By Francis Atume, Makurdi
Spokesperson for the Governor of Benue state,Tersoo Kula has described politics in the State as a very interesting game, stressing that it is so because, often than not, Benue people treat the exercise like a race for immediate applause instead of lasting legacies.
Kula who made this position at the weekend in a statement while making a case for the re-election of Governor Hyacinth Alia in 2027, insisted that quick projects and loud ribbon – cutting ceremonies cherished by previous administration’s are important but argued that real development takes time.
He said a house is not built by painting the walls before laying the foundation, describing what was being witnessed in the past before the coming of Governor Alia as similar to painting before laying foundation.
He argued that Governor Alia’s administration deserves serious consideration for a second term, noting that an administration deserves one term to figure out the real problem, lay the foundation, and another to build on the foundation laid.
Kula said Governor Alia took over the reins of Benue State at a very difficult moment, having been handed a state that was bleeding and hemorrhaging, facing insecurity, unpaid obligations, weak institutions, youth unemployment and a struggling economy, pointing out that these problems will not simply disappear because the governor wishes them to disappear.
According to the Chief Press Secretary,they won’t disappear through one budget or one political season, arguing that the problems require patience, discipline and continuity in commitment.
He noted that every administration’s first term should be judged by the problems it met and the foundation it creates, adding that pertinent questions should include whether public finances are becoming more transparent or workers are paid more regularly,schools are receiving attention, hospitals are better equipped, roads are being repaired in a way that connects farmers to markets, and security is being handled with greater seriousness instead of media theatrics.
Kula maintained that a farmer in Mbagwaza should needs a motorable road to move cassava to either Ihugh, Lessel or Adikpo while a trader in Agila should be able to have a safer route to Igumale with another trader from Gbajimba needing a good road to Makurdi to reach customers and student in Vandeikya expecting a functioning classroom, instead of another abandoned school project while a mother in Obi should be provided a health centre where basic treatment is available without travelling for hours, arguing that such changes may not produce instant excitement, but they create the structure on which lasting progress stands,stated that it is the path the governor is on.
He said the first four years should therefore be about putting systems in place ,restoring confidence in government, strengthening local administration, supporting agriculture, improving security and opening the economy to private investment, pointing out that the second term would then provide the time to expand these efforts, complete unfinished projects and turn early reforms into measurable results.
Kula who said Benue cannot afford to keep starting afresh every four years because of people’s ambitions, argued that each new government should not spend its first year discovering what the previous one already knew.
According to the CPS,continuity should not mean researching what is already known to the current administration, pointing out that it should mean giving credible policies enough time to mature while holding the government accountable.
He argued that if the Alia administration is laying the foundation, the people must ask one simple question,is the work moving Benue forward, and if the answer on the lips of the people of Benue is yes, it means that Benue is moving from negative to positive, a fact even the opposition are not in denial, and urged Benue people to support the Alia administration to complete the already started projects.
