By Sar Terver
When the United Kingdom-based Good Governance Rating Index (GGRI) released its 2023–2025 midterm review, few reports stirred as much reaction as its verdict on Benue State.
The index ranked Benue among Nigeria’s three worst-governed states; alongside Zamfara and Kwara, citing insecurity, weak service delivery, and economic stagnation as evidence of what it described as “a cycle of poverty and poor governance.”
According to GGRI’s summary, which has been reported by several media outlets, Benue has “struggled to manage persistent insecurity” and remains “trapped in a web of displacement, rural neglect, and dwindling economic opportunities.”
The report points to the alleged collapse of rural infrastructure, abandoned schools and health centres, widespread poverty, and a lack of major development projects to inspire confidence in leadership.
GGRI also flagged governance and accountability issues, alleging that public resources in the state have not translated into meaningful progress for citizens. It warned that Benue’s situation could undermine human development and public trust if the trend continues.
But, the Benue State Government says the report is not only inaccurate but also unfair.
In a statement released in Makurdi, Chief Solomon Iorpev, Technical Adviser to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Media, Publicity, and Strategic Communications, described the report as “misleading, contextually hollow, and fundamentally flawed.”
He argued that any credible governance rating must consider local realities, especially in states like Benue that have faced years of armed herders’ attacks and internal displacement—factors largely outside the control of state authorities.
Responding to the GGRI’s claim of worsening insecurity, Iorpev maintained that the Alia administration has taken decisive steps to protect lives and property despite limited constitutional control over policing.
He highlighted the creation of Operation Anyam Nyor, a joint task force that brings together all security agencies, and the establishment of the Benue State Civil Protection Guards for community-level intelligence gathering.
He added that the governor has equipped security forces with 100 Hilux vehicles and 600 motorcycles to improve response capacity. According to him, these measures have yielded relative peace in several parts of the state.
On the GGRI’s claim that rural schools and health centres are neglected, Iorpev countered that the administration has prioritized both sectors.
He said the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, once described as a “death trap,” has been transformed into a vibrant medical centre, while a new cancer treatment centre, expected to be the largest in West Africa, is under construction.
Across all 23 local government areas, primary healthcare centres are being revitalized, with prompt payment of salaries and entitlements to health workers and students to ensure service continuity.
In the education sector, Iorpev explained that the State is constructing new classroom blocks through the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), has recruited 9,700 teachers, and awarded scholarships to 44 first-class graduates of Benue State University.
He revealed that the government has also promoted girl-child education, sponsored students abroad for further studies, and established a Bureau for Education Quality Assurance to maintain standards developments that contradict the GGRI’s suggestion of systemic neglect.
The GGRI also rated Benue low on economic performance and job creation, suggesting that public funds have not translated into visible economic activity.
But Iorpev said the state is in the middle of “a massive agricultural and industrial renewal.”
He cited the Smallholder Farmer Outgrower Programme, launched in partnership with Mass International & Equipment Nig. Ltd and SABASPAC International, which supports 300 farmers in 10 clusters with machinery, inputs, and access to markets.
He explained that the initiative is backed by youth-targeted schemes like Young Farmers Clubs and the CRF Scheme, which encourage young people to engage in agribusiness.
Iorpev further noted that industries once written off as dead have been revived to create jobs.
Among them are the Benue Printing and Publishing Company, Benue Breweries (now renamed Zeva), and Benue Links Transport Company. Through the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC), he said, the state has established a bread factory, bottled water plant, nails manufacturing firm, and juice processing plant.
Plans for a state-owned airport are also underway to attract investors and open up new markets.
Addressing the GGRI’s point on corruption and governance lapses, Iorpev said Governor Alia’s administration has championed transparency and accountability.
He explained that salaries and pensions are being paid regularly, internally displaced persons (IDPs) are receiving assistance to return home, and relief efforts for flood victims have been scaled up through the Alia Cares initiative and a ₦5 billion palliative fund secured to cushion the impact of economic hardship.
On infrastructure, he said the administration has launched the construction of over 390 kilometres of roads across the 23 local government areas. In Makurdi and Gboko, new underpass projects are designed to ease traffic flow and enhance safety, while solar-powered streetlights are improving security and mobility in towns and villages.
Government buildings such as the State Secretariat and House of Assembly are also being renovated.
While the GGRI paints a picture of widespread decay, Iorpev insisted that the Alia government has brought “a renewed sense of direction and confidence.”
He argued that the report relied on outdated or incomplete data and failed to acknowledge the challenges posed by insecurity, which affects development in many agrarian communities.
“What other indicators of good governance are there when the government has improved healthcare, strengthened education, built roads, empowered citizens, revived industries, and ensured relative peace?”.
For now, the GGRI’s report remains controversial. Although its findings have been widely cited by the media, the full document and data sources have not been made publicly available.
The development has made independent verification difficult, lending some weight to Benue’s argument that the conclusions may have been reached without sufficient on-the-ground context.
Yet, while the state government’s defence is detailed and assertive, the GGRI’s criticisms also echo real concerns shared by many residents and observers, especially those in the position political parties, around insecurity and service delivery in terms of lack of accountability and transparency.
The truth, as often happens in governance debates, may lie somewhere in between: a story of real progress, but also persistent challenges.
As Benue marks more than a year under Governor Alia’s leadership, the competing narratives from London and Makurdi present a larger question, how should development be measured in a State that is still recovering from years of conflict and displacement?
For citizens watching both the GGRI’s verdict and the government’s response, the real measure of governance may ultimately be felt not in reports or rankings, but in daily life.
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