Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has announced plans to shut down some Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the state, citing improved security that has allowed many residents to return home voluntarily and resume farming.
Alia made the disclosure during a media interaction with the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Presidential Media Team, led by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Strategy.
The team is currently in Benue to assess completed and ongoing federal and state infrastructure projects across the 23 local government areas.
He attributed the relative peace to enhanced security measures, including support from the Federal Government.
Security agencies deployed across the local governments, traditional institutions, and local residents are monitoring the situation and providing timely information on developments in their communities.
The governor noted that 15 IDP camps were established across Benue following waves of attacks and displacement.
However, the improving security climate is shifting the situation. “We are already making some plans to close down some because the IDP occupants have voluntarily gone back to do their farming,” Alia stated.
He emphasized that the state is collaborating with international partners, including the United Nations and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), to pursue lasting solutions.
The goal, he stressed, is not simply to send people back to their farms only for them to flee again, but to create conditions that allow them to remain safely in their communities.
Alia expressed encouragement at the falling numbers of people still living in the camps. Many returnees are actively farming and rebuilding their homes in their ancestral areas.
He voiced optimism that continued security efforts will enable these residents to stay, rebuild their livelihoods, and strengthen Benue’s agricultural output, for which the state is renowned as the nation’s food basket.
Beyond the IDP issue, the governor outlined other administration achievements. He said a state of emergency on road infrastructure has improved connectivity in many areas, with urban renewal projects underway and major township roads reconstructed or upgraded.
In education, hundreds of neglected local government primary schools are being rehabilitated, and 9,700 teachers have been recruited.
On healthcare, primary facilities have been upgraded, while the teaching hospital now draws patients from neighboring states thanks to specialists and a popular VIP wing.
Medical equipment ordered through collaboration with U.S. authorities is expected for distribution to primary health centers statewide.
Alia stressed that his government closely tracks its commitments, insisting that political promises must translate into concrete results. He thanked the Federal Government for its support, noting that completed infrastructure projects help citizens experience the benefits of democracy.
At a dinner hosted by the state government after the media chat, Onanuga thanked Alia and Deputy Governor Samuel Ode for their hospitality. He said he brought senior media practitioners to see the infrastructure and transformation efforts firsthand.
Onanuga specifically praised the revival of facilities such as the Taraku Mill, Otobi Water Works, and the state brewery, as well as road development in previously insecure areas and the payment of inherited teachers’ salaries and retirees’ benefits.(NAN)
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