The Benue State Executive Council has approved ₦294.53 million as the state government’s counterpart funding for the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign across the 23 local government areas of the state.
The newly appointed Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon. Solomon Iorpev, disclosed this on Friday while briefing newsmen on the deliberations of the State Executive Council. He said the approval, granted to the Ministry of Health, was aimed at strengthening efforts to prevent malaria among children, women and other vulnerable groups, particularly during the rainy season when the prevalence of malaria increases.
Iorpev stressed that the intervention was particularly important for communities across the state, adding that the government remained committed to protecting the health and wellbeing of its citizens.
The Commissioner also addressed reports concerning alleged plans to establish ranches in some parts of Benue State, describing some of the information circulating in the public space as misleading. According to him, the previous administration had, on October 16, 2017, granted the Federal Government the liberty to establish ranches in certain areas of the state. He, however, said the present administration, being a people-driven government, had resolved not to take any decision on the matter without consulting the affected communities.
Iorpev stressed that consultations were still ongoing, noting that Governor Hyacinth Alia was currently engaging with people from communities whose lands were reportedly being considered for the purpose. He said the position of the State Government would ultimately be guided by the wishes of the people, adding that if the people rejected the proposal, the government would respect their decision, just as it would respect an approval from the communities.
“There is no yes or no answer to the Federal Government on the matter as we speak, and nothing has proceeded yet. No one has started anything in that direction,” the Commissioner said. He therefore urged the public to disregard speculations on the matter until further information was made available by the State Executive Council.
On the portfolios of the newly appointed commissioners, Iorpev said Governor Alia was committed to ensuring that the right people were assigned to positions where they could contribute most effectively to the development of the state. He disclosed that there had been some rejigging of portfolios within the cabinet, assuring that details of the new assignments would be made public as soon as possible.
“I am your Commissioner of Information, no doubt about that,” Iorpev added, assuring newsmen of his readiness to work with the media in advancing the government’s programmes and keeping the people adequately informed.
