Benue Is Seen As A Church’ – Senator Abba Moro Explains Why The State Stands Apart

Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, has criticised the leadership style of Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, alleging that governance in the state is overly centralised and operates as though it were a church where only one person issues directives.

Speaking on Democracy Today, a programme aired on African Independent Television (AIT) on Tuesday, Moro argued that virtually all major decisions are concentrated in the governor’s office, leaving commissioners and other political appointees with little or no meaningful responsibilities.

The senator representing Benue South claimed that Governor Alia has assumed roles that should ordinarily be handled by key government officials, urging residents to assess for themselves whether commissioners and other appointees exercise any real authority.

“If people are unhappy with him, it is his responsibility as a leader to bring everyone together and say, ‘This is our state; let’s build it together,’” Moro said.

“People now see Benue State like a church, where instructions come from only one person. Governor Alia is the Accountant General, the Commissioner for Finance, and even the Commissioner for Works. Carry out a discreet survey and see whether these appointees have anything meaningful to do.”

Moro also linked the governor’s leadership style to what he described as poor emergency response in the state’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

He recalled an incident in which a commissioner announced a ₦150,000 donation to be shared among three IDP camps, describing it as evidence of the limited financial powers available to government officials.

“I told the commissioner, ‘If all you want to spend is ₦150,000, come to me privately.’ I ended up giving him the money because it was an emergency,” he said.

According to Moro, the situation reflects a broader governance problem, claiming that even the deputy governor lacks the authority to approve as little as ₦1 million for urgent needs.

“The Deputy Governor doesn’t even have ₦1,000,000 spending power. That is a very unfortunate situation for the state,” he added.