Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, Friday inspected ongoing construction work at the Food Basket Brewery located in Akile, along the Makurdi-Gboko Road.
The governor was accompanied by the Commissioner for Trade, Industry, and Investment, Hon. Alumo Orpin; the Group Managing Director of the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC), Dr. Raymond Asemakaha-CFA; and other senior management staff of the company.
The team was conducted around key installations by the brewery’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Adoje.
During the tour, Dr. Asemakaha introduced the governor to a team of Chinese expatriates currently handling the installation of EBI machines, a critical component of the plant. He raised concerns over the shortage of relevant technical skills among Benue youth, stressing the heavy financial toll of reliance on foreign expertise.
“One of the expatriates has been here for 92 days and earns $250 per day without any certificate excluding feeding and accommodation,” the GMD disclosed.
In a swift response, Governor Alia directed BIPC to select 12 young people of Benue origin drawn from across the geopolitical zones for a six-week specialized training program in China on the operation and maintenance of the EBI machines.
According to the governor, the trainees will be grouped into four batches in an effort to domesticate technical expertise and reduce long-term dependence on foreign contractors.
Addressing a large crowd of community members who gathered in solidarity over the siting of the brewery, Governor Alia urged residents to take ownership of the project and safeguard it as a collective asset.
He described the brewery and other ongoing infrastructural works including roads and underpasses as “a tip of the iceberg,” assuring that the state would witness a full phase of industrial and infrastructural transformation by 2027.
The governor also encouraged residents to participate actively in the ongoing voter registration exercise to ensure they are eligible to vote in the upcoming elections.
The Food Basket Brewery is one of the flagship industrial projects under the Alia administration, executed through BIPC as part of a broader strategy to stimulate industrial growth and economic revitalization in Benue State.
