By Okon Okon

A former Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, has called on state governors to develop their capital cities into economic hubs, capable of driving regional development.

Maku made the call in Makurdi during a tour of ongoing projects initiated by Gov. Hyacinth Alia of Benue State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tour is organised to mark Alia’s administration’s second anniversary, assess the impact of his projects on the people and evaluate the administration’s delivery of democratic dividends.

The tour is led by Maku and a former Director-General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr Mike Omeri, in company of selected journalists.

Maku commended the governor’s efforts in infrastructural development, particularly in the health and road sectors, which he described as critical to urban renewal.

“From what I have seen today, the teaching hospital, the pharmacology and therapeutic centres, and other key health projects, it is clear that Gov. Alia has made decisive interventions, especially in Makurdi,” he said.

The former minister noted that many of the road projects in the state capital had already been completed, describing the pace of work as commendable.

“This is what urban renewal looks like. Every one of our 36 state capitals should serve as a nucleus of economic development for surrounding regions,” he said.

Maku cited Makurdi, Kaduna, Ibadan, and Enugu as among the few cities in Nigeria that were well-planned from colonial times, adding that Makurdi, in particular, had the potential to attract investment, if development continues.

“Development follows cities across the world. We cannot rely solely on Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, or Onitsha. Each state capital must evolve into an economic nexus,” he said.

Maku urged contractors and supervising technical staff members to ensure the timely delivery of projects so that successive administrations could build on existing foundations.

Also speaking, Omeri, described the developmental initiatives in Benue as interconnected and strategically planned.

“The linking of the road infrastructure to health, education and agriculture sectors is a consolidation of development, with a clear futuristic outlook,” he said.

Mr Tiza Imojime, Commissioner for Works, Housing and Urban Development, said the government’s vision was to transform Makurdi from a glorified town into a true metropolis.

He said the transformation of the high-level roundabout area into a Central Business District (CBD) was already underway, with major institutions and businesses situated in the zone.

“We have banks, IBB Square, JS Tarka Foundation, and the main market all around this route. This is the heart of the town, and our aim is to make it the CBD of the state,” Imojime said.

He assured that all ongoing infrastructure projects would be completed.

“The governor was elected to work while we were appointed to support him. We are committed to delivering 100 per cent on these projects,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the projects inspected were, Benue Links Motor Park, Benue State University Teaching Hospital, brewery, Benue Investment and Property Company, water factory, state agric Business/mechanisation centre.

Others were Benue Fashion Hub, Benue Printing Press, juice processing factory, bakery factory, Bureau for Education Quality Assurance Agency and community healthcare clinic. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi