Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has defended his administration’s performance after former governor Samuel Ortom and 2027 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Michael Aondoakaa questioned how about ₦1.2 trillion in Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds received by the state and its 23 local government areas since 2023 were utilised.
Ortom’s media consultant and former adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr Terver Akase, had on Saturday challenged the Alia administration to provide a comprehensive account of the funds, arguing that Benue residents deserved to know how the increased federal allocations had been spent.
Akase also questioned the level of visible development across the state despite what he described as unprecedented revenue inflows following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
However, Governor Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, dismissed the criticism, arguing that increased FAAC revenue does not automatically translate into unlimited funds for state governments.
Kula said the Alia administration had been operating amid high inflation, increased construction costs, insecurity and other economic pressures, insisting that assessing the government solely on its federal allocations gives an incomplete picture of its performance.
He also pointed to the administration’s interventions in infrastructure, agriculture, education, healthcare, pensions and rural development, saying residents could independently assess the projects and programmes implemented by the government.
The governor’s spokesperson further contrasted the current administration with the Ortom government, recalling that the previous administration frequently cited inadequate funds as a major challenge to governance.
