Julius Inedu, a leader of Benue State’s All Progressives Congress (APC), has expressed concern over the state’s worsening security conditions and recent wave of murders.
According to reports, Inedu bemoaned Governor Hyacinth Alia’s increasing detachment from the realities that the people of Benue State face in an open letter to the governor.
Inedu charged that Alia and his group were concentrating on power conflicts within the party while ignoring their fundamental duties.
He claims that thousands of families are displaced and living in filthy camps as a result of the state’s villages continuing to be besieged by growing farmer-herder disputes, bandit attacks, and intercommunal skirmishes.
He voiced concern that security and welfare programs had not improved in tandem with the state’s enhanced income allocations after fuel subsidies were eliminated.
He charged that the governor was more concerned with internal APC leadership disputes than with resolving the grave issues facing the populace.
“Benue is still bleeding,” he stated. From north to south, communities are under assault throughout the state. Conflicts between communities, bandit raids, and the farmer-herder dilemma have not decreased. Frequently, they have gotten worse. Families have lost everything, including houses, loved ones, and a sense of security, and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps are filling.
This strikes me as being out of touch with the realities that exist on the ground. Who controls their communities’ safety and their future is more important to the people of Benue than who controls the APC.
The APC chairman also chastised Alia for the state’s deteriorating unemployment rate, pointing out that since 2014, there hasn’t been a significant hiring spree in the Benue State civil service, leaving a large number of young people without jobs and at risk from criminal influence.
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Inedu encouraged Governor Alia to use the additional federal funds available to the state to empower youth, generate jobs, and fill important positions in government ministries and agencies, calling the expanding army of unemployed youths a “ticking time bomb.”
Additionally, he cautioned that the fervor that surrounded Alia’s 2023 election triumph was rapidly waning and that the well-known campaign slogan, “Yes Father,” was in danger of becoming a thing of the past.
“The momentum of hope that accompanied your emergence is waning,” he continued. The faith, the expectations, and the enthusiasm are waning. Instead of leaving a legacy, the “Yes Father” campaign runs the risk of becoming a memory.
“The Benue people are not requesting miracles. They are requesting clear communication, purposeful leadership, and a genuine dedication to their safety and well-being. You were chosen to defend them, serve them, and give them back their honor. Now is the moment to take action.
