particularly important because Benue was once a major soybean-producing state, but the collapse of the facility disrupted the market for farmers.

He said restoring the mill would provide a reliable market for soybean producers while supporting the wider agricultural value chain.

Earlier, the team inspected the facility, where the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, said production had continued until around the mid-1990s before the mill became moribund.

Kula said the machinery had been serviced and was currently undergoing test runs.

He added that the mill would produce soybean and groundnut oil, process maize and manufacture animal feeds.

Kula also commended residents for protecting the abandoned facility over the years and preventing the removal of its equipment.

He attributed the revival to improved economic conditions and Federal Government support, noting that investments of such magnitude required significant resources.