Benue development on display as Media Executives tour state projects
Some senior media executives across Nigeria have commended the Benue State Government for what they described as visible and impactful developmental strides under the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The high-level media delegation was led by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Tope Ajayi; and the President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, Mr. Eze Anaba.
Mr. Onanuga led the team—comprising heads of media organisations and agencies—on an inspection tour of key government projects in Makurdi, the state capital. The tour commenced at the state-owned brewery, Zeva Beer, and the Benue textile industry, where the Group Managing Director of the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC), Mr. Raymond Asemakaha, conducted the delegation around the facilities.
The media executives also visited the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, where the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Stephen Hwande, guided them through the hospital’s facilities. At the upgraded LGEA Primary School along Gboko Road, the visitors interacted warmly with pupils, expressing satisfaction with the improved learning environment.
Further stops on the tour included the state juice factory, the Benue Printing and Publishing Corporation, the state fashion hub, and the first underpass in the Benue urban city.
The visit concluded at the Government House, where the delegation participated in a town hall meeting with stakeholders drawn from government, women and youth groups, labour and trade unions, religious and traditional institutions, as well as civil society organisations, held at the new banquet hall.
During the engagement, various groups shared their perspectives on the pace and scale of development under the Alia administration. In his remarks, Governor Alia said the positive feedback from the media and stakeholders was a strong motivation for his government to intensify its development efforts.
A cultural highlight of the visit saw the media executives adorned in Tiv, Idoma and Igede traditional attire, with the Governor conferring indigenous names on them. A minute’s silence was also observed in honour of late veteran journalist and Benue indigene, Mr. Dan Agbese, who passed away in November last year at the age of 81.
