Governor Hyacinth Alia: A second Wave of Divine Providence
Uji, Wilfred Terlumun
Professor of History
There is the assumption, rooted in theological messianism, that when human societies are on the verge of a total collapse, there is always a providential intervention sent by God, through the instrumentality of a Messiah or Mahdi, to rescue society from total collapse and decay.
The Messianic thinking and ideology has played out times without number in World Politics. In ancient biblical times, it the basis that the Maccabees mobilized and organized a Jewish resistance against the Roman Occupation of Palestine leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. The Maccabees Revolt turned into a political movement that gave birth to the Jewish Zealot political party that Simeon, one of the Apostle of Jesus Christ was a member of the party. The hope and expectation of the Zealots, an ancient version of Radical Zionism, was the violent and Militant overthrow of the Roman Occupation of the Jewish Homeland, Palestine. The Jewish Question in Palestine is as ancient as the biblical times. It is most likely that Jesus Christ himself endorsed fundamental Zionism or even was a member of the Zealot Party.
After his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ envisaged an Apocalyptic Messianism in which the restoration of fundamental Zionism will occur and become a political reality at his Secound Coming which has no tentative date but with signs for the human race to observe.
This interpretation of Messianism has left a vacuum for religious zealots to exploit to their advantage. It implies that whenever society is at the verge of a moral and spiritual collapse, there is always the manifestation of a Messiah Divine Intervention. It also means that where there is the society loss of confidence in a ruling political status quo of a nation, people look up for some kind of Divine Providence to rescue society and restore human hope and confidence.
The Iranian Revolution of 1978 was factored within the framework of the Mahdi that believed that Ayatollah Khomeini was the messiah sent by divine arrangements to both the revival and preservation of the Islamic faith.
The political class in Benue State are gifted theological thinkers who have times again and again exploited and manipulated religion to their advantage as a vehicle for the capture of state power.
In the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria, former Governor Samuel Ortom exploited the religious slogan, ” In God We Trust” to wipe up sentiments and mobilize the voters in Benue State in support of the All Progressive Congress. The electorates of the state for some reasons believed in his messianic appeal and voted him and his party into power. In 2019, format Governor Samuel Ortom again exploited religious sentiments by the manipulation of the Fulani herdsmen invasion of Benue State to justify his decamping to the People’s Democratic Party abd also as a spring board for his re-election back to Government House. The religious thinking rooted in the idea of a divine project has always found fertile grounds in Benue State where the common people have a naive faith in God.
On the eve of the 2022 General Elections in Nigeria, it was evident and obvious that the people of Benue State had lost hope and confidence in the existing ruling political status quo. Society, both in the moral and economic setting was on the verge of a total collapse. People badly needed some kind of change, hope and confidence building agenda. Since 1999, for over twenty years, society in Benue State experimented with the political class with the hope of finding Good Governance. Almost all of the political class had failed the Benue Public towards the delivering the good benefits of democracy and development. Statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that Youth Unemployment remained as high as over Forty Percent, Poverty rate stood at over Sixty Percent, the rural areas were ravaged by herdsmen invasions that has displaced farming Communities and population causing a severe humanitarian disaster, the civil working class were owed over eleven months of salary arrears, militia groups and warlords paraded the landscape through wanton killings and assassinations,
In a summary like in the words of Thomas Hobbes, Life was nasty, brutish and short. Benue State and her people were deep in the valley of despair and helplessness. For decades, God through his Divine Providence had prepared a young well educated and revolutionary priest who had laboured across the parishes of the Catholic Church in Benue State. As a compassionate humanitarian priest, he had earned a dogged reputation like Mother Theresa through healing masses and the outpouring of good humanitarian hospitality networking across the state. Father Hyacinth Alia not only gave hope to the broken ordinary people, but, he became the very object of hope in a society ravaged by partisan political elites, with the infliction of helplessness and hopelessness on the people.” The Reconciliation of all your predecessors, the past governors of Benue State to chart a new path of the reconstruction and transformation of Benue State. One of the challenge of governance in Benue State is the disconnect between the past and present. There is no continuity of purpose and vision between the past and the present. Development cannot take place where there is past to reckon with, where there is disconnect in the implementation of state Policies.
* The Reconciliation of Fulani Herdsmen and Farming Communities across the State. There is urgent need for compensations to the victims of the herdsmen invasion as well as herders who have lost lives and cattle. It is not out of place if your administration can establish farm villages as well as revive the Jato Aka, Raav, Ikyogen etc cattle ranches to regulate Nomadic Grazing in Benue State. We know that the Aper Aku administration had established ranches across Benue State in the 1980s. The Ranches can be revived through a public private partnership agreement.
* A Truth Commission that should decide when other ethnic groups like the Idoma and Igede will be elected as Governor of Benue State. There is need for the reconciliation of a power sharing agreement. This is the beauty of a democracy that minority groups should be carried along.
* What is happening to our mineral resources such as Gold and Uranium being illegally mined by the Chinese.
Equally, what is the state of industries established under the Governor Moses Adasu era such as fruit juice, tomato, roof tiles, floor mills, etc.
* A Truth Commission on the extra judiciary killing of Terwase Agwaza , the kidnappings in the Sankara Axis, Violence at Ikpayongo, and other parts of Benue State with similar communal fuedal Violence, land grapping agenda.
* What is happening to the Image of the Tiv Nation in the national media caused by the upsurge of ethnic nationalism of groups such as the Kwararafa Confederacy, Arewa House etc
* The Reconciliation of constructive partnership between Benue State, the Federal Government, International Organizations and Non Governmental Organizations involved in development.
Is there a need to reconcile differences between the national political class and the state ruling class for the faster and rapid growth of Benue State?
Is there need to woo and attract investment and opportunities from the national and international class:
* A Truth hearing on the contributions of National Migrants, Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, who dominates the economy of Benue State, the major source of Capital Flight, to the economic development of the State
Finally, Mr Governor Sir, I join the millions of Benue people and Nigerians to wish you a happy birthday.
Governor Hyacinth Alia has come to be a revolutionary trail blazer liken to that of Priests in the politics of Latin America who sees humanity as the focal point of development and transformation. It is against this background that transform Benue State is beginning to witnessed one of the most monumental transformations in the recent history of Nigeria.
Governor Alia great and dynamic compassionate leadership has as his priority and focus on, Good Governance that upholds the values and ideas of workers welfarism, infrastructural development, poverty reduction through the creation of small scale and medium scale enterprises in the agricultural and commercial sectors. He has an eagle eye on the education sector that has implemented student friendly policies of free examination tuition in our public schools.
On this occasion of his 58th Birthday Anniversary, we all hail and celebrate the Great Leader, Patriot and Compassionate Priest in Politics, whom God by divine Providence has ordained for the healing and transformation of Benue State, taking the state to enviable heights in the North Central of Nigeria.
Mr Governor Sir, we pray that God’s Grace will continue to uphold and sustain as well as preservation from all your enemies and that of the State.
Above all, We wish you God’s Wisdom in navigating the murky and treacherous waters of Nigeria’s politics and in particular, Benue State.
Long Live Nigeria
Long Live Benue State
Long Live Governor Hyacinth Alia
