When Leadership Becomes Pettiness: Governor Alia’s Cold Shoulder to Peter Obi
By Matthew Eloyi
In what can only be described as a regrettable low in the history of political civility and governance, the Benue State Governor, Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia has drawn widespread criticism over his administration’s blatant hostility toward the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, who was scheduled to visit the state on a humanitarian mission. What should have been a moment to demonstrate unity, empathy, and statesmanship was reduced to a shameful display of political pettiness and administrative discourtesy.
Peter Obi, known for his consistent outreach to vulnerable Nigerians and institutions in need of support, said he had planned visits to Plateau and Benue States to extend his humanitarian efforts. While the Plateau State Governor welcomed him with open arms, even facilitating his visit to an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Bokkos, the response, or lack thereof, from the Benue State Government paints a picture of misplaced priorities and unnecessary hostility.
Obi’s intention, according to a statement on his verified Facebook page, was clear and commendable: to visit IDP camps, support a nursing school, and see a school under construction by a local bishop in Gboko—activities that reflect deep compassion and a commitment to nation-building beyond political lines. Yet, instead of receiving cooperation, he was met with silence, evasion, and eventually, an official press statement seemingly aimed at blocking his visit altogether.
According to Obi, for days, he sought audience with the governor to formally communicate his intentions, a basic courtesy in democratic engagement. Unable to reach the governor directly, Obi contacted his Aide-de-Camp (ADC), who cited the governor’s busy schedule. That “busy schedule” reportedly lasted three days, during which even the ADC claimed he couldn’t reach his principal. Such evasiveness reeks not of busyness, but deliberate avoidance.
The situation crescendoed into farce when, on Obi’s way from Jos to Makurdi, his security team received a press release from the Benue State Government, circulated through the very same ADC he had earlier communicated with, casting a shadow over the visit and appearing to officially discourage it. The release’s timing and contents, which mirrored Obi’s itinerary, suggest calculated sabotage rather than coincidence.
This is not just about Peter Obi. It is about the kind of leadership that treats empathy as a political threat and compassion as a crime. It is about an administration that would rather stonewall a humanitarian gesture than set aside political differences for the greater good. And it is a disservice, most of all, to the suffering people of Benue (the displaced, the sick, the poor) who would have benefited from Obi’s goodwill.
Governor Alia, a man of the cloth and a supposed shepherd of the people, ought to have welcomed any initiative aimed at alleviating the suffering of his flock. Instead, he chose to politicize humanitarianism, to block charity, and to dismiss decency. This is not leadership. It is a failure of moral and political responsibility.
If Benue is to rise from the ruins of violence, neglect, and economic hardship, it must start by embracing every helping hand, regardless of party affiliation. True leadership transcends party lines. It listens, it welcomes, it unites.
To ostracize a man for trying to do good is not just wrong; it is a tragic betrayal of the people’s trust. If Peter Obi’s visit was a threat, then one must ask: a threat to whom? Certainly not to the hungry child in an IDP camp or the nursing student striving for a better life.
This incident must serve as a wake-up call. Benue deserves better. Nigeria deserves better. And history will remember not the silence of Peter Obi, but the noise of political insecurity that tried to silence compassion.
A new Nigeria is still possible, but not with leadership that fears empathy.
