Deborah Adekaa
Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to creating more opportunities for young people in the state, urging them to take advantage of government programmes and contribute meaningfully to development.
Alia stated this at the 2026 International Youth Day celebration held at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) Square, Makurdi.
Represented by his Deputy, Sir Samuel Ode, the governor commended Benue youths for their support for his administration, describing them as strategic partners in the task of building a prosperous and virile society.
He urged the youths to remain actively involved in governance, asking questions, challenging existing realities and developing solutions to the challenges confronting the state and the country.
According to him, young people possess the creativity, energy and capacity required to transform society, stressing that their voices must be heard in decisions that affect their future.
The governor said the International Youth Day provided an opportunity to celebrate the ingenuity and creativity of young people in various fields, particularly sports.
He said his administration had deliberately created an enabling environment for youths involved in agriculture, technology, artisanship, sports and other productive ventures to thrive.
“Youths are strategically located at the heart of this administration. We look up to them to help build the society through innovation, agriculture and other ventures capable of creating jobs,” he said.
Alia urged Benue youths to acquire relevant skills, embrace agriculture and technology, participate actively in politics and shun social vices, irrespective of their backgrounds.
He assured them that his administration would continue to pursue youth-friendly policies and programmes aimed at creating opportunities for economic empowerment and self-reliance.
Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion and Member representing Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Pastor Ojotu Ojema, described youths as critical partners in development and custodians of the future of Benue State.
Ojema challenged the youths to reflect on the kind of state they wanted to inherit and the type of leadership required to build it.
He identified unemployment and insecurity as major challenges confronting young people, calling on Benue youths and other residents to rise above political, ethnic, religious and personal differences in the fight against insecurity.
According to him, collective action remained necessary to build a safer and more prosperous Benue where young people could live, work and pursue their aspirations without fear.
In his welcome address, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Youth Mobilisation and Illegal Levies, Comrade Terver Gbenda, disclosed that more than 90 per cent of political appointees and political officers in the state were youths.
Gbenda said about 9,700 youths had been engaged directly and indirectly through the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC), while 10,000 youths had received ICT training.
He added that 2,000 youths had been employed by the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), while 5,000 others had benefited from the Alia Cares Programme.
Gbenda appealed to the governor to appoint a substantive Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Creativity from among the youths, urging young people not to allow themselves to be used and abandoned for political purposes.
The Group Managing Director of BIPC, Dr Raymond Asemakaha, expressed concern over the growing number of graduates from tertiary institutions in the state, saying more than 60,209 young people were expected to graduate in 2026.
Asemakaha noted that many graduates might lack the skills required to secure employment, urging them to acquire practical and entrepreneurial skills.
He said youths must move beyond dependence on white-collar jobs and develop the capacity to become employers, innovators and problem-solvers.