Benue Gov Reveals Plans To Close IDP Camps

Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has announced plans to shut some Internally Displaced Persons camps across the state as improved security allows displaced residents to return to their communities.

Alia disclosed this during a media interaction with the Renewed Hope Ambassadors and the Presidential Media Team led by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The team visited Benue to inspect completed and ongoing infrastructure projects being executed by both the Federal and state governments.

The governor said security improvements, supported by interventions from the Federal Government, had restored relative peace in several local government areas. He said the development had encouraged many displaced residents to voluntarily return to their communities, where they have resumed farming and begun rebuilding their homes.

According to Alia, the government continues to monitor security conditions across the state through security agencies, traditional rulers and residents who provide information about developments in their communities.

He recalled that the state established 15 IDP camps following attacks that forced thousands of residents from their homes. However, he said the situation had started to improve, making it possible to begin considering the closure of some of the camps.

The governor said some residents had already left the camps voluntarily to return to their farms and ancestral communities.

Alia said the state government was working with international organisations, including the United Nations and the International Organisation for Migration, to ensure that the return of displaced persons would be safe and sustainable.

He explained that the goal was not simply to move people back to their communities but to create conditions that would allow them to remain there safely, rebuild their homes and restore their livelihoods.

The governor said the declining population in the camps was a positive development, adding that many returnees were already farming and reconstructing houses in their communities.

He expressed hope that continued security efforts would help more displaced residents return home and strengthen Benue’s agricultural economy.

On infrastructure, Alia said his administration’s declaration of a state of emergency on roads had led to improved connectivity in different parts of the state. He said several urban renewal projects were also underway, while major roads in key towns had been reconstructed to ease transportation and support economic activities.

The governor also spoke about developments in education, saying hundreds of primary schools affected by years of neglect were being renovated. He added that 9,700 teachers had been recruited for public primary schools.

He said the state government had also abolished school fees for pupils from Basic One to Basic Nine in public schools, describing the measure as part of efforts to reduce the financial burden on families and improve human capital development.

In the health sector, Alia said primary healthcare centres across the state had been upgraded, while the Benue State University Teaching Hospital had also received improvements that had increased its ability to attend to patients from neighbouring states.

He added that medical equipment obtained through cooperation involving the United States government and subnational authorities was expected to be distributed to primary healthcare facilities across the state.

Alia maintained that political promises should be followed by practical steps and measurable outcomes, while appreciating the Federal Government for its support to the state.

He also called for the development of a long-term master plan for Benue similar to the planning model used in Lagos. According to him, such a blueprint would help guide successive administrations and ensure that development projects continue beyond the tenure of individual governors.

The governor said Benue, with 23 local government areas and an estimated population of about seven million people, had the potential to increase its internally generated revenue through better development of its agriculture, solid minerals and emerging oil and gas resources.

He noted that the state has 43 identified solid mineral resources which, alongside agriculture and other economic opportunities, could help reduce its dependence on federal allocations.

At a dinner hosted by the state government after the media engagement, Onanuga thanked Governor Alia and his deputy, Samuel Ode, for their hospitality.

Onanuga also praised the state administration for restoring several previously inactive facilities, including the Taraku Mill, Otobi Water Works and the state brewery, saying their revival could contribute to economic growth.

He further commended the government for constructing roads in remote areas that had previously faced security challenges and for addressing outstanding salaries and retirement benefits inherited from the previous administration.