By Terdue Atondu, Makurdi
The management of The Sun Newspapers has nominated Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, for its 2026 Governor of the Year Award.
The nomination was conveyed to Governor Alia in a letter presented to him at the Government House, Makurdi, by the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Newspapers, Onuoha Ukeh.
Reacting to the recognition, Governor Alia said he was delighted that his development efforts in Benue had attracted national recognition from one of Nigeria’s reputable media organisations.
The Governor, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, said he deliberately stopped the use of sirens on his convoy after assuming office, insisting that his achievements should speak for him.
According to him, “Let interventions in creating jobs be my siren; let the roads I am building serve as my siren; let the companies I am building be my siren and other achievements I have recorded within this time.”
Presenting the nomination letter, Ukeh said the Governor’s selection was based on merit, citing what he described as his administration’s programmes and projects that were accelerating development across the state.
He highlighted the transformation of Makurdi, the state capital, as well as interventions in the health sector, particularly the upgrading of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital and renewed attention to Primary Healthcare Centres across the state.
Ukeh also identified the establishment of Food Basket Breweries and the Bensono Fruit Juice Factory as legacy projects capable of outliving the present administration.
He said the Governor’s decision to revive ailing industries, including Taraku Mills, demonstrated a clear vision of how he intended to leave the state at the end of his tenure.
“Our choice of you is justifiable. We have tracked development in your state, and we know what you are doing, especially with road infrastructure and the welfare of the state’s workforce and care for the senior citizens who were hitherto neglected and allowed to degenerate to destitute,” Ukeh said.
The 2026 Sun Governor of the Year award ceremony is scheduled for November 13, 2026, at the Expo Convention Centre, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
