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Chief Ambassador Eka Dickson A’adu, Chief Executive Officer of Ekason Groups of Companies – a reputable conglomerate with diverse interests spanning commerce, real estate, commerce and community development – and a distinguished community leader rose with hearts full of gratitude and admiration to celebrate Rev. P. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, Governor of Benue State, on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
He particularly described the governor’s celebration as “a golden milestone in the life of a man who has become synonymous with transformation, courage and servant leadership. Chief Ambassador Eka, a man who has long held that a governor who builds roads builds the future and a leader who bridges divides builds a people, found in Governor Alia living proof of that belief: a builder and bridge-maker in the truest and most literal sense of both words.”
In a heartfelt tribute made available to this publication, Chief Amb. Eka described Governor Alia as a rare breed of leader “whose footprints are not just found in the pages of press releases, but are permanently etched into the concrete of the streets, the steel of the bridges and the grateful hearts of millions of Benue people who today can travel with dignity, conduct business with ease and look upon their state capital with well-deserved pride.”
“When Governor Alia took office on May 29, 2023, the streets of Makurdi told a story of neglect: potholed, flooded and tired. Yet, with one man’s singular focus on a divine commission, he wasted no time. He simultaneously halted the construction of sixteen city roads within the Makurdi metropolis, a feat that stunned critics into silence and set the tone for what would become a legacy of unprecedented infrastructure renewal.
“That number has since grown to over fifty road projects cascading across Benue State as arteries of progress: connecting communities, opening markets and restoring the dignity of a people who had long navigated the humiliation of impossible terrain.”
As a businessman whose businesses span multiple sectors and who regularly travels the length and breadth of the state, Chief Amb. Eka said on first-hand authority that the roads currently under construction in Makurdi, Gboko and beyond are testimony to a governor who means business.
Beyond the streets themselves, Chief Amb. Eka emphatically underlined that the construction of modern underpasses and overhead bridges in both Makurdi and Gboko represents the boldest expression yet of Governor Alia’s transformative vision.
“The high-level roundabout flyover in Makurdi and the underpass at Gyado Interchange in Gboko were not mere engineering projects: they were declarations. They declared that Benue State had arrived on the map of modern infrastructure, that its towns deserved the same dignity accorded to any other state capital of the federation, and that the era of gridlocked traffic choking commerce and daily life was firmly over.
“For a state that has languished for years in infrastructure stagnation, these structures represent lasting monuments to what becomes possible when leadership is determined, courageous and unafraid to dream big.
“Every morning that motorists pass through those underpasses and bridges, they move through a corridor built through the sacrifice, commitment and unyielding love of a governor for his people,” he said.
Head of Amb. Eka equally commended Governor Alia for understanding that good governance does not stop at the gates of the state capital.
“The governor’s administration has pursued an ambitious agenda to connect virtually all local government area headquarters in Benue State to Makurdi through durable and quality roads – roads that do not surrender to the first rains but are built to serve generations yet unborn.
“Of particular note, and which Chief Ambassador Eka described as touching his heart most deeply, is the ongoing reconstruction of the Oju-Awajir road. This vital corridor, which for years has condemned the people of Oju and surrounding communities to near isolation, is being transformed into a modern thoroughfare worthy of the industrious people it serves. Its completion, he noted, will not only facilitate the movement of goods and people, but will unlock the enormous agricultural and economic potential of those communities, weaving them permanently into the fabric of Benue’s development story “This,” he declared, “is governance with conscience.”
To understand, Governor Alia the builder, Chief Amb. Eka observed that one must first appreciate the man Governor Alia.
Born on May 15, 1966, in the tranquil hills of Mbangur, Mbadede in Vandeikya Local Government Area, and educated at some of the finest institutions in Nigeria and the United States of America – including a Masters in Religious Education from Fordham University, Bronx, New York, and a Masters in Biomedical Ethics from Duquesne University, Pennsylvania – Governor Alia is a leader shaped by intellectual rigor, spiritual discipline and a life of commitment humanitarian service. He did not come to Government House as a career politician seeking personal comfort. He came as a servant leader bearing the full solemn weight of a people’s hope. His inaugural statement – “You were waiting for hope” – was not political theater. It was a deal. And on this day, its sixtieth birthday, that covenant is being honored visibly and verifiable on every new asphalt road, on every permanent bridge and in every community now within reach of Makurdi and opportunity.
Head of Amb. Eka Dickson A’adu himself is no stranger to the weight of responsibility and demands of leadership. Coming from a family with deep roots in the commercial and philanthropic life of Benue State, he has transformed Ekason Groups of Companies into a reputable institution serving the people of the state and beyond across multiple sectors.
Its business philosophy has always been anchored in one belief: when the land prospers, its people prosper, and when its people prosper, the business prospers. It is from this perspective – as a businessman, community leader and proud son of Benue – that he finds himself celebrating Governor Alia, saying the Governor’s progress in development has not only transformed the state’s infrastructure but improved the business climate, reduced logistics costs and opened up new corridors of opportunity for entrepreneurs, traders, farmers and small business owners across Benue State.
In his own words, Chief Amb. Eka concluded with a solemn, public and unequivocal pledge: “Your Excellency, on this milestone birthday, I make this pledge publicly and unequivocally: I stand fully at your side. I pledge my unwavering support – moral, social and material – for your bid for re-election in 2027. Benue State cannot afford to abort a journey that has just found its stride. The roads you are building must be completed. The bridges you have raised must be maintained.
“The vision you carry with you must be seen to its fullest realization. May Almighty God grant you many more years of health, wisdom and strength to serve. Happy 60th birthday, Your Excellency. The heart of the nation beats proudly because of you.”
