The Benue State authorities has formally rejected the current rating by the UK-based Good Governance Score Index (GGRI), which listed the state among the many three worst-governed in Nigeria alongside Zamfara and Kwara.
In its report, the GGRI cited alleged collapse of rural infrastructure, dilapidated colleges and hospitals, rising insecurity, financial stagnation, and pervasive corruption as elements contributing to the low rating.
In a press release launched on Tuesday, Chief Solomon Iorpev, Technical Adviser on Media and Strategic Communications to Governor Hyacinth Alia, described the report as “basically flawed and deceptive,” arguing that it relied closely on unofficial knowledge and lacked correct contextual evaluation.
“The info on the bottom clearly reveals that regardless of these challenges, Governor Alia’s administration has made vital strides in stabilising the state and implementing insurance policies aimed toward bettering the standard of life for residents,” Iorpev mentioned.
He careworn that safety, a serious metric within the GGRI evaluation, is primarily a federal accountability, limiting the state authorities’s management over sure indicators cited within the report.
Iorpev highlighted a number of initiatives and accomplishments below the Alia administration, together with the recruitment of 9,700 lecturers, the institution of a most cancers remedy centre at Benue State College Educating Hospital, and the continuing building of roughly 390 kilometres of street community throughout all 23 native authorities areas.
He famous the revitalisation of the Benue State Educating Hospital, enhancements in main healthcare amenities, and initiatives to assist medical staff and college students.
In schooling, the federal government has constructed new storey buildings in government-owned main colleges, expanded trainer consumption, awarded scholarships to high-achieving college students, and promoted girl-child schooling. Infrastructure investments prolong to roads, underpasses, solar-powered lighting, and the renovation of presidency buildings, together with the State Secretariat and Home of Meeting.
Agricultural programmes have been intensified, with the introduction of the Smallholder Farmer Outgrower Programme, provision of farm inputs, and youth-focused initiatives designed to stimulate manufacturing and create employment.
Iorpev additionally cited efforts to revive moribund state-owned enterprises and set up new ones, together with bread and water factories, a nails manufacturing firm, and a juice manufacturing unit, aimed toward boosting native financial exercise.
On safety, the administration established Operation Anyam Nyor, a joint job pressure, and the Benue State Civil Safety Guards, supported with autos and motorbikes, to reinforce intelligence and preserve peace throughout the state.
“Given these ongoing efforts and tangible achievements, the GGRI report is a misrepresentation of the info on the bottom. We urge the GGRI and the general public to think about the total image, together with the state’s constant funding in infrastructure, schooling, well being, agriculture, and safety,” Iorpev mentioned.
The assertion reaffirmed the Alia administration’s dedication to transparency, accountability, and the welfare of Benue State residents, urging that future assessments have in mind the broader socio-economic and developmental context of the state.
