Alia names Benue primary healthcare board, approves 23 appointments
- Benue Governor Hyacinth Alia has set up a five-member Primary Health Care Board.
- He also approved 23 appointments to replace aides who resigned from his administration.
- The governor's spokesman said all appointments take immediate effect.
Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has constituted a five-member board for the Benue State Primary Health Care Board (BSPHCB) and approved 23 other appointments to fill positions left by aides who resigned from his administration.
The appointments were announced on Monday in Makurdi in a statement by the governor's Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula. Kula said they take immediate effect.
Dr Tolough Godfrey will chair the health board, with Dr Kadev Kenneth Kelvin as Executive Secretary. The other members are Chiangi Anongu for Zone A, Gabriel Ugber for Zone B and Dr Obeka Ochim Jo-Lewis for Zone C.
Why it matters
Primary healthcare centres are the first stop for many families in Benue, especially in rural areas where general hospitals are far away. A full board means the state agency that runs these centres now has leadership in place to direct staffing, supplies and services.
The 23 other appointments replace officials who resigned, and they cover a wide range of offices. They include special advisers, liaison officers for local government areas, and heads of agencies.
Jonathan Iyoo Igbondo is Special Adviser on Unions and Labour Relations, while Dickson Ocheokwoi Benjamin takes Works, Housing and Urban Development. Iko Benjamin is Special Adviser on International Investment and Michael Nyamtsam Mtseve handles Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Akaavah Augustine Liam is Director General, Social Investment, and Linda Ene Dirisu coordinates the Benue State Sexual Assault Referral Centre. Andy Terfa Agbavanger becomes Secretary of the Benue Independent Electoral Commission, while Dr Apenda Isaac Tersoo heads the Benue State Scholarship Board.
Other appointees include Fabian Luvin (Protocol and Wardrobe), Attah Mark Ochoga (Digital Economy and Job Creation), Eric Ameh (Administration, Office of the Deputy Governor), Agbanyi David Sixtus (Rehabilitation Centre, Apir) and John Mimi Ihyembe (Local Government Area Coordination and Monitoring).
The list also has Linus Madugu on the Benue Investment and Property Company Board, Unongo Simon and Ikyereve Benjamin as Government Liaison Officers for Guma and Tarka, and Igba Terna Dominic as Personal Assistant in the Office of the Chief of Staff.
Others are Ayongol Terhemen Abraham (Youth and Media Mobilisation), Terzungwe Yina (Sanitation), Maureen Hembadoon Iortyer (Government Liaison Officer, Makurdi), Jacob Tertsea Agede (Agriculture) and Patience Erube (Protocol, Office of the Deputy Governor).
Sources differed slightly on some titles and spellings. PM News listed Dr Abutu Tolbert Tordue as Director of Research at the Benue Public Service Institute, while Daily Post and The Sun said he was Director of Research at the Benue State Planning Commission.
Alia congratulated the appointees and said the appointments show his administration's commitment to keeping government running. "You must understand that your appointment underscores my administration's commitment to maintaining an effective government structure," he said, urging them to put the state's interest first.
What happens next: The appointees are to resume immediately, according to the statement. The new health board is expected to take charge of primary healthcare services across the state's three zones.
