Thousands of people across Benue State turned up on Monday to celebrate the 57th birthday of the Governor-elect, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia.
The celebrator, Fr. Alia, was however, absent as he was said to be attending an important function in Abuja.
Director of Communications to the Governor-elect, Kulas Tersoo, said the huge crowd that attended his 57th-anniversary thanksgiving mass and reception despite his absence depicted his character.
Despite his absence, thousands of people attended the activities marking his 57th birthday celebration, which began with a Thanksgiving mass at St. Thomas Catholic Church Anum, Makurdi, along Makurdi-Gboko road.
Coincidentally, Fr. Alia was the priest in-charge of St. Thomas Catholic Church Anum and started the construction of the gigantic church building before his unceremonial exit from Catholic Diocese Makurdi to that of Gboko Diocese, where he remained until he won the governorship election.
The Catholic Diocese of Makurdi was said to have replaced the Governor-Elect, with another priest under controversial circumstances, but Fr. Alia, being a man of large heart, was said to have forgiven them and chosen the same venue to hold his thanksgiving mass, where the sum of over N1m was raised for the work of God within the parish.
Speaking to The Nation guests extolled the leadership quality and humility of the Governor-elect and expressed confidence that he would take Benue to greater heights.
Representative of the celebrator, Chief Mrs. Regina Akume, who is also House of Representative-elect for Gboko/ Tarka, described Fr. Alia as a humble and straightforward person and called on the people to support him in the huge task of governance. (The Nation)
