By Amos Aar
BENUE State governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has debunked reports alleging a sharp rise in the state’s debt profile from ₦122.5 billion to ₦187.5 billion between September and December 2024.
Governor Alia described the reports as deliberate falsehoods aimed at discrediting his administration.
In a press statement on Saturday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula, stated that the claims were the handiwork of “bitter exiles” determined to mislead the public and derail the administration’s progress.
“These narratives are nothing but fallacies, concocted by those who have failed to accept the new reality in Benue.
“They want to tarnish the image of a performing governor and mislead national authorities,” Kula said.
Kula stated that the debt burden being quoted did not originate during Governor Alia’s tenure, but was inherited from the previous administration.
He further pointed out that former Governor Samuel Ortom had, in fact, publicly acknowledged leaving behind a debt of ₦187.5 billion when he left office in May 2023.
“One wonders how they arrived at the figure of ₦122.5 billion and then conjured up a sudden increase of ₦65 billion,” Kula questioned.
“The truth is that no such borrowing has occurred under this administration,” he asserted.
According to the statement, since assuming office over a year and eight months ago, the Alia-led government has not borrowed any funds or secured any bonds from financial institutions.
He further urged media practitioners to uphold journalistic integrity by verifying facts before publishing reports that could mislead the public.
“It is disheartening to witness the erosion of journalistic ethics. We call on the media to do better and remain the guardians of truth,” he added.
Kula assured of the administration’s dedication to transparency and good governance, stressing that no amount of propaganda would distract it from delivering development to the people of Benue State.
“We will continue to expose these falsehoods for what they are. Governor Alia remains committed to the principles of accountability and service to the people,” the CPS reiterated.
