The Benue State Government is set to host a ceremonial welcome for President Bola Tinubu, even as the state reels from a series of deadly attacks that claimed the lives of over 200 residents in recent days.
The government has begun mobilising support groups to stage a colourful procession in honour of the President’s visit on Wednesday, June 18.
In an official letter dated June 17, Hon. Francis U. Ngutswen, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Special Groups Mobilisation, directed registered groups to appear in uniform and assemble for a welcome rally.
“Accreditation will be done directly by the number and colours,” the letter read, with instructions for group leaders to contact the office for further coordination.
The rally is scheduled to begin at the airport, pass through Wurukum Roundabout, and culminate at the Government House in Makurdi, where President Tinubu is expected to address a town-hall meeting.
The move has led to criticism, with many questioning the timing of the elaborate reception in the aftermath of coordinated attacks on Yelwata and Daudu communities which occurred between Friday night and Saturday morning.
Recall that in April, attempts by Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, to visit Benue were rebuffed by the state government. Obi had planned a visit to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps but was reportedly denied access on alleged security grounds.
Governor Hyacinth Alia had stated he could not guarantee the safety of “any individual or group visiting Benue without his knowledge or clearance.”
Following the latest tragedy, Obi’s close ally, Moses Paul, in a recent post on X quoted the former Anambra governor expressing concern over the politicisation of humanitarian outreach.
“Mo, if I cut short my UK trip to return to Benue, my greatest worry is, just as it happened when I tried to visit grieving people in Plateau, Niger, and other places, what if the Governor refuses me entry again? How do I explain to him that my visit is not about politics, but about compassion and standing with people who are passing through some of the most painful, heartbreaking moments because of these continuous and senseless killings?” Obi reportedly said.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
