‘Wake up to reality’ – Benue National Assembly members tear Gov Alia apart

The Benue State National Assembly Caucus, on Thursday took a swipe at the governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia for accusing them of writing a letter to herdsmen to come back to the state for open grazing and attacks.

Governor Alia made the allegation while interfacing with a group of people in a viral video. The governor, who spoke in vernacular, said, “It has been discovered that some members of the National Assembly wrote a letter in the name of the State Government and took the letter to the border between Nigeria and Niger and invited Fulanis to come to Benue State as there is no longer any problem. These are the bucket people (empty, hollow people) that we are dealing with. This is why you have seen the influx of herdsmen with cattle into the state everywhere now. The people who have done these are indigenes of this state. You wonder what they are even thinking. Their target is to discredit my administration. But no one can discredit my government.”

Reacting to the allegation, the federal lawmakers, who spoke through the senator representing Benue South Senatorial District and Senate Minority Leader, Comrade Abba Moro, said they were disappointed that a Rev. Father governor could succumb to such cheap blackmail and narrow-mindedness.

Senator Moro, who addressed the press on behalf of the caucus, said Governor Alia was only chasing shadows and not ready for governance. He said it was unbecoming of a governor to deliberately turn truth on its head and incite Benue people against the innocent lawmakers who, he said, were only speaking out for their people who gave them the mandates they are holding. He said the allegation by the governor was not only malicious, mischievous and evil but a wicked plot by him and his handlers to shift blame, run away from their constitutional responsibilities, divert attention from his ineptitude, and incite the good and suffering people of Benue State against them.

Senator Moro stated unequivocally that Benue State Federal Lawmakers did not author the said letter(s) let alone taking same to borders between Nigeria and Niger to invite Fulanis to come to invade Benue State, as alleged. He said the governor’s outing in the said video showed that he has completely ran out of ideas on what to do to secure the state.

Senator Moro said the use of derogatory language in describing the lawmakers as empty and hollow shouldn’t have come from a Reverend Father who should be the light of the world even in government house. He said Benue State Federal Lawmakers were eminently educated from some of the best educational institutions in the world and ranking members of the National Assembly and cannot be said to be empty and hollow.

Senator Moro said the federal lawmakers were men and women of integrity who can never do anything to undermine the development and security of Benue people, adding that they were committed to serving their people, speaking for them, and sharing in their fears and worries.

He said they had made their marks in law-making and constituency development as well as being very responsive to the plights of their constituents. He challenged the governor to tell Benue people which of the epicenters of recent attacks he has visited to share in their grief and what contributions he has made to ameliorate their sufferings.

The lawmakers said their sustained calls on the state and federal governments to sit up and provide security for Benue people did not have any political undertone or are they aimed at undermining the government of Benue State. They said they were only worried and concerned that their people are being sacked from their ancestral homes without any form of resistance, and would not pretend that all is well just to please the governor.

They said Governor Alia was angry and purveying falsehoods to blackmail them because of their position on the insecurity plaguing the state, saying they would continue to speak out until their constituents begin to sleep in their homes with their eyes closed and those displaced are returned to their ancestral homes.

The lawmakers urged Benue people to disregard the allegation and see it as a figment of the imagination of a governor who is looking for who to blame for his lack of political will. They enjoined the governor to wake up to the reality of governance and provide security for the people while calling on all relevant security agencies to, as a matter of urgent national importance investigate the allegation.