ANAYO EZUGWU 
Comrade Aluh Moses Odeh is the National Leader of the All Middle Belt Youth Forum (AMBYF) and a Benue youth activist. In this interview, he speaks on critical issues concerning Benue State, the coming local government elections and why Governor Hyacinth Alia must conduct free, fair, credible polls, among others. ANAYO EZUGWU brings the excerpt:
Is the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu and the security agencies handling the issue of insecurity well?
While the Tinubu administration and security agencies have made notable progress in addressing security challenges, they have not achieved huge success. However, there has been significant improvement such as the reduced menace of bandits on the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
Recently, the National Publicity Secretary of All Middle Belt Youth Forum shared a situation report with me about his hitch-free journey from Kaduna to Abuja and back, even at 1 am, indicating a security improvement.
Moreover, the planned peaceful protest in Agatu Local Government Area to request military deployment to counter incessant killings by Fulani herdsmen demonstrates the people’s confidence in the military.
Rather than criticising the government, we should acknowledge areas of improvement and encourage the administration, while also pushing for further progress where needed. Collective effort is crucial in stamping out insecurity.
Let’s know the situation regarding herdsmen attacks in Benue in particular and the Middle Belt in general…?
The situation concerning the herdsmen attacks in Benue State and the Middle Belt has improved significantly compared to what we witnessed in the previous administration, where collusion between the military and killer herdsmen led to widespread displacement and loss of confidence in the military.
Under Gen. Christopher Musa as Chief of Defence Staff, confidence is being restored, as seen in Agatu Local Government Area, where residents are calling for military deployment to counter the attacks. While there have been improvements in Southern Kaduna, Plateau and Taraba states, more needs to be done to address the issue.
Notably, the herdsmen have changed their tactics in the last two years, focusing on destroying crops to create food insecurity, which is a major contributor to hunger in Nigeria.
To prevent starvation and ensure food security, the government must prioritise security in the Middle Belt, particularly during farming seasons, to enable farmers to access their lands and protect their crops.
How do you see the performance of the incumbent Benue State governor so far, I mean, your humble assessment?
Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia is trying to a large extent to look at his performance in just 15 months compared to his predecessors in terms of developmental strides within the two senatorial districts, but where he got it wrong is the complete neglect of Benue South Senatorial District without a single ongoing project, considering the massive work in his two senatorial districts.
On the insecurity that bedevilled our state, he was able to strengthen the Anti-Open Grazing Law with the introduction of Anti-Open Defecation and Urination and Late Night Movement, to restore sanity in the state capital.
Also, for the first time, a Benue State governor could work without borrowing money and saved over N32 billion for the state. His boldness to close the channel of looting the state treasury dry in the name of former governors and their deputies deserves commendation.
However, we from Zone C are not getting a fair share in terms of state and federal appointments and in terms of his developmental strides. Without being biased, in Zone C we do not see anything. But, it was under Gov. Alia that I saw structures in Makurdi, the state capital, being pulled down to give way to development.
Would you say the Benue State lawmakers at federal and state levels are performing creditably well?
The truth is that some of them are doing their best at the federal level like the House Representatives member from Enone (Ado/ Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency), Hon. Philip Agbese, who comes first in humanity.
His quality representation in the Green Chamber has earned him the confidence of his constituents. He pulled down the separating walls between elected and grassroots people and is doing his best to respond to their critical needs.
He has said that the commencement of his constituency projects is in the pipeline as some have been approved and a contractor also approved, awaiting funds for mobilisation to the site. Hon. David Ogewu, Hon. Blessing Onuh and Hon. Ojotu Ojema are doing us proud, likewise others from Zone A and B, especially Sen. Titus Zam, who sponsored the Anti-Open Grazing Bill and others at the National Assembly.
None of them has given us a bad name so far. At home, I think we should commend the State House Assembly for the working relationship with the Executive and some amendments made so far stopping the wide opening of our treasury to former governors and their deputies.
