Gov Alia treating Benue South people as second-class citizens – Abba Moro

Senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, Abba Moro, has called on Governor Hyacinth Alia to end what he described as the continued marginalisation of Benue South, insisting that the people of the district should not be treated as second-class citizens in their own state.
Moro’s position was conveyed in a statement issued on Monday by his Media Adviser, Emmanuel Eche’Ofun John, following the recent visit of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to Benue State.

The lawmaker expressed concern over the exclusion of Benue South from the First Lady’s empowerment programme, under which N50 million was distributed to 1,000 women in Vandeikya Local Government Area and another N50 million to 1,000 women in Makurdi and neighbouring communities.

According to Moro, the sharing formula failed to accommodate any community in Benue South, including women from conflict-ravaged communities in Apa and Agatu local government areas.

“We are shocked that the zone was schemed out in the distribution of the First Lady’s largesse even though people from the zone, especially women, were among the crowd that received the First Lady,” the statement said.

The senator argued that the development raises questions about the place of Benue South in the affairs of the state, alleging that the district has continued to suffer neglect under the current administration.
“What exactly is the sin of Zone C against Governor Alia? The people in the zone voted him into office in 2023 and, as equal stakeholders in the Benue Project, deserve equal and fair treatment.

They cannot continue to be treated as second-class citizens in their own state,” Moro stated.
He further lamented that there were no state government projects in Benue South for the First Lady to commission during her visit, unlike in other parts of the state where projects were inaugurated.

Moro maintained that if the state government was unable to provide critical infrastructure for the district, it should at least ensure that intervention programmes and relief packages from external sources reach the people.

“If Governor Alia cannot provide the basic infrastructure for them despite the humongous allocations he is receiving monthly on their behalf, he should not be seen to be blocking palliatives and reliefs coming to them from the First Lady or any spirited individual,” he said.
While acknowledging that the state government may attempt to shift responsibility for the exclusion, Moro insisted that such interventions are usually carried out with the guidance and input of the host government.

The senator therefore urged Governor Alia to stop sidelining Benue South and ensure that the district receives its fair share of development projects and opportunities.
“Enough should be enough,” he declared.