The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Benue State has demanded that Governor Hyacinth Alia provide a detailed account of how he expended N44 billion in special intervention grants received from the Federal Government between August 2023 and 2024.
The call came in response to comments made by the leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, Senator Tilley Gyado, who disclosed at a stakeholders meeting in Makurdi that N44 billion in intervention funds had accrued to the state in the past nine months.
Gyado listed the funds as N5 billion post-subsidy removal, N9 billion infrastructural funds, and N30 billion sub-national intervention funds.
However, the Benue State government and other states have denied the receipt of the alleged N30 billion sub-national intervention funds, contrary to claims made by Senate President, Senator Godwin Akpabio.
However, the Benue Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Bemgba Iortyom, expressed shock at the revelation that the state government had received the funds, noting that Alia had not disclosed the receipt of such funds to the public, except for the post-subsidy removal (palliatives) fund, of which he acknowledged receiving N2 billion and remained silent on the outstanding N3 billion.
The PDP criticized the lack of transparency and accountability in the governor’s handling of the funds, stating that the non-disclosure of the N44 billion federal intervention grants reinforced his policy of concealment and disregard for due process and the rule of law.
“If there was a N9 billion infrastructure fund and a N30 billion Sub-national intervention fund, the people of Benue State are only getting to know about it from the APC statement, and this by all standards of transparency and accountability is unacceptable.
“PDP is saddened that this non-disclosure of N44 billion federal intervention grants by Governor Alia reinforces his policy of concealment and disregard for due process and the rule of law which underpin a style of governance that is in character a sole administratorship,” Iortyom stated.
The opposition party called on the governor to come forward and explain how he utilized the N44 billion special grants, stating that failure to do so would only raise further suspicions about his administration’s lack of transparency and accountability.
