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Tuesday, November 18, 2025, will be remembered by many in the Kunav community as the day the Governor of Benue State opened not just the doors of the Government House, but his heart.
In what has quickly become a signature style of grassroots leadership, His Excellency Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia hosted elders, youths, community leaders, and stakeholders of the Kunav extractions to a beautiful dinner at the New Banquet Hall, Makurdi. It wasn’t a political rally, it wasn’t a town hall with microphones and prepared speeches; it was family coming together around tables laden with food, laughter, and honest conversation.
From the moment the first guest stepped in, the atmosphere was different. There were no long protocols, no rigid seating arrangements dictated by status. The Governor moved from table to table, greeting people by name, sharing plates, listening to stories of joy and pain, and responding with the kind of sincerity that cannot be scripted.
Through the clinking of cutlery and the aroma of traditional dishes, real issues were discussed: security, roads, schools, healthcare, and the lingering wounds of past conflicts. But more than the issues, what dominated the night was the feeling of being seen, heard, and valued. Youths who came expecting the usual government rhetoric left talking about a Governor who looked them in the eye and promised that their tomorrow matters. Elders who have seen many administrations come and go nodded in quiet approval; something felt different this time.
Governor Alia once again drove home his core message: Benue will only move forward when every community, no matter how small or historically overlooked, is carried along. He spoke of inclusive governance not as a slogan, but as a daily commitment, and last night the Kunav people felt that commitment in every handshake and every shared smile.
By the time the last guest stepped out into the cool Makurdi night, something had shifted. Strangers had become brothers. Old grievances had softened. Hope, the kind that had been in short supply for years, was suddenly back in the air.
For a state that has known too much division, nights like this are more than photo opportunities; they are the building blocks of the peaceful and progressive Benue that Governor Alia keeps promising.
And if last night is anything to go by, that promise is already coming alive, one community dinner at a time.
