The Benue State Government has acknowledged that collaboration with the Federal Government is driving infrastructure and economic renewal across the State through investments in transportation, healthcare, water supply, and agro-industrial development, aimed at improving public services, creating jobs, and strengthening regional trade.
Flagship projects include the ongoing dualisation of the Makurdi-Ninth Mile Road, the rehabilitation of the Otobi and Burutu-Gboko waterworks, the revival of Taraku Mills and the transformation of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH).
The projects were showcased during the Benue leg of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Presidential Media Team’s inspection tour, where officials outlined their expected impact on healthcare delivery, industrial productivity, agricultural value addition, road connectivity and economic growth.
At the 250-kilometre Makurdi-Ninth Mile dual carriageway, linking Benue with Nasarawa, Kogi and Enugu states, the Federal Controller of Works in Benue State, Engr. Mukaila Danladi, said the project had been divided into five sections, with 178 kilometres located within Benue.
Representing the contractor, China Harbour Engineering Company, Engr. Tijani Babatunde, said construction commenced on February 1, 2024, and is scheduled for completion in February 2028.
Members of the inspection team observed that the completed sections had already reduced travel time between Makurdi and Otukpo from about three hours to one and a half hours, with the road expected to boost trade by easing the movement of people, agricultural produce and goods across the North Central and South-East regions
The delegation also inspected the Gyado Junction underpass in Gboko, where local officials said the project had eased traffic congestion and significantly reduced accidents at one of the town’s busiest intersections.
Executive Chairman of Gboko Local Government Area, Hon. Elias Torseer Yina, said the underpass formed part of wider infrastructure development across the council, while former Caretaker Chairman, Hon. Vincent Meya Akaku, described it as a lasting solution to recurring road crashes.
At the upgraded Buruku-Gboko Water Supply Scheme and the rehabilitated Otobi Waterworks in Otukpo, officials said the projects had restored potable water supply to communities after years of decline.
Director of Urban Water Supply and Quality Control, Ngoundu Juliet Adzaugbah, said the Otobi Waterworks, abandoned after contractual disputes, was rehabilitated and completed in September 2025.
The facility now operates at its installed capacity of 10,000 cubic metres of treated water daily, supplying Otobi, Otukpo and neighbouring communities, with plans underway to reconnect Taraku and other affected areas.
The inspection also took the delegation to Taraku Mills Limited, where rehabilitation works are nearing completion after the agro-processing company remained dormant for nearly three decades.
Plant Manager, Engr. James Terngu Igbe, said the facility would resume production within two months after ongoing test runs and would create more than 2,000 direct and indirect jobs.
He said the mill would process soybean, groundnut and maize into edible oil and livestock feed, providing a ready market for farmers.
The facility has an annual maize processing capacity of 72,000 metric tonnes and can produce 172,300 metric tonnes of animal feed annually, alongside oil processing and refining plants.
At BSUTH, officials said about N20 billion had been invested over the past three years to reposition the hospital as a regional referral centre.
The Chief Medical Director, Dr. Stephen Terungwa Hwande, said the investments had expanded specialist services, modernised diagnostic facilities and increased the workforce from about 800 to nearly 3,000 employees.
The hospital now houses a Cancer Centre under development, advanced radiology and molecular laboratories, an IVF centre, a specialised rehabilitation centre for children with developmental disorders, and improved water and power infrastructure.
According to Hwande, the upgrades have reduced the need for patients to seek specialist treatment outside Benue while attracting referrals from the Federal Capital Territory and neighbouring states.
Leader of the inspection delegation and Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the 15 projects inspected reflected the gains of collaboration between the Federal and Benue State governments, supported by improved revenues and responsible borrowing for productive investments.
He said funds generated from the removal of fuel subsidies, alongside borrowed resources, were being channelled into infrastructure that improves livelihoods, expands economic opportunities and strengthens connectivity.
‘As Nigerians, we often hear criticisms that the government is borrowing. But we can also see where the money is going. It is being invested in infrastructure that connects communities, opens up previously neglected areas, facilitates commerce and enables farmers to move their produce to markets,’ he said.
Onanuga described the projects inspected as strategic investments that would improve living standards, strengthen connectivity between Benue, Taraba and Adamawa states, and reinforce the state’s position as a gateway to the South-East and South-South regions.
He expressed satisfaction with the pace of work, noting that the projects were funded through a combination of Federal intervention funds and Benue State resources.
‘These projects will deliver significant economic benefits to the people and further drive development across the region,’ he added.