Senate Minority Leader and Senator representing Benue South, Abba Moro, has criticised Governor Hyacinth Alia’s style of governance, alleging that decision-making in Benue State is concentrated in the governor’s hands.
Moro made the remarks on Tuesday while speaking on Democracy Today, a programme aired on African Independent Television (AIT), where he assessed the performance of the Benue State government.
The lawmaker claimed that commissioners and other political appointees have been stripped of meaningful responsibilities because key decisions are handled exclusively by the governor.
“If these people are angry with him, if people are not happy with him, as a leader, it is his duty to call people and say, ‘Look, this is our state. Let’s build it together,'” Moro said.
He continued: “People look at Benue State as a church, as a pulpit where instructions come from only one person.”
Moro also alleged that Governor Alia has taken over duties that should ordinarily be performed by other senior government officials.
“Governor Alia is the Accountant General of Benue State. He’s the Finance Commissioner of Benue State. He’s the Commissioner for Works in Benue State,” he said.
The senator urged residents to independently evaluate the level of influence and responsibility exercised by political appointees in the state.
“Conduct a discreet survey and see whether these appointees have anything to do,” he said.
Drawing from his visits to internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, Moro argued that the administration had failed to adequately empower its officials to respond to urgent humanitarian needs.
He recounted an occasion when a commissioner announced a donation of ₦150,000 to be shared among three IDP camps.
“I told the Honourable Commissioner, ‘If all you want to spend is ₦150,000, come privately.’ I went and gave him the money because it was an emergency,” Moro said.
According to him, the episode reflected the limited financial authority available to commissioners during emergencies.
The former Interior Minister also recalled another visit to an IDP camp, where he claimed the Deputy Governor pledged ₦1 million to soldiers engaged in combating insecurity.
“The Deputy Governor doesn’t have ₦1,000,000 to spend. That is a pathetic situation in the state,” he said.