By Terdue Atondu, Makurdi
The governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Benue State, Professor Tsehemba Shija, has said the state needs a competent leader capable of protecting lives and property, ending insecurity and freeing farming communities from attacks by armed invaders.
Shija said his experience growing up in a humble background, understanding of the challenges confronting the people and knowledge of governance placed him in a position to address what he described as the failures of the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The NDC candidate stated this on Tuesday during an interactive session with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Benue State Council, in Makurdi.
He pledged to lead by example if elected governor in the forthcoming governorship election, promising a different approach to security, governance and economic development.
Shija said his administration would openly acknowledge the security crisis in the state and take decisive steps to stop the killings of innocent citizens.
“I will do the opposite of what Fr. Alia’s administration is doing. I will say there is genocide in Benue and ensure that the killings of innocent Benue people stop without taking permission from anybody,” he declared.
He said his proposed policies and programmes would focus on addressing the immediate needs of the people and restoring what he described as the lost glory of Benue State.
The NDC candidate pledged to close Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps across the state if elected, assuring that his administration would provide adequate security to enable displaced persons to return safely and permanently to their ancestral homes.
He said restoring security in affected communities would allow displaced residents to resume their normal lives and return to farming, which remains a major source of livelihood for many households in Benue.
According to him, ensuring the safety of farmers and their communities would be a priority in his administration’s efforts to restore agricultural production and improve the state’s economy.
Shija also promised to respect the independence of the three arms of government, saying the legislature and judiciary would be allowed to perform their constitutional responsibilities without interference from the executive.
On grassroots administration, the governorship hopeful pledged to grant local government areas full autonomy and ensure that their allocations were used for projects and programmes that directly benefit residents.
He said local government chairmen would have greater freedom to determine development priorities in their respective areas, subject to accountability and effective supervision.
Shija, however, warned that any local government chairman found misappropriating public funds under his administration would face the full weight of the law.
He maintained that accountability at the grassroots level would be essential to ensuring that public resources translated into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary citizens.
The NDC candidate also criticised successive administrations in the state, arguing that they had failed to replicate the development vision and industrial initiatives associated with the late former governor, Aper Aku.
He cited the establishment of the Benue State Secretariat, Taraku Mills, Benue Brewery and Lobi Bank among the projects associated with Aku’s administration, noting that they were designed to create employment, support farmers and stimulate economic growth.
According to Shija, Lobi Bank provided credit facilities to farmers, while the industries created employment opportunities and contributed to the state’s economic development.
He argued that subsequent administrations should have built on those foundations by reviving existing industries and establishing new enterprises to expand employment opportunities and strengthen the state’s revenue base.
The governorship candidate maintained that Benue needed leadership capable of protecting its people, revitalising the economy, strengthening democratic institutions and ensuring that public resources were used for the benefit of citizens.
His remarks come amid persistent security challenges in parts of the state, including attacks on farming communities and the displacement of residents from their ancestral homes.
FirmNews reports.
