The submission of the report of the Benue State Income and Expenditure Commission of Inquiry chaired by Justice Jubril Idrisu (Rtd.) has opened what may become one of the most consequential public accountability conversations in the history of Benue State. The Commission, inaugurated by Governor Hyacinth Alia in June...
Prof Leonard Shilgba
…Why Governance Must Defeat Professional Politics By PROF LEONARD KARSHIMA SHILGBA – May 29, 2026 marks more than another “democracy anniversary” in Nigeria. It is a strategic transition boundary for both the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and that of Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia in Benue State. Exactly...
By Prof. LEONARD KARSHIMA SHILGBA – Nigeria has become a nation perpetually “fighting insecurity,” yet insecurity appears to be fighting back with greater sophistication, wider reach, and frightening resilience. Every budget cycle produces another avalanche of “security votes,” “security interventions,” “security procurements,” and “security operations.” More patrol vehicles are...
By PROF LEONARD KARSHIMA SHILGBA – Today, I join millions of Benue people and well-wishers across Nigeria and beyond in celebrating the 60th birthday of His Excellency, Hyacinth Alia — priest, leader, reformer, and Governor of Benue State. Life’s journey is often mysterious in its unfolding. For decades, Fr....
A few weeks ago, I analyzed the electoral prospects of some prominent Benue gubernatorial hopefuls—among them Sebastian Hon, Herman Hembe, Terhemba Shija, Mathias Byuan, and Mike Aondoakaa—against the incumbent governor, Hyacinth Alia. With the exception of Hembe, these figures are widely perceived as political associates or loyalists of George...
On Sunday, May 3, 2026, the much-anticipated “reconciliation meeting” between Hyacinth Alia and George Akume finally held at Government House, Makurdi. It was convened amid heightened expectations that the lingering crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State would be resolved. But if the test of reconciliation...
The drumbeats echo once more in the valley,Where the land weeps with the silence of torn roots.Yesterday, they came in fine coats and canes,Today, they ride in shadows, grazing fire on our fields.The name has changed—from taxman to herdsman—But the theft is the same: our dignity and our land....