By our reporter
Rural Agriculture in Benue State will no longer be the same, as Governor Hycent Alia has set machineries on motion for five thousand tricycles and mini buses to be brought into the State from China to boast rural farming activities.
This was revealed by the Benue State Coordinator of Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) Hon Stephen Nunbeve, during an interactive session with a delegation from Youth media and communication initiative (YMCI) in collaborations with some civil society organizations who paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
The Benue RAAM coordinator who is also the coordinating coordinator of RAAMP in six States, which includes Benue, Cross River, Taraba, Borno, Edo and Anambra, said he will be heading to to China to bring the vehicles to Benue State in order to assist farmers to gain unhindered access to their farms, markets and warehouses.
According to him, in line with World Bank, who are the sponsors of RAAMP, who emphasises building of roads as a criteria, the State government have done engineering designs for 554 Kilometers of roads across the State, to create access to the farmlands.
“The next condition was, the need to build roads, you must identify where you will build the roads, survey, generate engineering designs, for the road, if you don’t have this thing in stock, it means you are just beating about the bush, when I knew what they want, we did all that, we have done engineering designs for 554 Km, this is not a easy feat for you to be build or design 554 km roads, is very expensive.
The Benue RAAM coordinator also revealed that RAAMP was operational in Nigeria since 2011 but Benue as the food basket of the Nigeria, only aspire to be part in 2015, and yet to be fully subscribed until the current administration of Governor Alia began full payment of counterpart fund.
“About 19 States are benefiting from RAAMP, you will ask yourself this sensitive question, it is about creating access to the farms, to the market, this access is from the farm to the market, so if there is anything farm in Nigeria, I think it should be Benue State but the State has not benefited from it” he said.
He added “So when I came into office December, 2023, I sat back and revealed why Benue was not benefiting, four ways why they were not benefited: 1, the past government use to toil with counterpart funding, even when they paid they do that partly, and World Bank use to be sensitive to such actions, 2, there was no befitting office complex, I noticed that it was a challenge, I consulted the governor, he gave his consent and then he said go ahead and make it befitting, then he provided the funds, we made judicious use of the fund and we put up what you can see today”.
Hon Nunbeve, said, said that interactions with the federal ministry of Finance, the National Assembly has yielded positive results, with agreement reached with the funding from European investment bank for the six States, the Federal Executive Council has also approved, as and meetings are ongoing to declare the project effective.
“So hopefully, once it declared effective, we will now jump to the rural areas to build this 554 Km roads each and every local government is going to benefit from it, or has already benefited from it because it has been designed already” he said.
Speaking on agricultural marketing, which is one of the pillars of the projects, he said six markets would be build, two in each senatorial districts, with modern warehousees to store yams, vegetables like tomatoes, fruits like oranges, mangoes, among others in an ultra modern format.
Reacting to the award given to him by a coalition of civil society group, led by Youth Media and Communication Initiative (YMCI) Hon. Stephen Nunbeve, said in his modest ways of doing things, he did not expect such an award been given to him, he however dedicated it to the State governor, Rev. Fr. Hycent Alia, who has made achieved what was reeled out about him, calling on the Benue people to support the Alia’s administration, despite the negative media campaigns against him because he does not have a political surname.
” Today he has put up his team together, laid emphasies on brains that he could use to salvage Benue, he didn’t look at any specific family, lineage or what have you, he wanted people that can assist him to govern and he is doing that jealously, a lot have been said about him in the media, it difficult for him to tell his story, because he doesn’t have the people to tell his story all round, most of the people fighting him are politicians, they are putting in a lot of fake stories, trying to convince them that the governor is not doing well and he is bad” he lamented.
He mentioned some major milestones of the governor, ranging from the road constructions, revamping of Benue Links, the State owned transport company that was put up for sale by the Ortom administration along side 17 other State owned companies, who are now working optimally and serving the Benue people with efficient and at a very low cost.
“About 17 State owned companies were placed on sale in the last administration, the youths took to the streets to protest before the then governor rescinded his decision, when governor Alia came on board he said rather, am going to revived all those places, and that is why Benue links is alive today, someone else would have bought it over, when he took over he injected over 100 buses into Benue Links, a BITC has brought in BITC water which is one of the best portable water in the State, we are not buying it because it is a government water we are buying it because it is the best in town, BITC breed is the finest and cheapest in town today ” he said.
The Benue State Coordinator of Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) Hon Stephen Nunbeve, had earlier had audience with the Sankara youths, who according him are his maternal relatives.