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N29bn Road, Security Boost: Ejeh Defends Alia’s Agatu Intervention
By David Okpashi Odama
The Executive Chairman of Agatu Local Government Council, Hon. Melvin Ejeh, has strongly defended Benue State Governor, Rev.
Ejeh, reacting to allegations by the Agatu West Peace and Unity Forum, said the interventions recorded across the local government under the Alia administration made it difficult for anyone familiar with the situation in Agatu to accuse the governor of neglect.
According to him, virtually every major achievement recorded in Agatu under his administration as council chairman has been made possible through the “active moral, spiritual, financial and logistical support” of Governor Alia.
He declared: “There is nothing I would have done in Agatu Local Government without the active moral, spiritual, financial and logistical support of the Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia. Everything Agatu has become today is because of his direct efforts.”
Ejeh said no previous administration in the state had shown the level of commitment, concern and attention to Agatu demonstrated by the Alia administration, particularly in infrastructure, security and the welfare of displaced residents.
A major part of his defence is the ongoing 43-kilometre Obagaji-Okokolo-Agagbe road, which he said was being constructed at an estimated cost of N29 billion.
He described the project as one of the most significant infrastructure interventions in Agatu since the return of democratic rule, noting that successive administrations had promised the road without making meaningful progress.
“Today, that road is ongoing and safely ongoing. A large portion of it has already been done,” he said.
According to the council chairman, the road is already improving security and economic access in the area, while its completion is expected to reduce travel time between Makurdi and Agatu by about two hours.
He added that the road passes through areas previously notorious for insecurity, including communities around Egba and Ologba, enabling security personnel to respond to emergencies within minutes instead of the two to three hours previously required.
“How can such a man be said to have abandoned Agatu Local Government?” Ejeh asked.
He also pointed to what he described as unprecedented political representation for Agatu under Governor Alia, noting that an indigene of the area, Dr Margaret Adekemi Ijaguwa, currently serves as Commissioner for Education.
He said her appointment had already produced concrete benefits, including plans to establish a government technical school in Enungba, where land had been acquired and preparations for construction were underway.
Ejeh further listed the appointment of Agatu indigenes to strategic government positions, including Idris Ojimbili, Senior Special Assistant on Community Mobilisation, and Philip Otukpa, alongside other Agatu sons serving on government boards and agencies.
The chairman also disclosed that plans for the establishment of a Benue State University teaching hospital in Agatu had reached an advanced stage, with technical groundwork and site assessment completed. He said construction was expected to commence before the end of the year.
On security, Ejeh said the Alia administration had supplied more than 45 motorcycles to Agatu for use by conventional security personnel and community-based vigilante groups to strengthen rapid response to threats.
He said the intervention had significantly improved the ability of security personnel and local vigilantes to reach vulnerable communities promptly.
The council chairman also highlighted the role of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in providing monthly food assistance to internally displaced persons in Agatu, saying the support continued through July.
He added that Governor Alia had facilitated Agatu’s inclusion in a World Bank-supported SOLID project, with more than $5 million expected to be deployed to support displaced persons and conflict-affected communities in the local government.
Ejeh explained that the inclusion followed the governor’s insistence that Agatu, given its history of violent conflict and displacement, should benefit from the intervention.
He acknowledged that returning displaced persons to their ancestral communities remained a major challenge but insisted that the security situation had changed significantly.
According to him, communities that were previously under siege and where residents could not safely access their farms are now accessible.
“The communities are no longer under attack. We challenge them to point to one community that is not safe,” he said.
He explained that the slow return of some displaced residents was largely due to destroyed homes, damaged infrastructure and the absence of basic facilities rather than continuing attacks.
Ejeh said the council, working with the state government and development partners, was rehabilitating schools, health facilities and other public infrastructure in affected communities to facilitate sustainable resettlement.
He disclosed that the council had commenced the renovation of schools in Ikpele, one of the communities affected by displacement, and would extend the exercise to other wards.
He also credited Governor Alia with supporting efforts to strengthen Agatu’s long-term security architecture, including the proposed establishment of a Nigerian Army mega battalion in the local government.
According to him, Governor Alia personally nominated Agatu as one of the locations for the proposed military formation, describing the development as potentially transformative for security in the area.
Adding to the list of infrastructure projects, Ejeh disclosed that the governor had awarded a five-kilometre township road project estimated at N4.9 billion in Agatu, with designs and preparatory work completed ahead of commencement.
For Ejeh, the combination of road construction, security interventions, political appointments, education projects, healthcare plans, humanitarian assistance and development partnerships provides compelling evidence that Agatu is receiving attention from the state government.
He therefore challenged those accusing Governor Alia of abandoning the local government to provide evidence capable of outweighing the projects and interventions already underway.
“There is no way I would have succeeded without the efforts of the governor. This is the truth. This is not politics,” Ejeh declared.
He said although the challenges facing Agatu remained enormous, the appropriate response was sustained collaboration rather than attempts to create what he described as a false narrative of abandonment.
Ejeh maintained that Governor Alia’s interventions had not only delivered physical infrastructure but had also helped restore confidence among residents who had lived for years under the shadow of insecurity.
He insisted that the administration would continue working with the state government, security agencies, development partners and affected communities to ensure that displaced Agatu residents ultimately return to their ancestral homes and rebuild their lives.
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