BY LEONARD KARSHIMA SHILGBA
Since the dawn of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic in 1999, a distressing pattern has marred democratic consolidation: fractious relationships between governors and their deputies, and toxic undercurrents between presidents and their vice presidents. In far too many states, deputy governors are sidelined, black-mailed, or impeached over imagined rivalries—Ondo, Kogi, Abia, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Edo, Plateau, and others bear the scars. The fallout is predictable: instability, policy paralysis, and a distracted polity.
Yet history offers brighter exceptions. Before the 2023 general elections, then-Senator (now Vice-President) Kashim Shettima was asked on a Politics Today TV show on August 4, 2022 (which I watched live) why his relationship with his successor, Governor Babagana Zulum, remained so unusually cordial. His answer was disarmingly simple:
> “Professor Zulum is my governor and the leader of our party in Borno. I give him that respect, and in turn he accords me my own recognition.”
Mutual respect, role clarity, and shared purpose—three indispensable ingredients for political harmony.
Benue State under Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia and his deputy, Barr. Sam Ode, now supplies another living illustration. Since May 2023 the duo have demonstrated that a governor and deputy can function like well-synchronized gears—moving in the same direction, powering the same engine of development.
1. Shared Vision, Complementary Roles
Governor Alia and Barr. Ode agree on a single overarching mission: reposition Benue as a smart hub for agro-industrial innovation, resilient infrastructure, and inclusive security. Their philosophical alignment streamlines decision-making and eliminates ego-driven turf wars that plague many statehouses.
2. Trust-Based Delegation
As seasoned administrator, Governor Alia entrusts substantive portfolios—humanitarian response, international cooperation, boundary matters, education—to his deputy. Dr. Ode (PhD) has presided over USAID briefings on renewable energy, co-launched the Benue Multisectoral Needs-Assessment Report, and front-stopped engagements on climate-smart agriculture. Responsibility shared is capacity multiplied. It is reassuring to watch the Benue Governor delegate responsibilities and offer support to succeed to members of his cabinet. Obviously, he doesn’t suffer from personal sense of insecurity.
3. Joint Economic Catalysts
Together they are mid-wifing agro-hub clusters designed to boost food production and jobs. By championing a single investment narrative, they present Benue as a stable and bankable destination—something impossible in a divided executive.
4. Symbolic Unity in a Multilingual State
In a state with complex Tiv-Idoma-Igede demographics, the visible fraternity between Governor Alia and Barr. Ode lowers the political temperature, builds trust among ethnic constituencies, and models civility for local government chairmen and ward leaders.
A Broader Imperative for Benue Elites:
Harmony at the top is a necessary condition for progress, but it is not sufficient. If Benue is to attain its full potential, *every* Benue elite—at home and across the diaspora—must see state politics, development, and social health as a personal calling, not a spectator sport. Our teachers, entrepreneurs, clergy, scholars abroad, tech founders in Lagos, and agronomists etc must:
1. *Invest Intellectual Capital* – Provide policy ideas, mentor young innovators, and fill skills gaps in government.
2. *Commit Financial Capital* – Fund endowments, for instance, for the newly licensed Benue State University of Agriculture, Science and Technology (BSUAST) and Benue Higher (BHE) Education, seed local agri-start-ups, and co-finance rural infrastructure.
3. *Protect Social Capital* – Speak one language of unity, reject incendiary rhetoric, and hold leaders (including ourselves) accountable to higher standards.
Conclusion
Governor Hyacinth Alia and Barr. Sam Ode have offered a working blueprint of mutual respect, clear role definition, and collective ambition—an antidote to the destabilizing feuds that litter Nigeria’s political landscape. Let their example stir Benue’s wider elite community—at home and abroad—to rally around a single agenda: transforming the state into a beacon of peace, productivity, and shared prosperity. For, in the words of Vice-President Shettima, progress is simplest when each actor “respects the other and accords due recognition.” Benue deserves nothing less.
Doubtless, Governor Alia and Deputy Governor Ode have openly demonstrated mutual respect, role clarity, and shared purpose. They deserve the encouragement and support of all Benue patriots.
TRANSFORMING BENUE AND RESHAPING THE NARRATIVE should be the shared motto of the Benue people across political, ethnic, and religious divides.