Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, a senior chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, has stated that Governor Hyacinth Alia’s development initiatives will secure his legacy for the next century. Ogenyi made the declaration during an interview on Idoma Television’s *The Conversation*, where he argued that the governor’s interventions in infrastructure and social services have fundamentally altered the trajectory of the state.
Ogenyi, who contested the 2019 Benue governorship election, admitted that he initially doubted Alia’s capacity to govern. He revealed that he did not support Alia during the 2023 APC primary elections and remained skeptical even after Alia secured the party’s nomination. “I did not even believe in the capacity of Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia... But after two years in office, the governor proved me wrong,” Ogenyi said.
A key factor in changing Ogenyi’s assessment was the administration’s success in flood control. He noted that while previous governments struggled with annual flooding in Makurdi, the Alia administration constructed drainage channels to redirect water into the River Benue. “Benue used to flood yearly,” Ogenyi recalled. “The second year, no flood. Third year, no flood... He has consciously constructed the drainage areas, channelled all the waters to River Benue, and Benue is no longer flooding.”
The APC chieftain also highlighted significant road infrastructure projects in the Benue South Senatorial District, describing the distribution as equitable. He cited the 42-kilometre road from Igumale to Agila, which he said was 80% complete, as well as the Obagaji–Okokolo–Agagbe road and the Oju–Awajir road. Ogenyi further noted that the government had undertaken five-kilometre road projects in each of the nine local government areas within the zone, improving access to previously isolated communities during the rainy season.
Water supply improvements were another major focus of Ogenyi’s praise. He specifically mentioned the rehabilitation of the Otobi Waterworks in Otukpo, where the state government provided N1.57 billion in counterpart funding to facilitate the project. “When a governor has given water... to a place that has never seen water since the existence of that community... that water will last even more than 100 years,” he said. He also pointed to the ongoing work on the Adoka Dam, which aims to resupply water to Otukpo and surrounding areas.
Ogenyi extended his commendation to the education and health sectors, citing the recruitment of approximately 10,000 teachers and the modernization of schools to reduce reliance on chalkboards. He also listed industrial projects initiated by the administration, including a juice concentrate factory, a nail production facility, a brewery, and the revival of Taraku Mills. “These people, in the next even 200 years, will not forget the achievement of Governor Hyacinth Alia,” Ogenyi concluded.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
