Investing in infrastructure is a good way to create jobs, especially for young people, and help the economy grow in a sustainable way.

Infrastructure investment is the backbone of our state, and investing in it will have a positive impact on every aspect of our lives. When we improve roads, bridges, and other 21st century infrastructure, we create jobs while improving education, public safety, and the environment. An economy that invests in infrastructure grows faster than one that does not. This is because a strong infrastructure sector creates jobs and promotes growth.

Investment in infrastructure has the potential to create considerable direct and indirect job opportunities, as well as promote sustainable development in both urban and rural areas. For example, N1 billion worth of investments into road construction or other basic amenities would create about 100,000 new jobs over a period of four years (ranging from labour, contractors, to suppliers).

Infrastructure projects must provide employment opportunities while also ensuring that they meet basic human needs. These needs include income level, living standards, quality of life, quality of education, quality of health care, quality of housing, and access to public services like transportation, water, and electricity supply.

Infrastructure investment is a proven way to create jobs and promote economic growth. By building new roads, bridges, hospitals, and other public works projects of interest, governments can help lead their people to higher levels of prosperity. Infrastructure projects have been shown to help reduce poverty by creating jobs for low-skilled workers and providing access to education or health services for those living in both cities and remote areas.

The absence of job opportunities, particularly for young people, is a well-known problem in Benue State. The desire to deliver concrete employment opportunities in a reasonable period of time has become very critical.

Investing in infrastructure has a tremendous influence on economic growth, and it is often seen as a potential driver of economic growth and a quick source of employment in a short period of time. Furthermore, it has the ability to be specifically designed to help in the promotion of social goals. Investments in the provision of high-quality basic infrastructure amenities, such as hospitals and schools, as well as power, clean water supply, and sanitation, have been shown to boost living standards, increase employability, and improve the possibilities for inclusive development.

Clean water supply, quality roads, power supply, housing, health care, and educational facilities are among the most critical infrastructure.

As a whole, the SDGs can be achieved if more of these services are provided.

In light of this, our government will look at other alternatives for providing basic infrastructure.

The growth of solar technology and waste-to-energy initiatives in Benue State provides an opportunity to generate power on a sustainable small and medium scale. Due to the grid extension’s inability to adequately provide power, renewable energy is now a feasible and cost-competitive alternative for electrifying rural regions in Benue State. Private sector engagement, such as concessions or leasing agreements, may make certain types of electrification more readily envisioned.

Additional benefits of electrification with renewable energy include reducing poverty and promoting more sustainable development, which might help reduce the effects of climate change.

Benue State’s competitiveness depends on implementing policies and plans to enhance infrastructure and living conditions such as roads, power, health and educational facilities, and access to drinkable water for the people of the state.

Mission Statement

Our primary goal is to improve the quality of life and economic growth in key areas of our state by modernizing, expanding, and investing heavily in infrastructural development through direct funding and other meaningful partnership arrangements.

Infrastructure is important because it lays the foundation for a thriving economy—it is an investment that creates long-term jobs, increases economic opportunity, improves quality of life and helps our people compete in the global economy.

Infrastructure supports our daily lives by providing clean water to drink, safe roads to drive on, electricity to power homes and businesses, reliable communication systems, and much more.
Father Alia

    Key Issues

• • • Total collapse of infrastructure
    • Widespread corruption
    • Misappropriation of funds meant for infrastructure
    • Lack of political will
    • Lack of hard and soft infrastructure
    • Loss of revenue for the state
    • Better infrastructure can help us address these and other challenges but unfortunately, the present government has not made any meaningful effort to address these challenges.

     

• • Water, Sanitation, & HygieneClean water, sanitation, and hygiene are key prerequisites for every modern society today and are included in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Unfortunately, in the twenty-first century, Benue State lacks any functioning and reliable pipe-borne water supply systems. This is shameful and unacceptable.The basic goal is to plan, redesign, build, and manage all water and sanitation infrastructure in Benue State in order to provide an equal distribution of acceptable, available, accessible, and affordable drinking water and appropriate sanitation throughout.

    Our initiatives to improve clean water supply include public-public partnerships, public-community partnerships, and public-private partnerships.

