A delegation of the Implementation Monitoring Committee, IMC, of the National Economic Council, NEC, for the North Central Zone has described its visit to Benue State as an “eye-opener,” citing visible progress in infrastructure, job creation, agriculture, and investment under Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration.
The team, led by the North Central Team Lead of the IMC, Professor Jerome Andohol who made the position of the delegation known on Friday after the conclusion of its tour, said the tour is part of a broader mandate to assess the extent to which NEC resolutions and templates are being implemented across sub-nationals, and to document legacy projects executed within the last one year.
Speaking during the visit, the Team Lead noted that the monitoring exercise began in Minna, Niger State, and continued through Kwara and Lokoja, with Benue being the fourth state. The team will proceed to Nasarawa and Jos, Plateau State, to complete the North Central leg, including the FCT.
“The essence of our visit is to see the extent to which NEC’s benchmarks, which have to do with resolutions of NEC, are being implemented within the sub-nationals,” he said.
“The National Economic Council (NEC) of Nigeria is established by the 1999 Constitution to advise the President on the economic affairs of the federation. Chaired by the Vice-President, it includes all 36 state governors, the Central Bank Governor, and key federal economic officials.”, he added
Professor Andohol who is also the Director General of the Benue State Budget and Economic Planning Commission explained that states are encouraged to adopt programs they find beneficial from other states during the exercise. “During monitoring, states can also copy those ones that they feel are beneficial to them to their own spaces. That is part of the essence of this visit.”
According to him, the visit serves three purposes: to showcase development programs and activities carried out in the last one year, to enable peer review and learning among governors, and to help states adapt solutions to peculiar challenges.
In Benue, the committee toured projects in the humanitarian, education, roads, investment sectors among others. The team specifically highlighted the Ben-Sono concentrate factory, which processes oranges and plans to expand into mangoes and pineapples. The factory currently employs close to 250 Benue citizens, with the overall government projects estimated to have engaged close to 1,000 youths across construction sites.
The delegation also inspected the state’s low-income housing estate, which it said is nearing distribution, as well as ongoing road and building projects across Makurdi and other areas.
Other areas visited include the Zeva beer factory, handled by the Benue Investment and Property Company, BIPC, and the Benue Links transport company, described as a key social intervention in the state’s economy. The team noted BIPC’s role in reviving moribund factories and establishing new ones.
On agriculture, the committee observed that the state has gone beyond fertilizer distribution, which is being offered at about 50% subsidy, and has done “a whole lot of groundwork” in livestock development.
The team also met with the Bureau for Homeland Security to assess the state’s preparedness for state policing and broader security arrangements. The Team Lead noted that security directly impacts the business environment and investment drive.
“This government has done exceedingly well by ensuring that our people are employed, either in terms of the construction sites to which they are doing the roads that are there, and the other infrastructure,” he said.
Professor Andohol added that findings from the visit will be properly documented and submitted to the NEC. He recalled that the last monitoring report was released in hard and soft copies and distributed to governors and commissioners of budget and economic planning to identify challenges and replicate successful models.
Speaking at the Benue State Ministry of Works, Housing and Urban Development, which was the first point of visit by the team, the Director of Administration and Finance, Mfa Aper, welcomed the delegation and commended the Governors’ Forum for the fact-finding mission.
“We sincerely appreciate your visit. The Governors’ Forum has done a very good job by embarking on fact-finding mission. It’s a welcome development. At least we don’t have skeletons in our cupboard here in Benue State,” Aper said.
He credited Governor Alia for “doing wonderfully in the area of infrastructure,” noting that projects in roads, housing among others are either completed or ongoing across the state.
“We have submitted the pictures, but you will see it and then agree with us that what we have submitted is not just mere pictures, but what is on the ground. Seeing is believing,” he said, inviting the team to tour projects within Makurdi and outside the capital.
Aper added that the Ministry is also executing housing projects, including facilities at the secretariat, and the Fashion Hub, with more projects expected.
He, however, urged the committee to expand the scope of assessment beyond 2025 to 2023 to capture the full impact of the administration’s work.
“His Excellency is working through the Ministry of Works, Housing, and Urban Development. Ministry of Works is wonderfully working,” he stated.
The NEC monitoring exercise is expected to conclude with a comprehensive report to guide policy decisions and encourage inter-state learning across the country.
Other members of the team are Mooreino Diftuffe, Tete Doubra and Dayil Joseph.
