Rev. Fr Alia’s Political Baptism 

By Ike Abonyi 

“There are no personal sympathies in politics”- Margaret Thatcher

The rite of passage of Rev Father Hyacinth Alia from the lectern of the church to the podium of politics has not been smooth at all despite not being the first Catholic clergy to occupy the gubernatorial seat in the state. Benue State has made history twice in having a Catholic Priest as an elected Governor. The first was the late Rev. Fr. Moses Adasu who became the second elected Governor of the state in 1992. Fr. Adasu was elected during the short-lived third Republic under the platform of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and he ruled from 2 January 1992 and left after the military coup in November 1993 that brought Gen Sani Abacha to power. Governor Adasu came to power at the tail end of my departure from Benue as a state correspondent of Kano-based Triumph Newspaper. My over three-year sojourn in Benue gave me insight into their politics long before the now overwhelming godfather, the current Secretary to the government of the federation, SGF Senator George Akume, came as the third elected governor of the state after being Chairman of Gboko local government council.

The second Catholic clergy to occupy Makurdi government house as governor is the incumbent Governor of the state Rev. Fr. Alia. Both Frs Adasu and Alia never received endorsement from the Catholic Church for their shift away from evangelical ministry to politics.

Fr. Adasu was suspended by the Church through his then Bishop Athanesius Usuh of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi for disobeying the canonical law. Ditto Fr Alia is currently on suspension by the Bishop of Gboko Diocese, Dr Williams Avenya who declared he will remain suspended until he is free of ‘contumacy’ The two Priests violated a section In canon law, Ex can 285, 3 CIC, which guides the church’s operations as it relates to partisan politics and its priests.

Before venturing into politics, Fr. Alia was one of the most popular priests in the state through his Adoration Crusade that brought many worshippers together. He had divine healing power that attracted worshippers to his ministry especially after his power was verified and confirmed by the Vatican. It was his fame as a soldier in the Lord’s Vineyard that attracted desperate APC politicians in the state, led by the former Governor of the state and now the current Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Akume, to lure him out of the pulpit to help defeat the incumbent PDP government in the state.

As far as the APC was concerned, they wanted anybody who would help them grab power in the state. It didn't matter to them if the person had any prerequisites to make a good governor and deliver to the people the desired good governance.

As they pulled Fr Alia out where he was saving souls, it didn't take long before they began to realize that his popularity in the lord’s vineyard backed heavily by Jesus in the blessed sacrament is a different ball game while in power corridor where he is now at the mercy of political crooks and thieves holding sway. Governor Alia, by now, will appreciate the wisdom of the church in preventing contamination of its priests with partisan politics.

By dumping adoration ground where he was saving souls as a priest of the Catholic faith into the murky waters of Nigerian politics, Rev Father Alia chose an adoration and worship that excludes the Blessed Sacrament. There is always a huge difference that the governor must have noticed by now.

Politicians globally by their mien are closer to Mammon than to God, and by now, after two years away from the Lord's Vineyard, Fr. Alia can confirm this fact that politics is such a rich source of the inane, the illogical, the daft, and the dumb. And he would also have realised why politicians say and act stupidly is because the pressure of the job plays havoc with the mind.

By now Fr Alia must have seen why John F Kennedy said that “Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be President of their country but they don't want them to become politicians in the process.” or why Winston Churchill said that “A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen.”

Imagine a man ordained to save souls finding himself presiding over a political crisis that has brutally taken the souls of hundreds of innocent citizens. Credible intelligence is showing that while herders may have played some roles in the renewed killing in Benue state, it was aggravated by the infighting between Fr. Alia and his political godfathers.

By now, as a priest ordained in the order of Melchizedek of old, Fr. Alia would have known the difference between a man of God and a man of the people in political parlance. 

As a charismatic Priest presiding over the Adoration Ministry, the crooks came and deceived him that he was also a man of the people and dragged him into politics. But immediately he left the lord’s vineyard they showed him their true colours and since then he has been visibly bemused and discombobulated.

Nothing exposed Governor Alia’s credulity more than his response to the massacre of his people. He was bewildered and compounded his case by being obsequious and toadying, when he had a great opportunity to speak out frontally for his people.

The poor handling of the massacre of over 200 people in Yelwata village in a two-day operation reduced Fr Alia’s rating as an astute leader by over 30%, an incident he would have used to endear himself to his people the way he was before adorers in his crusade ground. As a Catholic Priest, no one is in doubt about his knowledge of the power of Christ in the blessed sacrament, but he must have seen it practically that the source of power in the adoration ground is not the priest but Christ in the Eucharist.

Perhaps the most disheartening behaviour exhibited by Governor Alia in the worst crisis faced by his state is closing schools, declaring a public holiday and lining up youths and children under the rain to receive a President not on a state visit but on a condolence. That was an irrational hospitality that portrayed the Governor as being more interested in the optics than the required compassion for the dead and their mourners.

That act dented Governor Alia as prioritising optics over empathy, potentially detracting from the governor's image as a priest of God.

 History would have recorded Governor Alia better if he had declared a public holiday to mourn the death of over 200 citizens, not cows, than what he sycophantically did. As he turned the mourning mood into politics, the visiting President had no choice but to join him in talking about his second term.

Even more irritating in all these is the sad fact that the President, after the city fanfare and politicking, was unable to visit the Yelwata village, blaming it on erosion and bad roads, another huge indictment on the state government under the watch of Governor Alia. It raised questions about the state government's infrastructure priorities and preparedness.

Overall, Governor Alia's challenges in Benue State are multifaceted, requiring a comprehensive approach to address the security, economic, and social issues facing the state, a situation now exacerbated by the massacre.

President Tinubu's visit to Benue State has garnered mixed reactions, making its impact on Governor Alia's reputation somewhat complex. The President pledged to establish a specialised security task force and direct the Inspector General of Police to swiftly track down and apprehend the perpetrators, which could enhance Governor Alia's efforts to restore peace. This could be reassuring if it's not another political talk. Such could help Governor Alia to develop a framework for lasting peace and a positive step towards resolving the state's protracted security challenges.

Ultimately, the impact of Tinubu's visit on Governor Alia's reputation depends on how the governor leverages the President's support to address the state's security challenges and deliver tangible results. If the visit translates into meaningful action and improved security, it could be a plus for Governor Alia; otherwise, it might be seen as a minus.

Two variables informed my doing this write up on Benue, firstly, i am a Catholic and very concerned about Fr Alia’s success in this risky endeavors he plunged himself into carrying the name of the church along and secondly, Benue sate is my second homeland where i spent over three years reporting news with many friends one of whom lost over seven relations in the Yelwata attack.

My sincere admonition to Fr. Alia is, if the politicians in the state will not allow him to deliver good to his people in a manner they expected when they voted for him in 2023, he should consider jettisoning his second term, which they are already using to blackmail him. Thank God unlike most politicians in Benue and indeed in Nigeria Fr Alia has a second address since he is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek as captured in the book of Hebrew7 verse 17, “For the scripture says, you will be a priest forever, in the priestly order of Melchizedek” Rather than allow himself to be messed up and Church rubbed in, Governor Alia can think of the ultimate job of saving souls for which God originally set him aside. The burden is yours and so is the choice, but with the paraclete on your side, I strongly believe that you will come out better than it is now. Aristotle tells us that “Choice, not chance, determines our destiny.” And destiny is not a thing to be waited for, but a thing to be achieved.” It would not be nice if the people who said Yes father in 2023 turn to say No father in 2027. God help us.