Benue state governor-elect, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth, has said governance in the state has hit a historic low and it needs a total reset to make it functional again.
He described his election as a mandate to reform and recalibration of governance despite the numerous challenges before the state.
Reacting to his victory at the Saturday polls in Makurdi, he said Benue people voted to defeat the politics of backwardness, hate and division, in preference for a social contract that enhances common brotherhood that would add value to lives.
“There is a great obligation before us, but it is our belief that we will work our way through the challenges to reach a greater Benue.
“We need to set the foundations for a strong economy. And on top of that, we need to start building an economy of the future based on skills and talents and education and the application of technology; knowing that the forces of global competition and technology mean that we can only compete based on skills and talents.
“We will clear the backlog of arrears of salaries, and pensions and gratuities, resettle our IDPs in their ancestral homes, address persistent insecurity challenges and set the stage for a prosperous Benue.
“A new Benue is possible, and I enjoin all of you to join hands with me to make it 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.
“The smallness of unending political recriminations and willful economic sabotage must give way to accommodation and the pursuit of loftier ideals.
“There is a lot we can achieve through consensus and synergy. Our points of difference cannot be greater than the things that unite us,” he added.
