Benue State Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia is facing mounting criticism following the distribution of branded wheelbarrows to rural women as part of an economic empowerment initiative aimed at boosting local resilience and easing transportation challenges.
The initiative, tagged “Hyacinth Cares,” saw the distribution of wheelbarrows fitted with steel frames and 100-litre capacity, which state officials say are intended to assist women engaged in farming and small-scale trade, especially amid the growing security crisis that has limited access to farms and markets.
“The wheelbarrows are a direct intervention to support rural mobility and ease the burden on women who carry agricultural produce over long distances,” a government official stated.
However, the gesture has sparked outrage on social media and across communities, with many critics dismissing it as tone-deaf and inadequate in addressing the deeper issues of poverty, insecurity, and limited economic opportunities.
“It’s not about the wheelbarrow. It’s about dignity and the need for real solutions,” said a local rights activist. “These women need security, access to credit, good roads, and farm inputs—not publicity stunts.”
The controversy has drawn comparisons to a similar backlash in 2017 under former Governor Samuel Ortom, when wheelbarrows were also distributed to youths in a widely criticized empowerment program.
Adding to the criticism, former APC Publicity Secretary in Benue State, Dan-Morgan Ihomun, condemned the current initiative, arguing that providing fertilizers would have been far more impactful during the peak of the farming season.
“On the wheelbarrow saga, I think the Benue State government should have rather provided fertilizers to farmers. Fertilizers are more important at these times,” Ihomun stated.
In a related development, Comrade Ngorngor Talento, Media and Publicity Aide to the ALGOVC Chairman, issued a statement on July 21, 2025, highlighting a separate agricultural support effort under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), spearheaded by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
According to the statement, Rt. Hon. Janet Hembafan Orukuna, Deputy Chairman of Vandeikya Local Government and ALGOVC Chairperson, distributed farm inputs to local beneficiaries at the Vandeikya Secretariat.
“The intervention is part of the Renewed Hope Initiative, a nationwide agricultural support programme championed by the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the statement read.
Orukuna emphasized agriculture’s role in food security and rural development, praising the First Lady’s leadership and pledging to ensure the programme reaches the grassroots. Beneficiaries described the support as “timely and impactful.”
While the Renewed Hope Initiative has been widely applauded, the state-led wheelbarrow distribution continues to draw sharp rebuke, as citizens demand more sustainable, scalable, and dignified interventions to lift rural communities out of poverty and insecurity.
