The Executive Chairman of Agatu Local Government Council, Melvin Ejeh, has strongly defended Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, against allegations that his administration has abandoned Agatu, describing the claims as false, politically motivated and disconnected from the realities in the area.

Ejeh, who spoke in response to allegations by the Agatu West Peace and Unity Forum, said the scale of interventions across the local government under the Alia administration made it difficult for anyone familiar with developments in Agatu to credibly accuse the governor of neglect.

According to him, virtually every major achievement recorded in Agatu since he assumed office as council chairman has been facilitated by the “active moral, spiritual, financial and logistical support” of Governor Alia.

He said: “There is nothing I would have done in the Agatu Local Government without the active moral, spiritual, financial and logistical support of the Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia. Everything Agatu has become today is because of his direct efforts.”

Ejeh maintained that no previous administration in the state had demonstrated the level of commitment, concern and attention to Agatu shown by the Alia administration, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, security and the welfare of displaced residents.

At the centre of his defence is the ongoing 43-kilometre Obagaji-Okokolo-Agagbe road, which Ejeh said was being constructed at a cost of about N29 billion.

He described the project as one of the most significant infrastructure interventions in Agatu since the return of democratic rule, noting that successive administrations had promised to construct the road without making meaningful progress.

“Today, that road is ongoing and safely ongoing. A large portion of it has already been done,” he said.

According to the chairman, the road is already improving security and economic access in the area, with travel time between Makurdi and Agatu expected to be reduced by about two hours upon completion.

He said the project also passes through communities previously notorious for insecurity, including areas around Egba and Ologba, allowing security personnel to respond to emergencies within minutes instead of the two to three hours previously required.

“How can such a man be said to have abandoned the Agatu Local Government?” Ejeh asked.

He also pointed to what he described as unprecedented political representation for Agatu under Governor Alia, citing the appointment of an indigene, Dr Margaret Adekemi Ijaguwa, as Commissioner for Education.

According to him, the appointment has already translated into concrete benefits, including plans to establish a government technical school in Enungba, where land has been acquired and preparations for construction are underway.

Ejeh further cited the appointment of Agatu indigenes to strategic government positions, including Idris Ojimbili, Senior Special Assistant on Community Mobilisation, and Philip Otukpa, as well as other Agatu sons serving on government boards and agencies.

He disclosed that plans were also at an advanced stage for the establishment of a Benue State University teaching hospital in Agatu, saying technical groundwork and site assessment had been completed and construction was expected to begin before the end of the year.

On security, Ejeh said the Alia administration had supplied more than 45 motorcycles to Agatu for conventional security personnel and community-based vigilante groups, strengthening their capacity to respond rapidly to threats in vulnerable communities.

He also highlighted the role of the State Emergency Management Agency in providing monthly food assistance to internally displaced persons in Agatu, while disclosing that the state had facilitated the local government’s inclusion in a World Bank-supported SOLID project, with more than $5 million expected to support displaced and conflict-affected communities.

Ejeh said the inclusion of Agatu in the intervention followed Governor Alia’s insistence that the local government, given its history of violent conflict and displacement, should benefit from the programme. He acknowledged that returning displaced residents to their ancestral communities remained a challenge, but insisted that the security situation had fundamentally improved.

“The communities are no longer under attack. We challenge them to point to one community that is not safe,” he said.