A former Minister of Information , Mr Labaran Maku has admonished political elites to shift attention from politics of succession to development and delivery of democracy dividends.
Maku gave the admonition during an assessment tour of projects executed by the Gov. Hyacinth Alia of Benue State to mark the administration’s two years in office
“This tour aimed at evaluating the projects embarked upon by the governor to better the lives of the citizens of the state and deliver the dividends of democracy.
“It also serves as a wake up call on political leaders to shift attention from the ongoing political quarrels over the 2027 elections to tangible development,” he said.
Maku, who led a team of journalists on the tour, commended the Benue Governor for fostering synergy between the state and local government councils to fast-track development projects.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the projects inspected by the team across the state included, the 20km Mbawuar Sec–Bako–Naa road with 14 km spur to Mede-Mbaakon, Ihugh road under construction and the 16km Atser-Kornya road in Vandeikya/Konshisha
Others were the 29.3km Adikopo-Kotiyough road, ,16.5km Ushongu-Gbem road and the rehabilitation of ,St. Joseph Street road, Adekaa and Under pass at Gyado Junction, both in Gboko
Also inspected were the construction of mbawuar secondary school junction -bako-Ngegher-Tyam Naa road and the 20km Adikpo-Calabar road with 14km spur to Ede-Mbaakon road
Maku described the road projects embarked upon by the Alia’s administration as commendable and capable of transforming the agricultural landscape of the state.
“These are good road projects that will add values to the development of Benue State.
“Benue is a farming and agricultural belt, and one of the major challenges has been how to convey food products to the cities,” Maku stated.
The minister noted that, although, many of the road projects were still in the early stages, the determination of the state government to open up rural areas through strategic road construction was evident.
“I am impressed by the initiative of partnering with local governments.
“That synergy will help to open up the state, because, local governments cannot carry out such capital-intensive projects alone.
“If the contractors work steadily and deliver within the timeframe, it will be very good for the state,” he said.
Maku called for strict monitoring of the projects and timely release of funds to ensure the roads are completed and commissioned within the next twelve months.
“Governor Alia means well by initiating these road projects and we want to see relentless work until they are completed.
“The focus is on development, not party politics.”
Maku, who pioneered the National Good Governance Tour during his tenure as Minister, recalled how such initiatives compelled state governments to improve their developmental strides.
“When we visited Rivers State during my time, the then Governor, Rotimi Amaechi told me it compelled his administration to work more.
Corroborating Maku, a former Director-General of National Orientation Agency (NOA),
Dr Mike Omeri said the project inspection initiative was designed to refocus national discourse from politics to development.
“There’s too much politics in the country at the expense of development.
“What we are doing is to reorient attention to governance and performance,” Omeri said.
He said the efforts of the governor at transforming rural roads into trunk A roads was vital to stimulating rural economy
Mr Solomon Iorpev, Technical Adviser to the Governor on Media, Publicity and Strategic Communication, said the tour was part of activities to mark the governor’s two years in office.
“This demonstrates His Excellency’s commitment to addressing the backlog of infrastructural deficits across the state.
“The Governor is opening up rural areas, linking communities, and tackling post-harvest losses,” Iorpev said.
He assured that the Gov. Alia’s administration would fill infrastructure gaps before the end of its tenure. (NAN)
