The Executive Council of Benue State, chaired by Governor Hyacinth Alia, has approved N450 million as counterpart funding for the Nigeria Women Project, a development initiative supported by the World Bank.
The approvals were disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the Governor’s Technical Adviser on Media, Publicity and Strategic Communication, Solomon Iorpev.
The project, sourced by the state government, is designed to empower women in the state through small and medium-scale businesses, to reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth.
The state’s contribution will enable the government to leverage additional funding from the World Bank for the successful implementation of the programme.
The council also approved the sponsorship of 81 Muslim pilgrims from the state to perform the 2026 Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It further assured that similar support would be extended to Christian pilgrims during the next pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
According to the government, the decision signals a renewed commitment to pilgrimage sponsorship in the state, a practice that had been largely neglected by previous administrations but revived under the leadership of Governor Alia.
In another development, the council approved an executive order renaming the Benue Printing and Publishing Corporation to the Dan Agbese Printing and Publishing Corporation in honour of veteran journalist Dan Agbese for his significant contributions to Nigeria’s media industry.
The council commended the late media icon for his achievements and urged young people to emulate his dedication, stressing that diligence and hard work remain key to success.
