 has called on Governor Hyacinth Alia to address the damning BudgiT report ranking his administration){kind=link}
The Benue Advocacy Network (BAN) has called on Governor Hyacinth Alia to address the damning BudgiT report ranking his administration among Nigeria’s worst-performing states, instead of attacking his predecessor, Chief Samuel Ortom.
In a statement signed by BAN President, Enoch Bemshima Ortese, the group accused the governor of “playing politics of distraction” after his recent comments through Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, which targeted the former governor while ignoring pressing governance failures.
According to Ortese, Governor Alia’s media tirade against Ortom was a deliberate attempt to divert attention from “his government’s abysmal record of performance and financial recklessness.”
“Governor Alia should respond to the BudgiT report and explain how Benue, despite receiving over ₦327 billion in 2024, has sunk into deeper hardship,” Ortese said. “Blaming Ortom every time he’s questioned will not fix our problems.”
Recent data from BudgiT’s 2025 Fiscal Performance Index placed Benue at the bottom of 35 states, citing poor fiscal management, unpaid salaries, and decaying infrastructure.
Despite record revenue inflows, the report revealed that N353.81 billion was spent, with nearly N200 billion allegedly wasted on unproductive projects.
Similarly, a separate review by the UK-based Good Governance Rating Index (GGRI) described Governor Alia as one of the worst-performing state leaders between 2023 and 2025.
The report accused his administration of “failing to address insecurity, deepening poverty, and showing no clear policy direction.”
BAN contrasted Alia’s record with that of former Governor Samuel Ortom, describing Ortom’s tenure as one that “prioritised people over politics.”
The group cited Ortom’s enactment of the Anti-Open Grazing Law and creation of Livestock Guards, which significantly reduced herdsmen attacks during his administration.
However, BAN noted that Alia’s decision to dissolve the Livestock Guards and suspend enforcement of the grazing law reopened the state to renewed violence.
“Today, killings have returned, and communities that once had peace are again living in fear,” Ortese lamented.
The group also accused the Alia administration of marginalising local contractors and stifling Benue’s economy through “policy inconsistency and poor transparency.”
“Governor Ortom built roads, supported local businesses, and resisted federal policies that endangered Benue’s lives. Governor Alia has done the opposite, he blames, he attacks, but he doesn’t lead,” Ortese added.
BAN urged the governor to leverage his relationship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has shown commitment to curbing militant herders, to restore peace and accountability in Benue.
“Benue people are watching,” the statement concluded. “It is time for Governor Alia to take responsibility, confront the facts, and stop using Ortom as an excuse for his failures.”