Gov Alia Replies PDP Over Construction Of Fulani Colonies

The Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has dismissed reports that his administration is ceding land for the construction of Fulani colonies.

Naija News on Monday reported that the Benue State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) kicked against the proposal of Vice President Kashim Shetima to build Fulani colonies in the state and others.

Recall that the VP had last week disclosed at a public function in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, that the present administration had approved the construction of 1,000 houses in Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, and Benue states with all the ancillary facilities of schools, clinics, veterinary clinics and ranches for the Fulani community.

However, the PDP in the state called on the governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, to exclude Benue from the list of the said housing construction.

But in defence of the allegation, Alia, in a statement on Monday evening, said the federal government’s plan to construct homes for displaced people in the state, and not Fulani colonies.

The governor, through his spokesman, Tersoo Kula, explained that his government would not do anything to undermine the people of Benue.

The governor noted that ”As earlier explained, it is a burning desire of Governor Hyacinth Alia and the present administration to return the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back to their homes, as soon as possible.

“However, since most of their houses have been destroyed by the gun-carrying marauding herders, the federal government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has agreed to sponsor the reconstruction of new homes for our Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The homes are to be built in cluster formats, enabling our people to live more closely with each other and to experience more stability.

“In Benue, the homes are for our people and not for any colony, whatsoever. Benue people should know that Governor Hyacinth Alia will not do anything that will undermine the goodwill he has gotten from the wonderful people of the state. The governor means well for the people of the state and, as such, will always put them first.”