Benue Govt Begins Rehabilitation of 98 Primary Healthcare Centres in 23 LGAs

From Dooshima Terkura, Makurdi

The Benue State Government has commenced the rehabilitation of 98 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state to ensure better access to healthcare services for residents.

The Special Adviser to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs (BLGCA), Mr. Denen Aondoakaa, made this known when he received members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Benue State Council, in his office in Makurdi.

According to him, the state government is partnering with stakeholders under the World Bank-assisted IMPACT Project Nigeria to carry out the renovation.

“We are renovating 98 PHCs under the IMPACT Project. Each local government has three to four PHCs. We want to ensure that when a woman walks into a PHC, there is someone available to attend to her,” Aondoakaa said.

He further disclosed that staff quarters and residential buildings for council chairmen are also being renovated to encourage them to live and work in their respective LGAs rather than relocating to urban centres.

“In most LGAs, residential quarters for Directors of General Services and Administration (DGSAs) and chairmen were dilapidated and abandoned. We are renovating them to create an enabling environment for the officers to stay and work comfortably in their localities,” he added.

Speaking on security, Aondoakaa admitted that some communities in the state remain inaccessible due to continued attacks. He stressed that the Anti-Open Grazing Law remains operational, warning that cattle not ranched are illegal in the state.

He assured that the state government is supporting security agencies to enhance peace and stability across Benue.

On chieftaincy affairs, Aondoakaa explained that the selection process is being handled transparently, adding that disagreements between chairmen and councils are part of democracy and not unusual.

“The Bureau for Local Government only coordinates the affairs of local councils. The revenues accruing to the local government system are huge, but so also are the expenditures. We ensure that the finances are efficiently utilized to meet the needs of the grassroots,” he said.

He clarified that deductions from LG funds for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are meant to address emergencies resulting from natural disasters and insecurity. According to him, even communities without IDP camps but affected by crises receive interventions from such funds.