    Mission Statement

    Water, sanitation, and hygiene are essential for the health and wellbeing of our people. Our mission is to promote and protect public health by ensuring water sanitation and hygiene for all. We will work to ensure that our people have access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities, and that they have the knowledge and skills to practice good hygiene. We will also advocate for better policies and practices to improve water sanitation and personal hygiene at all levels.

    Father Alia

    Key Issues

    • • • Almost all water supply installations in Benue State are broken.
        • Inadequate funding and supply of inputs to keep the water facilities running.
        • Water treatment plants are underutilized.
        • Weak public coverage.
        • Lot of leaks in the water pipes, both in the service mains and in the residential connections.
        • Inadequate capacity to maintain rural water supplies.
        • Spare components for rural water supply and water works are not readily available.
        • Total collapse of environmental sanitation initiatives
        • Over aged infrastructure.
        • Lack of water quality monitoring laboratories.
        • Limited amount of residential service connections.
        • The ever-increasing rate of urbanization has resulted in water and sanitation service shortages in urban and semi-urban regions.
        • Inadequate revenue generation.
        • Inadequate data collection and monitoring.
        • Inadequate water supply and sanitation service pricing and tariff collection.
        • Private sector engagement in the water and sanitation industry is minimal.
        • Lack of personal hygiene awareness

      Action Plan

    • • • Commercialize solid waste management for efficiency and revenue generation
        • Properly fund the Ministry of Water Resources and Environment and its parastatals for effective water supply
        • Complete all on-going government water projects in the state
        • Provide water to five (5) rural communities in each local government area per year
        • Phased reticulation of Makurdi and other selected towns in the state
        • Partner with the Federal Government and other relevant multilateral development agencies to revive the Gboko and Otukpo water supply schemes
        • Cooperate with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other relevant agencies to improve borehole development in the state
        • Water supply and sanitation legislation, regulations, and standards will be implemented.
        • Carry out water supply and sanitation reforms in order to achieve and maintain globally acceptable standards.
        • Rehabilitation of water plants in Zones A, B, and C.
        • Expand water supply and sanitation service coverage across the state to fulfill the state’s socioeconomic demands.
        • Ensure residents’ access to affordable water and sanitation services.
        • Ensure that water supply operations maintain excellent water quality requirements.
        • Keep an eye on the sector’s performance in order to make sound policy adjustments and development in the areas of water supply and sanitation.
        • Reintroduce mandatory weekly sanitation initiatives
          

          Electricity (Alternative Energy & Power)

          The epileptic power supply, which has various different repercussions on the growth and development of the state and Nigeria as a whole, is one of the major issues affecting business growth in Benue State.

          Adequate and stable electricity supply is expected to boost the socioeconomic situation in Benue State. It is projected to help Benue State’s advances in technological and industrial growth.

          The abundant wastes or trash especially in the state capital can be exploited to meet our energy needs. The use of incineration to provide electricity is a sustainable and reliable method of producing energy and managing waste at the same time. Waste to Energy (WTE) through the incineration process has become unavoidable due to its efficiency and effectiveness for the provision of constant power and waste management.

          Mission Statement

          The mission of His Excellency, Fr. Alia, is to revamp the current rural electrification program to bring electricity to almost every village through small renewable energy projects such as solar energy, waste-to-energy and other alternatives. This will entice international investors and promote private sector engagement in the renewable energy sector as a whole.

          Father Alia

          Action Plan

          • Develop an independent waste-to-energy (WtE) facility or hydropower generation and distribution plant in Benue State
          • Provide electricity to at least five (5) rural communities in each local government area per year
          • Promote the supply of solar power in rural areas of the state
          • Create a conducive environment for the private sector to invest in power generation in the state
          • Improve generation, transmission, and distribution capacity to ensure adequate and sustainable power supply.
          • Use the most appropriate technologies to achieve an optimized energy balance.
          • Access the potentials of the state renewable technologies.
          • Adopt suitable renewable energy technology policies in order to achieve long-term development.
          • Collaborate with established energy research centers to facilitate renewable energy research.
          • Encourage domestic and external independent power producers to invest in Benue State through ease of doing business policies.
            

