President Bola Tinubu has asked Governor Hyacinth Alia to work more for peace and development of Benue State, saying he was elected to govern, not to bury people.

The President said this while addressing stakeholders at the Government House, Markudi, last Wednesday.

He also called on the governor to set up a peace committee to address some of the issues in the state.

The meeting included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, traditional rulers, and former governors of the state.

The governors of Kwara, Imo, Kogi, Plateau, Ondo, and Nasarawa states also attended the meeting.

“Let us meet again in Abuja. Let’s fashion out a framework for lasting peace. I am ready to invest in that peace. I assure you, we will find peace. We will convert this tragedy into prosperity,” he said.

President Tinubu urged Governor Alia to allocate land for ranching and directed the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security to follow up.

“I wanted to come here to commission projects, to reassure you of hope and prosperity, not to see gloomy faces. But peace is vital to development.

“The value of human life is greater than that of a cow. We were elected to govern, not to bury people”, he stressed.

He charged Governor Alia on working with the Federal Government to restore peace.

“Governor Alia, you were elected under the progressive banner to ensure peace, stability, and progress. You are not elected to bury people or comfort widows and orphans. We will work with you to achieve that peace. You must also work with us”, he said.

In his remarks, Governor Alia appealed to the Federal Government to establish a Special Intervention Fund for communities affected by repeated violent attacks across the state.

“Your Excellency, while we continue to mourn our losses and rebuild from the ashes of pain, we humbly urge the Federal Government to consider establishing a special intervention fund for communities affected by these incessant attacks in Benue State,” he said.

Governor Alia said the fund would support the rehabilitation of displaced persons, reconstruction of destroyed homes and infrastructure, and the restoration of livelihoods, especially for farmers.

He reiterated his support for establishing state police as a lasting solution to insecurity.

The governor pledged his administration’s full commitment to building a safe, stable, prosperous Benue State.

Also speaking at the meeting, the Chairman of the Benue State Traditional Rulers Council, Tor Tiv, Orchivirigh, Prof. James Ayatse, praised President Tinubu for being the first sitting President to personally visit victims in the hospital in the wake of such a tragedy.

He thanked the President for appointing notable Benue indigenes into key positions, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev, while expressing hope that more appointments would follow.

Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (ret’d), says the Aburi accord collapsed because Chukwuemeka Ojukwu wanted regional governors to control military zones.

Gen. Gowon was Nigeria’s military ruler from 1966 until 1975 when he was deposed in a bloodless coup while Ojukwu was military governor of the then Eastern Region in that span.

In a live television interview recently, Gen. Gowon narrated what transpired after the agreement was reached in Aburi, a town in Ghana.

The meeting that led to the accord took place from January 4 to 5, 1967, with delegates from both sides of the divide making inputs.

The goal was to resolve the political impasse threatening the country’s unity.

The point of the agreement was that each region should be responsible for its own affairs.

During the meeting, delegates arrived at certain resolutions on control and structure of the military. However, the exact agreement reached was the subject of controversy.

The failure of the Aburi accord culminated in Nigeria’s civil war, which lasted from July 6, 1967, to January 15, 1970.

Speaking on what transpired after the agreement, Gen. Gowon said the resolutions should have been discussed further and finalised.

The ex-military leader said he took ill after arriving in Nigeria from Aburi and that Ojukwu went on to make unauthorised statements about the accord.

Gen. Gowon said he did not know where Ojukwu got his version of the agreement from.

“We just went there (Aburi), as far as we were concerned, to meet as officers and then agree to get back home and resolve the problem at home. That was my understanding. But that was not his (Ojukwu) understanding,” he said.

Gen. Gowon said Ojukwu declined the invitation, citing safety concerns.

“I don’t know what accord he (Ojukwu) was reading because he came to the meeting with prepared papers of things he wanted. And, of course, we discussed them one by one, greed on some and disagreed on some.

“For example, to give one of the major issues, we said that the military would be zoned, but the control… He wanted those zones to be commanded by the governor.

“When you have a military zone in the north, it would be commanded by the governor of the military in the north, the military zone in the east would be commanded by him. Of course, we did not agree with that one”, Gen. Gowon added.

Ojukwu died on November 26, 2011 at the age of 78.

Ahead of the scheduled mega reception ceremony for Governor Umo Eno into the All Progrssives Congress (APC), Senate President Godswill Akpabio has called on stakeholders and members of the party in Akwa Ibom State to collaborate with other members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that are willing to join the ruling party.

Addressing APC stakeholders from the 31 local government areas of the state in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, on Wednesday, Sen. Akpabio assured that the proposed political alignment would attract significant federal interventions to Akwa Ibom State, aimed at improving the welfare of the people and accelerating development of the state.

A statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the Senate President, Jackson Udom said, “Let me assure us all that the current political alignment will attract significant federal interventions to Akwa Ibom, aimed at improving the welfare and development of our people.

“Governor Umo after serious consultation with all stakeholders declared that there was need for us in the State to support our son, and also support the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for finding an Akwa Ibom son of worth to be the Number three citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“But now it is time for the whole State to follow him because he has done wide consultation from traditional rulers to the political class across all political parties.

“And I must inform you that it is not only the Governor and the PDP that will join us, all other political parties are going to join us. So, for the first time in the history of Akwa Ibom State, we are most likely going to have a rancour free election”.

“There is no need for internal squabbles and wrangling. APC is big enough to accommodate everyone and that is what the new alignment comes with.

“Being linked to the centre comes with a lot of federal presence in terms of projects and human capital development. What we want from party members, both old and new, is to be united and remain peaceful in the overall interest of our dear state’’, the statement added.

Also speaking, the State APC Chairman, Obong Stephen Ntukekpo, thanked the Senate President for his unwavering support to the party and his commitment to the vision for a united Akwa Ibom State.

Speaking for Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, former Petroleum Minister, Atuekong Don Etiebet, said it was evident that God has worked through Senator Akpabio to unite the people of Akwa Ibom State under one political platform, the APC.

Atuekong Etiebet said the people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District were in full support of the grand reception for Governor Eno and other defecting members of the PDP.

On his part, Elder Statesman and former State Chairman of the PDP, Arc Otu Ita Toyo, said the unification of political parties in the State was of great importance to the people of Eket Senatorial District, hence the need for them to support the call by Sen. Akpabio for total harmonization of political parties in the State.

The APC leader of Uyo Senatorial District and former Military Administrator of Ogun and Rivers States, Group Captain Sam Ewang (rtd), said being in the opposition in the State had caused members of the APC severe hardship in the past.

Group Capt. Ewang said, with the defection of the governor and other key stakeholders, he anticipated a brighter future for members of the party in the State.

APC stakeholders in the three senatorial districts pledged their willingness to work together with former PDP members to achieve lasting political harmony in the state.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, APC governors, National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Ganduje and other chieftains are expected to formally receive the Akwa Ibom Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, into the APC on Saturday, June 21, 2025.

The occasion, which is scheduled to hold at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, at 12 noon, comes up two weeks after Governor Eno announced his defection from PDP to APC.