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Benue State governor-elect, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has said that he does not need a first lady to govern the state.
Alia, who spoke in a statement by his director of communications, Tersoo Kula, said he has worked for over 32 years as a Catholic priest without a wife, therefore he does not need a wife or first lady to bring the desired change to Benue State.
He noted that aside being a priest without a wife, the Constitution of Nigeria does not recognise Office of the First Lady, stressing that a first lady does not have any major role in the governance of a state.
Alia, also enjoined citizens of the state to join hands with him to make a new Benue a reality.
“Let us begin by embracing a new way of thinking and action by cultivating a new ethos that expresses the best of us, that brings forth our better angels and not our worst demons,” he said.
According to him, unending political recriminations and willful economic sabotage must give way to accommodation and the pursuit of loftier ideals.
The governor-elect promised to clear the backlog of salary arrears, pensions and gratuities, resettle IDPs in their ancestral homes, address persistent security challenges and set the stage for a prosperous Benue State.
“I would like to congratulate my opponents from the other parties for making it an interesting contest. However, the anxious period of politicking is over. Now is the time to unite and face the challenges of development,” he added.
The clergyman said that he needs to set the foundations for a strong economy and to start building an economy of the future based on skills, talents, education and the application of technology, with the realisation that the forces of global competition and technology mean that “we can only compete based on skills and talents.”
“Let us unlock our wealth,” Alia said.