…Accuses state assembly of lame-duck attitude

A group known asDefenders of Democracy (DoD) has raised an alarm in which it accused Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia of Benue state of complicity in corrupt practices.

Mr. Amos Uchiv, President, Defenders of Democracy (DoD) in a statement said as a group whose objective is to defend democracy and its institutions, it owe the society a duty to raise alarm whenever they see anything wrong in the system.

Today, they said they were drawing the attention of all well meaning people of Benue State to the stench of corruption and nepotism taking place under Governor Hyacinth Alia.

“Governor Alia is secretly selling Benue State enterprises to himself using his friends! This is in gross violation of the Benue State Law on Privatization and Commercialization of Public Enterprises 2012. And what is more worrisome is the silence of the state legislature. We are forced to ask; does Benue have a State Assembly at the moment? If there is a state assembly in place and the members are not complicit in the deep-seated corruption under Governor Alia, why are they not saying or doing anything? Do they not know that the things Alia is engaging in are impeachable offenses?

“In February 2024, Governor Alia sold the Benue Printing and Publishing Company (BPPC) to Shimatex Nigeria Limited which is owned by a long time friend of his, Joel Mtsor. We recall that Mtsor whose company specializes in printing jobs in Abuja printed most of the posters, billboards, banners and pamphlets for Alia’s campaign ahead of the 2023 election. The promise/agreement Alia had with Mtsor was to compensate him by selling to his firm the state printing and publishing company at a cheap price and still use state funds to help his friend upgrade facilities at the company. The process of selling BPPC to Shimatex did not follow due process, the same way Governor Alia has sold other state-owned businesses since he assumed office”, part of the statement reads.

Fithermore, the DoD said it read the Benue law on privatization and it clearly stipulates that the process of privatizing government assets must start with setting up the State Council on Privatization and Commercialization which must be formally inaugurated.

The restbofnthebtedtbofbthe statement reads:

It is only the Council that has the powers to first, obtain approval from the State House of Assembly and the State Executive Council after which it advertises the companies the government plans to privatize in national dailies. The Council then receives bids from which the most qualified bidders are selected and approved by the government.

Governor Alia has not followed any of these procedures. He is unilaterally selling state properties and also awarding contracts in violation of the due process law of the state.

Alia has already privatized the State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi without due process and knowledge of the people. The private company running the teaching hospital now is known as Omayex Projects Limited located at Bevis House, Wuse Zone 2, FCT-Abuja. Governor Alia and the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Stephen Hwande both have holdings in the company.

In April 2024, Governor Alia sold the Benue State Fertilizer Blending Plant at Industrial Layout to one of his close friends Julius Atorough who owns Star Fertilizer & Chemicals Ltd, which is located along Otukpo Road, Makurdi.

Already, Governor Alia is in advanced talks with a Lagos-based transport company owner who wants to buy Benue Links Transport Company. Alia will be a co-owner of the company. The Governor has already invested heavily in the company as an individual with over 50 buses which he used palliative funds to buy in his name but deceived the people that the buses are owned by the state government.

Other companies that Alia has lined up to secretly sell to his business partners in the next couple of months include: Makurdi Modern Market, Taraku Mills, Mega Foods and Beverages Processing Company Ltd., Benfruit Nig. Ltd. and Benkims Plastic Nig. Ltd, Katsina Ala Yam Flour Factory, Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) Ltd, Otukpo Burnt Bricks and Benue Roof Tiles Ltd.

Alia’s kinsman Raymond Asemaka whom the governor appointed as the Managing Director of Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) is the governor’s Man Friday. He is the one who handles all the secret deals of selling state assets on behalf of the governor.

BIPC recently launched a water factor, a bakery and a brewery. They told the people of the state that the companies are owned by the government, but our investigation at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), proves that the Benue state government is not the owner of the companies. The MD of BIPC, Asemakaha is the owner of the companies as governor Alia’s proxy.

BIPC also recently sold the state shares in Zenith Bank and some other enterprises worth N12 billion. It was in order to divert the huge proceeds from the sale of the state shares and also divert the attention of the public that the governor and MD Asemakaha quickly came up with the idea of establishing companies which would make it look like their government is investing. This is why we are witnessing emergency companies springing up in the name of the state government today.

Alia’s government has received the amount of federal allocations and other interventions in the form of palliatives and security support more than any other government in the history of Benue State, yet, he is busy taking loans also in secret and has refused to implement the new national minimum wage for workers”.

It demands as follows:
We condemn in strong terms, the illegal sale of Benue industries by Governor Hyacinth Alia and ask that the sale of such companies be immediately terminated;

We demand that the Governor should make public records of all the sales of government assets that his administration has so far made;

We equally demand that no action should be taken by the Governor to privatize any government asset henceforth, until he follows due process and the people of the state give their consent;

We demand that the Benue State House of Assembly should immediately summon the Governor to appear before it with the Managing Director of BPIC to answer questions regarding the sale of government assets under their watch;

“We expect that these demands of ours would be met within the shortest possible time frame. In the meantime, we request the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to commence investigation into the sale of Benue State government assets under the Alia administration”, Amos Uchiv emphasised.