‎Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has stated that his administration has located the multi-billion naira National Food City Project in Otukpo Local Government Area of the state, Benue South Senatorial District (Zone C), as a deliberate act aimed at inclusivity for all zones of the state.

‎The Governor stated this during a Diaspora Town hall meeting organized by the office of the Benue State Directorate for Diaspora, Linkages and Investment Office.

‎The National Food City Project is designed as an integrated agri-industrial hub, adding that it will involve cultivating over 30,000 hectares of mechanised farmland, establishing agro-processing facilities for crops such as rice, cassava, maize, and soyabeans.

‎According to the Governor, situating the project in Benue South shows he is a Governor for all citizens of the state, adding further that since assumption of office, he has been ensuring that the resources of the state are equitably distributed to all zones in the state.

‎Alia, who was reacting to questions on alleged lopsided distribution of developmental projects in the state, Governor Alia maintained that the National Food City Project is a direct outcome of his administration’s clear policy direction to industrialize agriculture, improve food security, and unlock rural prosperity through private capital and innovation.

‎He explained that “It will be deploying renewable energy infrastructure with a generation capacity of up to 25 megawatts to power on-site operations, with complementary infrastructure, including staff housing, clinics, internal roads, and warehouse facilities to ensure the development’s sustainability and long-term impact.”

‎He further stated that the Food City Complex will be delivered under a Design-Build-Operate-Transfer (DBOT) framework, stating that the State ’overnment will provide land and critical infrastructure, while Rexzodeneh Group Limited (RGL), will finance, build, and manage the facility for 25 years before transferring ownership to the state.

He said ‎”It was a landmark Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with Rexzodeneh Group Limited (RGL) to establish a multi-sectoral National Food City Complex. The agreement, marked the first formal PPP agreement in the State’s 50-year history and a major milestone under my administration,” he stressed.

‎Speaking on some of the infrastructural projects of his administration in Zone C, Governor Alia disclosed that the longest single roads infrastructure constructed under his administration are in Zone C, naming the 43.5km Obagaji-Okokolo-Agagbe, the 31.35km Igumale-Agila, the 52km Awajir-Oju roads among others, adding that Otukpo inner city roads are in the pipeline and will soon be flagged off.

‎He also mentioned that the functional Otukpo/Otobi water works was completely rehabilitated and adequately reticulated around Otukpo and its environs by his administration.

‎The Governor revealed further that a total number of 89 Primary Health Care Centres are rehabilitated with the Benue South alone taking 33.

‎In the area of education, the Governor stated that his administration has reconstructed/rehabilitated 29 primary schools across the nine LGAs of the Zone, while five schools including LGEA Primary School, Edumoga, Okpokwu; LGEA Primary School, Agatu; Methodist Primary School, Okeke, Ohimini; LGEA Primary School, Ajide Eke and St. Mary’s Pilot Primary School, Ogobia, Ogboju in Otukpo LGA are on the 2025 Matching Grant. (Daily Sun)

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