By Queen Kunde
The National Economic Council (NEC) Monitoring and Implementation Committee has praised Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, for what it described as a remarkable economic transformation taking place across the state.
The commendation came during an inspection tour of projects in Benue by the North Central Economic Team of the committee, which visited factories owned by the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) in Makurdi.
Leader of the delegation, Professor Jerome Andohol, said the committee was on a monitoring tour of four states to assess how well state governments are implementing resolutions and development benchmarks approved by the National Economic Council. He noted that the team had already visited the Federal Capital Territory before arriving in Benue.
Professor Andohol said the projects inspected in the state exceeded expectations, describing the visit as an eye-opener. According to him, the committee witnessed impressive progress in the humanitarian, health and education sectors, as well as major investment-driven commercial projects.
He singled out BIPC’s industrial projects, including the Food Basket Brewery, Eco City Estate, Bensono Concentrate Factory, Benval Juice Factory and the newly acquired Federal Housing Estate at Welfare Quarters, which Governor Alia announced would be renamed Agbogbo Ode Estate in honour of the late Head of Service.
He said the projects reflect the administration’s commitment to industrialisation, job creation and economic growth.
Professor Andohol disclosed that the Bensono Concentrate Factory alone is expected to create more than 250 direct jobs, while construction work and related activities have already provided employment opportunities for over 1,000 youths.
The committee also applauded the state’s low-cost housing programme, describing it as a major step towards making decent homes available to low-income earners.
He commended Governor Alia for what he called giant strides in development across different sectors and also praised the Group Managing Director of BIPC, Dr. Raymond Asemakaha, CFA, for driving the revival of dormant industries and attracting fresh investments into the state.
Earlier, the Head of Business Development and Strategy at BIPC, Mrs. Theresa Abeda, alongside members of the company’s management team, received the delegation on behalf of the Board and Management before leading them on a tour of the facilities.
Discussion about this post