The Alliance for Truth and Democracy (ATD), a socio-political advocacy group in Benue State, has accused Governor Hyacinth Alia of financial recklessness and poor management of public resources, demanding full disclosure of expenditure on major projects executed by his administration since 2023.
The group, in a statement signed by its President, Jerome Zoho, said the administration owed Benue people explanations on the cost, implementation status and completion timelines of several infrastructure projects across the state.
Zoho’s intervention followed the Benue State Government’s recent clarification on the High-Level Underpass project in Makurdi, which the group said had failed to adequately address concerns over the project’s cost, execution and prolonged completion timeline.
According to ATD, the government’s admission that certain aspects of the project failed to meet approved specifications and required corrective work raised questions about supervision, quality control and contract management.
The group asked the government to disclose the total amount committed to the project, the amount already paid to the contractor, the percentage of work completed and the revised date for completion.
“Transparency is not hostility to government. It is a requirement of democratic governance,” Zoho said, insisting that Benue residents had a right to know how public resources were being utilised.
ATD also raised questions over several road projects approved by the Alia administration, including the Mbawuar Secondary School–Bako–Negher–Tyam–Naa–Adikpo/Calabar corridor, which it said was valued at about ₦73 billion.
Official records, however, show that the Federal Information Centre in Makurdi had reported the cost of the Mbawuar–Bako-Negher and Spur to Mbaakon Road at ₦73.92 billion. The Federal Ministry of Information also listed the project among major rural road interventions approved by the state government.
The group also questioned expenditure associated with the Wurukum–Air Force Base–Mu road, the Okokolo–Agagbe Road, Awajir–Oju Road, Obarike-Ito–Adum East–Oju Road and Igumale–Agila Road, as well as the rehabilitation of roads within Makurdi township.
The Wurukum–Air Force Base project has itself generated controversy, with the state government previously clarifying that the 13-kilometre federal highway rehabilitation was awarded at about ₦28.34 billion, rather than the ₦68.3 billion figure that had circulated publicly.
Zoho said the issue demonstrated the need for the government to publish complete procurement and payment records for major projects rather than leaving citizens to rely on conflicting figures.
The ATD president further questioned spending on official vehicles and other government-related acquisitions, alleging that billions of naira had been committed to vehicles for the governor’s convoy, political appointees, lawmakers and other officials.
He argued that such expenditures required greater scrutiny, particularly against the backdrop of insecurity, displacement and economic hardship confronting many communities across the state.
The statement also revived the broader controversy over the resources available to the Alia administration since it assumed office in May 2023.
Zoho alleged that the state had received about ₦1.2 trillion during the period and demanded an account of how the resources had been utilised.
The ₦1.2 trillion figure has also featured in recent political exchanges in Benue. Former Governor Samuel Ortom recently challenged the Alia administration to account for funds received through FAAC since 2023.
The Alia administration has, however, disputed the interpretation of the figure. Its Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, said previous claims about ₦1.2 trillion had conflated different sources of funding, including FAAC, internally generated revenue, grants, aid and loans.
The government said its approved budgets for 2023, 2024 and 2025 amounted to about ₦1.1 trillion, with budget performance varying across the years.
Zoho nevertheless alleged that despite increased revenues, Benue continued to face unpaid obligations, including salary, pension and gratuity arrears, alongside inadequate infrastructure and widespread economic hardship.
He further made a series of personal-wealth allegations against Governor Alia, claiming that the governor’s net worth had risen to about $450 million and alleging that he owned two private jets, a Shoprite franchise in Rwanda and a private university in Sierra Leone.
Zoho also alleged that the governor had used public resources to sustain an extravagant lifestyle and accused unnamed members of his administration of benefiting from what he described as excessive government spending.
Earlier in the year, a judicial commission established by the Alia administration to examine the state’s finances between 2015 and 2023 reported an unexplained financial gap of about ₦139.8 billion under the previous administration.
The development has further intensified calls from opposing political camps for greater scrutiny of public finances, although the issues raised by the commission concern the period before Alia assumed office and therefore are separate from ATD’s allegations about the current administration.
ATD said its demand was not intended to provoke political confrontation but to compel greater accountability in the management of public funds.
Zoho urged the state government to publish comprehensive information on all major projects undertaken since 2023, including contract sums, procurement records, payment schedules, percentage of completion and expected delivery dates.
He said such disclosure would enable citizens to assess whether public expenditure was translating into tangible development across the state.
“Public office carries with it a duty of stewardship. Citizens have a right to know how public funds are spent and what outcomes those expenditures are producing,” Zoho said.
The group therefore called on the Alia administration to open its books on major infrastructure projects and provide verifiable evidence of expenditure and project delivery.
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