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By David Odama
The Benue state government Friday described comments recently by Prof. Ityavyar as disturbing insinuations carved in backlashes to discredit the remarkable progress being made in the state’s educational sector by the administration of governor Hyacinth Alia.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula, in a press briefing at the Government House in Makurdi, while responding to recent criticisms leveled against Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration by Prof. Dennis Ityavyar, former Commissioner for Education under the Ortom-led government..
Sir Kula noted that it was unfortunate for a citizen of professor Dennis Ityavyar to baselessly come to the public domain with such unfounded, bias and misguided comment against the governor who he said places education in his priority lists in Benue state.
“It is unfortunate that someone who presided over the rot in the education sector for eight years would now have the audacity to criticize a government that is focused on fixing the mess he left behind,” Kula said.
He noted that under Governor Alia’s leadership, the educational system has experienced significant stability and reform. A major highlight, according to the CPS, is the establishment of the Benue State University of Science and Technology in Ihugh, which has received licensing, land, and funding, with construction already underway and principal officers appointed.
Kula also revealed that the Alia administration had resolved a long-standing industrial crisis involving university lecturers by paying 38 months’ worth of earned allowances, a feat yet to be matched by many federal institutions. This, he said, boosted morale across the tertiary education system.
He emphasized that over 9,700 qualified teachers were recruited to revamp the state’s primary schools, while 16 government colleges and secondary schools are currently undergoing full-scale rehabilitation. Additionally, 225 primary schools are being renovated or completely reconstructed, many now featuring multi-story classroom buildings, a first in many local government areas.
Other achievements highlighted include:
•Establishment of a Bureau for Quality Assurance, which has already identified over 4,000 substandard schools for closure or upgrade. Creation of an Engineering Faculty at the Moses Orshio Adasu University to expand access to technical education.
•Launch of a student insurance scheme in partnership with NICON Insurance for all learners in the state. Payment of bursary allowances of no less than ₦200,000 each to about 131 law students across Nigerian law schools.
•Full government sponsorship of WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB final year registration fees for over 18,000 students in public secondary schools”, the CPS declared.
Kula challenged critics to show evidence of similar progress during their tenure, particularly Prof. Ityavyar, who he accused of overseeing the collapse of the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Makurdi, as well as being linked to unaddressed scholarship fraud and illegal student levies.
The CPS stated that forensic audits initiated by Governor Alia have unearthed financial irregularities, and investigations are ongoing. He suggested that the recent outburst by Prof. Ityavyar was a preemptive move to stir public sympathy ahead of potential accountability measures.
“This government will not be blackmailed into silence. Governor Alia is focused, and his eyes are on the ball,” Kula stated. “Criticism is welcome, but it must be constructive, not wicked or rooted in sanctimonious grandstanding.”
While acknowledging that the governor may not have commissioned every completed project, Kula maintained that delivery and impact were more important than ceremonial tape-cutting.
He concluded by reaffirming the administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and delivering quality governance across all sectors, calling on critics to compare “their eight years with our two years, and let the people judge.”
Pls, use Alia’s picture sir. It’s from the DG and other pending stories since yesterday.
