Ex-Benue State Commissioner of Education, Professor Dennis Ityavyar
By TYAV SAM TYAV, Makurdi –
Former Commissioner of Education in Benue State, Professor Dennis Ityavyar has revealed why he has chosen to run for the gubernatorial election in 2027.
Answering questions from journalists on Monday in his Makurdi residence, the university don informed that he used the first two years to assess the Governor Hyacinth Alia led administration and rate him before deciding to come into the race.
Professor Ityavyar disclosed that any one contesting for elections has something to offer to his people in form of development and he wanted to know if Governor Alia would have the capacity but discovered that the governor has no capacity to rule the state.
Ityavyar who rated the governor low in performance, insisted that the governor has not done anything tangible, particularly in the area of security as according to him, the governor does not even feel the pains of the people whose love ones were being massacred by the Fulani herdsmen indiscriminately.
He lamented that “herdsmen were killing people in Logo, Ukum, Agatu, Guma, Gwer West, Kwande local government areas and the governor regarded it as skirmishers which is bad’.
Ityavyar lamented, further, that the state government was not creative in tackling security challenges
“There is nothing.Even the Anyam Nyor which was launched by the state government is doing nothing.They are doing nothing. As a Governor you should have passion for your people. Governor Alia does not go where people are attacked and killed”.
The university don who said he has resigned from the University of Jos to face politics and avoid divided interest emphasized that “Alia is a good priest but not good in governance”.
While emphasising the danger of giving leadership particularly governance to one who has no experience in.politics, he pointed out that “Alia is a good example as he is a monumental disaster. He does not know what to do… Development also has to do with developing the people. A Governor should see his people. As a Governor , your people should see you anytime, anywhere. Some people do not know that power belongs to the people”.
He queried why the Governor has refused to make public the federal government allocation to the state, the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) as well as the state wage bill.
The gubernatorial hopeful argued that the African Democratic Party (ADC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not constitute any threat to him and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as he explained that APC was factionalised and the ADC as a coalition he expressed the belief that it would not stand.
He argued, further, that PDP has no faction as he explained that the said Suswam faction was not known anywhere at the National Secretariat of the party insisting further that the state and ward congresses were supervised by the National Secretariat and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) attended the congresses in accordance with the provision of the law.
Ityavyar disclosed that as Commissioner for Education, they were able to achieve a lot even with lean resources which the Benue people are proud beneficiaries.
Professor Ityavyar assured that “I am going to contest and I think I will win because the people love me”