            Roads

            Action Plan

          • Prioritization of the Wurukum roundabout decongestion with the construction of a grade separated inter- section (flyover)
          • Creation of satellite towns to further decongest the state capital and other selected towns in the state
          • Construction of overhead pedestrian bridges in selected locations in Makurdi and other selected towns in the state
          • Implement a comprehensive development of township roads across the state
          • Implement a comprehensive development of rural roads across the state for improved agriculture and security
          • Lobby for the construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of federal roads in the state
          • Establish materials testing laboratories for construction and quality control
          • Establish some sites for construction materials across the state to facilitate the construction of roads

          Housing

          Every family deserves a safe, decent, and affordable place to call home. Housing is a basic human need and a fundamental right. A safe and stable home is the foundation upon which people can build their lives, raise their families, and pursue their dreams. Access to mortgage, social and affordable housing is key to the development of the housing sector. The right to own a decent home is fundamental to our people.

          The provision of affordable housing is a social contract that our incoming administration must fulfill.

          Mission Statement

          The mission of His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia is to ensure that our people have access to safe, decent, and affordable housing through our Social Housing Scheme. We are dedicated to providing a safe and healthy environment for our residents to live in and raise their families. We will continue to work diligently to ensure that our administration will devote resources to guarantee that individuals at the bottom of the income scale who can part with a monthly token will own a decent and affordable home.

          Father Alia

          Key Issues

          • • There has been insufficient housing for the generality of the Benue citizens, especially the youths
            • Little number of housing units that were constructed in the past have been neglected for too long and are in a state of disrepair
            • Lack of updated master plan in the state.
            • Inadequate housing, leading to exorbitant rents.
            • A lack of political will to implement current regulations and legislation.
            • Growth of slums due to inadequate planning.
            • Inadequate professional capacity
            • Lack of computerized land records.
            • Constraints in land
            • Lack of easy access to mortgage facilities.

                 Action Plan

          • • • • Strengthen the modernization of BENGIS for effective service delivery
                • Partner with individuals, real estate companies, and financial institutions to increase affordable housing in the state using the PPP and BOT strategies
                • Make land purchase for housing and development easier by paying compensation promptly through balanced budgetary provisions, issuing titles to acquired properties, and prompt registration of land related transactions.
                • Ensure good neighborhood planning, regular design of new layouts, cadastral survey and mapping of cities with community involvement to avoid indiscriminate constructions.
                • Promote the use of locally created construction materials while also ensuring the identification and investigation of new ones in order to evaluate their location, quantity, quality, and potential for exploitation.
                • Promote professionalism in construction and housing through acquisition of requisite knowledge and skills
                • Adopt appropriate technology and effective manpower training to raise output in the industry.
                • Facilitate private sector driven housing delivery through variants of public private partnership initiative.
                • Institute urban management system which ensures tariffs due is properly collected to aid the renewal and maintenance of housing
                • Constitute a committee of experts and knowledgeable persons outside government with proven cognate qualifications and experience to evaluate the performance of the housing sector
                • Create adequate and affordable housing with flexible payment options by developing an efficient primary mortgage scheme
                • Establish an effective legal and regulatory framework for the control and monitoring of housing

                Environment

                Action Plan

                • • Reorganize and fund the Urban Development Board and Benue State Environmental Sanitation Agency for optimum urban and rural sanitation in the state
                  • Proper funding of the Ministry of Water Resources and Environment and its parastatals to undertake erosion control projects in the state
                  • Expand the construction of drainages throughout the state to mitigate the effects of flooding
                  • Place an embargo on deforestation and encourage afforestation and horticulture
                  • Regulate all mining and industrial activities through appropriate legislation
                  • Make judicious use of the Ecological Fund to construct drainages and waterways in Makurdi and selected locations that require urgent attention
                  • Strengthen the environmental legislation in the state for proactive and sustainable environmental protection
                  • Reorganize and strengthen the operations of the Department of Forestry in the state
                  • Embark on urban regeneration and renewal

                  Clean water supply, quality roads, power supply, housing, health care, and educational facilities are among the most critical infrastructure.
                  Father Alia