The Benue State Executive Council has approved N294.53 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, Solomon Iorpev, disclosed this on Friday while briefing journalists on the decisions reached at the State Executive Council meeting.
Iorpev 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 malaria cases tend to increase.
He stressed that the intervention would be critical in protecting vulnerable communities across the state, assuring that the government remained committed to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of residents.
The Commissioner also clarified reports concerning alleged plans by the Federal Government to establish ranches in parts of Benue State, describing some of the information circulating as misleading.
According to him, the previous administration, on October 16, 2017, granted the Federal Government the liberty to establish ranches in certain areas of the state.
He, however, said the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia had resolved not to take any decision on the matter without consulting communities that could be affected.
Iorpev explained that consultations were still ongoing, noting that Governor Alia was engaging with communities whose lands were reportedly being considered for the proposed ranches.
He said the final position of the state government would be guided by the wishes of the people, adding that the administration would respect the decision of communities whether they accepted or rejected the proposal.
“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,” he said.
The Commissioner therefore urged residents to disregard speculations on the matter until the government provides further information.
On the portfolios of the newly appointed commissioners, Iorpev said Governor Alia was committed to ensuring that individuals were assigned to positions where they could make the greatest contribution to the development of the state.
He disclosed that some portfolios had been rejigged 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, while assuring journalists of his readiness to maintain a strong working relationship with the media and ensure that residents were adequately informed about government programmes and policies.