The challenges facing Benue State

Side by side the inspiring story of Benue leaders is the uninspiring story of Benue State. Situated in the North-Central region of Nigeria, the state has an estimated population of over four million. It is a rich agricultural region with fertile land and temperate weather condition favourable for cultivation of food and cash crops; some of the crops grown are yams, potatoes, cassava, soyabean, guinea corn, rice, beniseed,  among numerous species fruits and vegetables.

Benue was once the envy of its neighbours and the pride of the people, a state blessed beyond measure with dark loams of fertile land dissected through by fresh, flowing river. It was an oasis in the savannah, coupled with its human resources, unquestionable potential and promise. So blessed was the state that it was tipped to feed the nation, and to be a major hub of agricultural export to West Africa and beyond.

Sadly, years on, the state’s slogan as the “food basket of the nation” sounds all but a mirage. The optimism that greeted its creation from the defunct Benue-Plateau state in 1976 has fizzled out into the reality of underdevelopment and poverty. This became inevitable when successive administrations chose to trade sustainable development and self – reliance for the monthly share of “the national cake”, a phrase that has enjoyed patronage since Nigeria jettisoned agriculture to depend fully on revenue from the sale of crude oil.

It is therefore not a surprise that, today, the state surffers.  Lack of industries and poor infrastructure have given birth to unemployment, poor enabling environment for business and hence, zero economic growth amid

unpaid salaries.

The  effect is obvious; a legion of politicians and the people at their mercy, a people accustomed to less and adapted to the mediocrity of just the basics of life; food, water (which is still scarce despite the proximity to River Benue), shelter and, strangely, alcohol.

The challenge of our society is to build a strong state with strong institutions that will breed collective development and reverse the fortunes of the state. By so doing, we could look back and celebrate our progress as individuals and also celebrate and be proud of our progress as a state.

Dr Usha Anenga

Makurdi,

Benue State.