Fr. Hyacinth Alia was sworn in recently for a four-year term as governor of Benue State in Nigeria.

The 57-year-old will appoint the heads of state ministries and serve as the state’s chief security officer.

Speaking at his May 29 inauguration in the state capital, Makurdi, he promised to improve security.

“As your governor, I’m committed to working with security agencies and the federal government to ensure the safety of lives and property in our state,” he said, dressed in a Roman collar and black suit with a Nigerian flag lapel pin.

Fr. Hyacinth Alia said that he felt called to effect change in Benue State.

“From the day I took the decision to answer the overwhelming calls of my people to contest the governorship of Benue with the aim to rescue our people from the shackles of maladministration, I was fully aware of the sacrifice I was going to make,” he said.

“And I am convinced that it is worth the cause I am fighting to serve the souls of Benue people and the state.”

He added that he intended to “return to the public pulpit” after fulfilling his mandate as governor.

Fr. Alia was selected as the APC’s candidate on May 27, 2022. But in January this year, an appeal court in Makurdi ordered a rerun of the APC’s primary in 11 out of the state’s 23 local council areas after another candidate sued, alleging electoral malpractice.

According to his official biography, he served as director of pastoral services at Catholic Health Services’ North Campus in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, as well as chaplain at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, New York City.

The biography also noted that he served as parochial vicar of Immaculate Conception Church in Astoria, New York, and Our Lady of the Cenacle in Queens. After returning to Nigeria, he held several pastoral roles in Makurdi.

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