Alia Orders Benue Council Chairmen to Seek His Approval before Traveling

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has directed the chairmen of the state’s 23 local governments not to leave their domains without his approval.

The decision, according to the governor, is due to recent security breaches in some local government areas in the state.

Alia issued the directive at a meeting with the council chairmen, held at the state government house in Makurdi.

The governor asked them to seek approval from him through his special adviser on the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

He told the chairmen that they needed to stay in their local government areas to enable them to tackle the issue of insecurity in their respective local government areas.

Briefing newsmen on the outcome of the meeting and sundry issues, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula, said the directive followed recent security breaches in some of the LGAs of the state.

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He, however, noted that some of the councils lacked proper accommodation for their chairmen but advised them to “make alternative accommodation arrangements, pending when the state government fix their lodges.“

“The chairmen should stay in their councils and synergy with the locals and the chiefs as well as security agencies to ensure security in the councils.

Kula also disclosed that approval was given at the end of the weekly State Executive Council meeting for the establishment of the Benue Public Service Institute, BPSI, where all categories of civil servants could be trained.

According to him, the establishment of the institute became imperative, given the absence of such an institution in the state and the fact that “many civil servants in the state are yet to undergo any form of training since they were employed into the civil service.”