By Barns Chonkula, Makurdi
Governor Hyacinth Alia has said he will not be deterred from delivering good dividends of democracy for the people of the state, no matter the calculated distractions, especially by those who in the recent past plundered the state with reckless abandon.
Loading ...Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula during a Press Briefing at Government House Makurdi yesterday, the Governor described the comments made by the former Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ityavyar who reechoed his boss, the former governor of the state, Samuel Ortom said the duo are morally bankrupt to criticize the Alia led administration, adding that, “When rather than criticisms, attacks on government come from those whose own tenure was marked by unprecedented abuse of process, starvation of due deligence and institutionalization of monumental corruption, they ring hollow and reek of selective memory and self-cleansing hypocrisy.”
The CPS accused the former commissioner of attempting to discredit the remarkable achievements being made in the state’s educational sector.
“It is unfortunate that someone who presided over unimaginable rot in the education sector for eight years would now have the audacity to criticize a government that is focused on fixing the mess he left behind,”, he noted.
He explained that under Governor Alia’s leadership, the educational system has experienced significant stability and reforms, highlighting such achievements to include the establishment of the Benue State University of Science and Technology, Ihugh, which has gotten all the needed approvals, fully licenced and funded with construction already underway, and principal officers already appointed.
Kula also revealed that the Alia administration had resolved some long-standing industrial crisis involving university lecturers by paying 38 months arrears of earned allowances for both academic and non-academic staff, a feat yet to be achieved by most universities across the country. This, he said, has boosted morale across the tertiary education system in the state.
He disclosed further that over 9,700 qualified teachers were recruited to revamp and add energy to the state’s basic education, while 16 government colleges and secondary schools were currently undergoing full-scale rehabilitation, adding that already, 225 primary schools were also being renovated or completely reconstructed with many featuring multi-storey classroom buildings, a first to happen in the state.
Other achievements by the Alia led government in the Educational sector as highlighted by the CPS during the press conference include: Establishment of a Bureau for Quality Assurance, which has already identified over 4,000 substandard schools for closure or upgrade, Creation of an Engineering Faculty at the Moses Orshio Adasu University to expand access to technical education, Launch of a student insurance scheme in partnership with NICON Insurance for all learners in the state, Payment of bursary allowances of no less than ₦200,000 each to 181 law students across Nigerian law schools as well as full government sponsorship of WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB final year registration fees for over 18,000 students in public secondary schools.
He challenged critics to show evidence of similar progress during their tenure, particularly Prof. Ityavyar, who he accused of overseeing the collapse of the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Makurdi, as well as being linked to unaddressed scholarship fraud and illegal student levies.
According to the CPS, forensic audits initiated by Governor Alia have unearthed financial irregularities, and investigations were ongoing, adding that the recent outbursts by Prof. Ityavyar and his principal, Samuel Ortom, were preemptive moves to stir public sympathy ahead of potential accountability measures.
“This government will not be blackmailed into silence. Governor Alia is focused, and his eyes are on the ball.
“Criticism is welcome, but it must be constructive, not wicked or rooted in sanctimonious grandstanding.”
While acknowledging that the governor may not have commissioned every completed project, Kula maintained that delivery and impact were more important than ceremonial tape-cutting.
He reaffirmed the Alia administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and delivery of quality governance across all sectors, calling on critics to compare “their eight years with our two years, and let the people judge.”
