The citizens of Benue state have expressed concern as their governor, Hyacinth Alia, is set to spend over N1 billion every month this year on food, wardrobe, electricity bills and other expenses.

The governor made this known in the 2024 Budget which he signed a few days ago tagged “Budget of Infrastructure Development, Job Creation, and Poverty Alleviation”.

According to the budget, the monthly allocation for “Benue Government House Administration” is N1,093,958,333.3 (One Billion, Ninety Three Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Thirty Three Naira and Three Kobo).

Records have shown that it is the first time since the creation of Benue State that a Governor has allocated such a huge amount for spending in Government House Makurdi in a state where the average monthly internal revenue, IGR (tax performance) for the State stands at N600,000,000 (Six Hundred Million Naira).

Some analysts who commented on Governor Alia’s budgetary allocation for his comfort in Government House have wondered why a man who says he’s in power to serve the people will appropriate such a huge amount for his daily expenses in an agrarian state like Benue.

One of the analysts Dr. Peter Awunah, who wrote from Abuja said, “despite the revenue windfall from the removal of petroleum subsidy by President Bola Tinubu and the huge allocations coming to Benue State many times higher than in the previous administration, Governor Hyacinth Alia has embarked on a spending spree without accountability or transparency and has zero regard for due process in financial management.”

Recall that recently, a popular online newspaper Sahara Reporters did a thorough investigation on Governor Alia’s running of Benue State and exposed monumental corruption in his award of contracts, purchase of palliative buses and other sundry actions of the present government in the state.

The newspaper reported thus: “Sources in the state government said the spendings keep coming despite the governor’s initial promise to the people that he would not be wasteful in governance.

“Recent developments have however proven that Governor Alia has not been telling Benue people the truth. To describe his government as wasteful is to be kind to him. What is happening with Benue’s resources under the watch of Governor Alia is worse than a locust,” a government source said.

The source had further said that the governor on 5^th of September, approved N1.2billion “for the procurement of 100 refurbished 2017/2016 Hummer buses for palliative measures and 50 fairly used Hilux 2018/2019 model vehicles for other purposes.”

“On the 28^th September, 2023, the Alia government again released N2,236,000,000.00 (N2.2 billion) to the company for the procurement of the same refurbished Hummer buses and some fairly used Toyota Hilux (2018/2019) model vehicles. The number of the vehicles in the 3rd approval was also not specified,” another source revealed.

Further check shows that N3,551,820.00 was paid to seven accountants to attend the 2023 Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme (MCPD) held in Benin, Edo State from 28 to 31 August, 2023.” (Daily Independent)

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