But, I won’t fault them for the amendment of the 2012 Electoral Law that gives power to Organizing Secretaries of political parties in Benue State to submit lists of candidates of their parties participating in Local Government elections to override the power of State Chairmen of political parties. This is because of the irreconcilable crisis in their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). They should also amend the rules of the House to override the Speaker’s power so we can take them seriously.
Herdsmen attacks in Benue State and the Middle Belt has improved significantly compared to what we witnessed in the previous administration where we had widespread displacement and loss of confidence in the military
How do you see the way Federal Government palliatives are being distributed in Benue and the other Middle Belt states?
In every election cycle, Nigerians are entitled to benefits from at least five offices or persons because they cast their votes for them.
These are the President, Senator, House of Representatives member, Governor and State Assembly members. Unfortunately, this is not happening. Sometimes you are denied what comes from one source because you may not have been a member of the camp that took delivery of those palliatives.
It is Hon. Philip Agbese’s style of delivery directly across party lines to his constituents. Ado Local Government Area took delivery of a truckload of fertilisers from Hon. Agbese which was distributed without hitches across party lines in Ado LGA among the farmers, while Okpokwu and Ogbadibo are to be delivered soon.
I can commend him for that. I recently read on social media that the Ogbadibo State Assemblymember gave his constituents who are members of his party, APC, and must-be ward chairmen and women leader a bag of fertilisers each across the 13 wards.
What is your view on the planned Local Government elections in Benue State?
The planned local government election in Benue State is an opportunity for Governor Alia to reciprocate the support he is getting from the opposition parties in the state by giving everyone a level playing field. All the candidates, irrespective of political party affiliation, are Benuelites whom he has sworn to protect and defend.
The opposition parties in the state are supporting him as could be seen in their silence over some of his policies that need criticisms.
They do not want to distract the governor from delivering dividends of democracy to the Benue people. President Muhammadu Buhari conducted an election that produced him and other opposition governors in Nigeria. So, it is incumbent on him to replicate the same in the state.
He stands to gain the confidence of the opposition parties if this election is conducted and judged free, fair and credible. The way some of us in the opposition parties analyse some of his policies and those of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and some APC legislators is far beyond what members of his party can offer. So, I see no reason, as the most brilliant governor in Nigeria, he will rubbish his image.
He told his party members that there will be an election and that they should field candidates that can win. He said it is no longer business as usual, where names will be written for the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) to announce winners. Alia’s blunt stand on respect for the zoning principle of his party, APC, should be commended. I think he may conduct a free, fair and credible election.
Those of us in the Labour Party (LP) are prepared to slug it out with them to clinch power. We are fielding credible candidates with Courage, Character and Competency across the wards and LGAs. In one of my statements, I told Governor Alia to give all candidates a level playing field, irrespective of political party affiliation.
We are all indigenes of the state under his watch. He should ensure that the candidates for the Local Government election are dominantly the youth. But, with what I saw online as the cost of nomination form, APC has no interest in the youth to unleash their potential, unlike the Labour Party which has given out their forms almost free to the youth.
We are aware that you will be taking part in the coming local government elections in Benue State. What do you see as your role as a youth leader in politics?
Yes, I will be taking part in the election under the platform of the Labour Party. I am driven by passion and desire to affect our youths positively by making my ward, Ugbokolo, an ICT hub in Nigeria.
I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from the prestigious Lagos State University and Executive Diplomas in Application of Artificial Intelligence, Introduction to Social Media and International Diplomacy and Protocol.
I know that after COVID-19, our world has changed such that one can work remotely from the comfort of one’s home and attend meetings or do business in any part of Nigeria. The era is called the Fourth Industrial Revolution Age where you don’t have any excuse to fail.
So, being armed with this reality, I should impact on the burgeoning youth of Ugbokolo ward. I have friends and some Ugbokolo indigenes who are software developers and making waves in the ICT world that I can leverage to look in the direction of my ward to impact our youth positively.
I also want to turn our dilapidated primary school buildings into adult education centres using retired teachers and some graduates to train our youth and adults on basic knowledge of reading, writing and communicating effectively. This will enable them to write quotations for jobs they wish to bid for or communicate effectively with others outside Idoma nation.
