What would posterity remember Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration for?

The administration of Governor Alia has clocked two years in office. And two years are enough to provide a compass to an administration’s direction and projected goals.

An honest and down-to-earth appraisal of Alia’s administration in its two-year stint, beyond the ephemeral, will reveal a futuristic orientation in its policies and general direction that may be lost to the cursory observer.

While it is true that the government has taken proactive steps to address and stabilise immediate needs like payment of salaries, provision of direly needed farm inputs and urgent interventions in the health sector amongst others, all which have earned the administration deserved plaudits, the long term potentials and benefits of most of the administration’s policies are not taken note of.

Governor Alia’s joker in his arsenal—in his bid to reposition the state—is the newly established University of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Ihugh and the economic expansion of the state. A closer look will reveal this university as not just another institution of higher learning but the catalyst for immense socio-economic potential and long-term benefits.

With new world courses like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, ICT and others in its compendium of courses, it is an institution that is poised to not just produce degree holders, but to reshape the quality of the state’s intelligentsia.

In the words of Prof Qrisstuberg Amua, “the Benue State University of Agriculture, Science and Technology (BSUAST), Ihugh, is purposefully conceived not as a conventional comprehensive university, but as a pioneering research-intensive institution with an Agricultural, Scientific and Technological transformative vision for Benue State, Nigeria and Africa. Anchored on the imperative of development-driven knowledge, BSUAST is pioneering a redefinition of the higher education landscape by placing research, innovation, and technological advancement at the core of our institutional identity. Rather than merely disseminating knowledge (which is good in itself), BSUAST is designed to generate, deploy, and incubate solutions that respond to local needs and global aspirations.

“To give structure to this aspiration, the University has established a constellation of specialised Centres and Institutes, each tailored to address critical developmental challenges while fostering excellence in research, community impact, and sustainable innovation. These centres will serve as intellectual hubs – fusing science, tradition, technology, entrepreneurship, and creativity – while projecting BSUAST as a bold nexus for African renaissance and global relevance”.

According to the National Universities Commission (NUC), the establishment of Benue State University of Agriculture, Science and Technology Ihugh is another bold and strategic move that will undoubtedly empower the youths, develop the workforce and promote knowledge-driven development in the state.

The new university, with its ICT-driven focus, is in fact, a reorientation of the educational projection of the state in tandem with global trends against traditional but obsolete courses, which now burden society with a multitude of degree holders not properly equipped to effectively function in our fast-paced world. The goal is to equip and migrate the minds of our young men and women away from the traditional graduates of job seekers into innovators and societal solution providers.

This is one of Governor Alia’s far-sighted projects that may be misconstrued on the face value, but which the state stands to reap immense benefits from for a very long time to come.

Overall, the Benue University of Agriculture, Science, and Technology has the potential to transform the state’s agricultural sector, promote food security, and contribute to economic growth and development. These initiatives underscore Governor Alia’s commitment to harnessing agriculture and education as drivers of economic development and improved livelihoods in Benue State.

Other projects like the strategic underpasses and overhead crossings in the state’s major townships like Makurdi, Gboko and Otukpo are visions whose fruits would be better appreciated long after the present moment.

Apart from the aesthetics of the infrastructure, these monuments are designed to accommodate the accompanying boom, urban expansion and projected population pressure in the years to come.
Beyond these projects, we have others like the new Benue brewery and the introduction of Benue-produced drinks like Zeva and Oyi bitters. Has one ever sat back and wondered about the capital that goes out of Benue State every day from alcoholic beverages alone?

The brewery will not only provide desperately needed jobs but will also be an economic and revenue-generating cash cow for the state.
Posterity will remember Governor Hyacinth Alia not as a governor who doled out handouts to privileged cronies, but one who looked into the future and built a self-reliant populace who could comfortably sustain themselves on well-thought-out out smart climate agricultural practices, cutting-edge technology and ICT, as well as innovative business ideas. Posterity will also remember Governor Alia for engineering a more productive society through his economic expansion policies.

Anyam is an economist, administrator, writer, and a Principal Staff of the Executive Governor of Benue State.