…Showcases development footprints in Benue South
Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has said that locating the multi-billion naira National Food City Project in the Benue South Senatorial District (Zone C), specifically in Otukpo Local Government Area was a deliberate act aimed at inclusivity for all zones in the state.
This was as he said that since assumption of office, he has ensured that the resources of the state are equitably distributed to the three zones of the state.
Governor Alia, who stated these during a Diaspora Townhall meeting organized by the office of the Benue State Directorate for Diaspora, Linkages and Investment Office, explained that the National Food City Project is designed as an integrated agri-industrial hub.
He said that the project will involve cultivating over 30,000 hectares of mechanised farmland, establishing agro-processing facilities for crops such as rice, cassava, maize, and soybeans.
Alia specifically said that situating the project in Benue South shows that he is a Governor for all citizens of the state.
Answering questions bothering on lopsided distribution of developmental projects in the state, Governor Alia said that the National Food City Project is a direct outcome of his administration’s clear policy direction to industrialize agriculture, improve food security, and unlock rural prosperity through private capital and innovation.
He further said the project will be deploying renewable energy infrastructure with a generation capacity of up to 25 megawatts to power on-site operations, complimentary infrastructure, staff housing, clinics, internal roads, and warehouse facilities to ensure the development’s sustainability and long-term impact.
Alia announced that the Food City Complex will be delivered under a Design-Build-Operate-Transfer (DBOT) framework, stating that the State Government will provide land and critical infrastructure, while Rexzodeneh Group Limited (RGL), will finance, build, and manage the facility for 25 years before transferring ownership to the state.
According to Alia; “It was a landmark Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with Rexzodeneh Group Limited (RGL) to establish a multi-sectoral National Food City Complex. The agreement, marked the first formal PPP agreement in the State’s 50-year history and a major milestone under my administration”.
Speaking on some of the infrastructural projects of his administration in Zone C, the governor disclosed that the longest single roads infrastructure constructed under his administration are in Zone C.
He cited the 43.5km Obagaji-Okokolo-Agagbe; the 31.35km Igumale-Agila; the 52km Awajir-Oju roads amongst others, adding that Otukpo inner city roads are in the pipeline and will soon be flagged off.
Alia also cited the functional Otukpo/Otobi water works rehabilitated and reticulated around Otukpo and its environs by his administration, adding that 89 Primary Health Care Centres were rehabilitated with the Benue South alone taking 33.
In the area of education, the governor availed that his administration has reconstructed/rehabilitated 29 primary schools across the nine Local Government Areas in the Zone, while five schools including LGEA Primary School, Edumoga, Okpokwu; LGEA Primary School, Agatu; Methodist Primary School, Okeke, Ohimini; LGEA Primary School, Ajide Eke and St. Mary’s Pilot Primary School, Ogobia, Ogboju in Otukpo LGA are on the 2025 Matching Grant.
