Fr Alia Says He Doesn’t Need First Lady To Govern Benue

The Benue State governor-elect, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, has said that he has worked for over 32 years as a Catholic Priest without a wife, therefore he did not need a First Lady to govern the state.

Fr. Alia who spoke through his director of communications, Tersoo Kula, said aside being a Priest without a wife, the Constitution of Nigeria does not even recognise the Office of the First Lady, and therefore the First Lady does not have any major role in the governance of the state.

Fr Alia, in his reaction after his declaration as governor-elect said: “My fellow citizens, a new Benue is possible, and I enjoin all of you to join hands with me to make it a reality. Let us begin by embracing a new way of thinking and action by cultivating a new ethos that expresses the best of us, that brings forth our better angels and not our worst demons.”

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According to him, unending political recriminations and willful economic sabotage must give way to accommodation and the pursuit of loftier ideals.

Meanwhile, Fr Alia has promised to clear the backlog of salary arrears, pensions and gratuities, resettle IDPs in their ancestral homes, address persistent security challenges and set the stage for a prosperous Benue.

“I would like to congratulate my opponents from the other parties for making it an interesting contest. However, the anxious period of politicking is over. Now is the time to unite and face the challenges of development,” he added.

The clergyman said that he needs to set the foundations for a strong economy and to start building an economy of the future based on skills and talents and education and the application of technology with the realization that the forces of global competition and technology mean that “we can only compete based on skills and talents. Let us unlock our wealth.”