Nigeria’s only Catholic priest-governor, Reverend Father Hyacinth Iormem Alia’s governorship elicits keen interest and attention.

The curiosity may not be misplaced. Unlike most of his predecessors and contemporaries, Fr. Hyacinth Alia was already a household name in Benue State, where he had conducted countless healing masses long before he ventured into the murky waters of Nigerian politics.

Regarding his governorship, the curiosity centered on how the compassion of the healing priest and the cold and brutal dog-eat-dog Nigerian politics could find common ground. Was Alia going to jettison his calling of compassion for the calculated and intentionally cold and brutal calling of politics?

But the altar and the office have never been more harmoniously blended than in Governor Alia’s inspiring example of faith and leadership.

Beyond the bureaucracy and protocols of office, the priestly side of the governor has found expression in a non-governmental organization, his own NGO, the Alia Cares Foundation, on which platform he still provides succor to the most vulnerable and downtrodden in society.

As a healing priest of the universal Catholic faith, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia had conducted healing masses in which many faithful were healed of their ailments. Few healing masses across denominations could rival his passion and commitment.

Spanning over three decades in the Lord’s vineyard, Alia had earned the trust and confidence of the very dregs of society. They were his, and he was theirs and still the same. The sick, the destitute, the old, the tormented, the hungry, the desperate, and the most vulnerable. They all came to him, and he embraced them all. He was there for them, and they flocked to him from all the nooks and crannies of the state. Long before his foray into politics, the reverend gentleman remained an enigma.

Thus, when he ventured into partisan politics and eventually declared for governorship, he already had a fan base and large following, especially among the masses, no other one individual had ever had in the history of Benue State. And as expected, he swept the polls like a hurricane and was sworn in as the sixth democratically elected governor of Benue State on May 29, 2023.

The question now was how the healing priest-governor could marry the compassionate calling of the altar and the dog-eat-dog calling of politics.

Away from the trappings and accoutrements of state power, Governor Alia has maintained his priestly calling of compassion through the Alia Cares Foundation.

The Alia Cares Foundation is not an organ of government, nor is it funded from government coffers. Father Alia’s foundation is actually called Alia Cares. It is an initiative launched by Fr. Alia with a focus on support for vulnerable groups such as women, widows, the internally displaced (IDPs), and youths. Through various programs such as grants to over 27,000 rural women, support and care for widows and the IDPs to ensure their well-being, as well as assisting those affected by conflicts and displacement and offering opportunities for growth and development to the youths.

The testimonies for Governor Alia by the masses are therefore legion. A housewife, Mrs. Blessing Thompson, in gratitude for the restoration of the eyesight of her daughter, vowed that she would vote for the governor “a thousand times if I have the opportunity.”

Another beneficiary of the Alia Cares Foundation, Mr. John Abba, maintained that he has “seen the work of Fr. Alia. He is a conscientious governor.”

Maxwell Ogiri, chairman of Otukpo Local Government Council, says of Fr. Alia, “Your efforts are deeply commendable… beyond the spiritual healing you have brought to Benue, you have now proven to be a harbinger of physical healing as well… what I saw at the University of Health Sciences was nothing short of a miracle.”

These sentiments represent the broad spectrum of feelings for the governor across the state among the masses. Benue people love Alia as their priest and governor.

His governor colleagues in the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), through their Director General, Folorunso Aluko, described him in their goodwill message to the governor on his 59th birthday anniversary on May 15, 2025.

The impact of the Alia Cares Foundation’s Medical Eye Care Outreach is multifaceted. Not only has it improved the health and well-being of countless individuals, but it has also demonstrated the governor’s commitment to inclusive governance. By prioritizing the needs of his people, Governor Alia has built trust and strengthened relationships with his constituents.

As Governor Alia continues to lead Benue State, his legacy will also be defined by his unwavering commitment to faith, service, and the welfare of his people. The Alia Cares Foundation’s Medical Eye Care Outreach, for instance, serves as a powerful example of his leadership style, which will inspire others to follow in his footsteps. Posterity will judge Governor Fr. Alia fairly.

Gbabo-Anyam, an economist, administrator, and journalist, is a principal staff member of the Executive Governor of Benue State.