Gov. Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has said that his administration was moving at 350 killometres per hour to ensure that people get maximum democratic benefits.
Alia stated this at the opening of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Benue State triennial delegates conference on Friday in Makurdi.
The governor, who was represented by Technical Adviser on Media, Mr Solomon Iorpev, said that the administration was not slow as wrongly perceived by the naysayers.
He said that he was determined and prepared to leave lasting legacies in the state, especially in the lives of the less privileged.
“We are moving at the speed of N350 kilometres per hour, but some people think we are slow.
“The perceived slow pace is because we have a huge deficit we have to cover.
“The deficit is, as a result of the inaction or failures of successive administrations, which we are struggling to address.
“However, you can attest to the fact that the government is doing very well in almost all sectors,” he said.
Alia, who declared the delegate conference open, commended Benue journalists for reconciling their differences and coming together to elect their officials.
According to him, he needed a united NUJ to effectively report his activities and pledged his continued support to the union.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, Mr Matthew Abo, expressed joy that peace finally returned to the Benue Council of the union.
Abo tasked journalists to continue to report the truth and inform society on the happenings.
“As the fourth estate of the realm, your duty is to mirror the society and tell it what it needs to know and how the society needs to operate in a democratic setting.
“Journalists are entrusted with the key role of telling society the truth. So your reporting of issues, events, and personalities must be factual, timely, accurate, and relevant.
“The people depend on you to know things happening around them far and near.
“I am challenging you to wake up to this responsibility because the government of Gov. Hyacinth Alia is doing a lot of wonderful development yet the people are hearing very little about it,” he said.
He charged journalists to always revert to the ministry about the policies, programs, and projects of the government so that the world would know what is going on in the state.
In his welcome address, Caretaker/Credentials Chairman, Comrade Vincent Nyinongu, said all the positions were unopposed except the position of vice chairman that would be contested.
