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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Chief Press Secretary, to the Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr Hyacinth Alia, Tersoo Kula, has said that the governor met Benue State’s schools in a comatose condition.
Kula, who disclosed this during an interaction with the media in Makurdi, described the education system in the state as one plagued by shortage of teachers, dilapidated infrastructure, and declining morale for both teachers and learners.
He, however, noted that the schools, both at the basic and secondary level, are receiving infrastructural boom to make teaching and learning attractive to the people of Benue.
Kula who highlighted ongoing school projects across the state, to remedy the situation, said before Governor Alia came on board, “many of our secondary schools were dead and buried, with classrooms lacking instructors and basic facilities.
He said the situation compelled the Alia-led government to embark on aggressive recruitment and rehabilitation efforts.
He stated that the employment of 9,000 teachers has significantly boosted learning outcomes, particularly at the basic education level.
“Some of the schools had no teachers, no structures. Today, teachers are being posted, and learning has resumed,” he said, adding that the recruitment drive has helped stabilize academic activities across the 23 local government areas of the state.
Kula, who linked the revival of schools to broader infrastructural investments, argued that improved road networks and erosion control projects of the Alia government are enhancing access to education, especially in previously cut-off communities.
He cited works around Wuruku and other flood-prone zones, where drainage channels and canal linkages have mitigated perennial flooding that once disrupted transportation, school activities as well as other economic and social activities in the state.
Kula also highlighted the governor’s ability to attract federal collaboration, describing his tenure as part of a continuum of leadership that has secured strategic national projects for Benue State.
He recalled past administrations that successfully lobbied for key developments, including the establishment of the Benue State University and major power projects that strengthened industrial prospects.
On economic growth, he pointed to the activities of the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC), noting that local manufacturing ventures such as nail production, fruit juice, bread and water are emerging where none previously existed.
“These may seem like small things, but they were not here before,” he said, emphasising the role of industrial initiatives in job creation and revenue diversification.
Addressing security concerns, Alia’s aide acknowledged that Benue, like other states, has continued to grapple with attacks but insisted that the situation has improved compared to previous years.
He revealed that logistics support, including the provision of motorcycles to security agencies, has enhanced mobility in difficult terrains, enabling faster response to threats in remote areas.
The governor’s aide further noted that the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has reduced following profiling exercises and gradual returns to ancestral homes, though he admitted that challenges persist.
He reiterated the administration’s commitment to rebuilding critical sectors, stressing that the revival of once-neglected schools symbolizes a broader push to restore public confidence in governance.
