Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia
Website: www.benuestate.gov.ng
Office Date: May 2023
Address: Government House, Makurdi
Birth Date: 14 May 1966
Birth State: Benue State
Political Party: All Progressives Congress (APC)
State: Benue State
Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia made history by becoming the second Roman Catholic Priest to be elected as the governor of a state in Nigeria. He emerged victorious in the Benue State gubernatorial election held on March 18, 2023.
Hyacinth Alia was born on May 14, 1966, in Mbangur, Mbadede, Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria.
His educational journey began at St. Francis Primary School, Agidi, Mbatiav in Gboko. He then attended St. James Minor Seminary in Makurdi, where he started his religious studies. Alia continued his education at St. Augustine's Major Seminary in Jos, where he obtained a diploma in Religious Studies and later a Bachelor's degree in Sacred Theology.
Driven by his passion for learning, Hyacinth pursued further studies at Fordham University in Bronx, New York, United States, and earned a Master's degree in Religious Education with a specialization in Psychology and Counseling. He also obtained a Master's degree and a doctorate in Biomedical Ethics from Duquesne University in Pennsylvania in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia was ordained a Catholic Priest on July 7, 1990, by Bishop Athanasius Atule Usuh of the Makurdi Catholic Diocese.
Prior to entering politics, Alia gained international experience in educational management and healthcare administration. He served as the Director of Pastoral Services at the Catholic Health Service, North Campus Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, United States of America. He is a member of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains, the Catholic Health Service System Wide Ethics Committee, and the Broward Ethics Committee.
In 2022, Hyacinth Alia became the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State. He expressed his motivation for seeking the position of governor as a desire to transform the state into a better place and uplift the people from poverty.
In March 2023, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia was declared the winner of the Benue State governorship election, securing 473,933 votes. He surpassed the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Titus Uba, who received 223,913 votes.