Accounts Still Frozen? Former Benue CPS Tever Akase Questions Governor Alia Over Three-Year Bank Account Freeze
By Yahaya Idris
Former Chief Press Secretary to the immediate past Governor of Benue State and now Media Consultant to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Hon. Terver Akase, has raised fresh concerns over the continued freezing of Benue State Government bank accounts, three years after Governor Hyacinth Alia assumed office.
In a statement titled “Accounts Sealed: 3 Years, 60 Days Later,” Akase questioned why the state government’s accounts have allegedly remained under restriction since Governor Alia announced their immediate freezing during his inauguration on May 29, 2023.
Recalling the Governor’s inaugural directive, Akase quoted Alia as saying:
“May I announce that effective immediately and until further notice, all Government Bank Accounts in all Banks are hereby frozen. A ‘Post No Debit’ instruction shall remain in force until all Signatories are changed. Any Bank that violates this instruction does so at its own risk.”
According to Akase, three years and 60 days later, Benue residents are yet to receive an official explanation regarding the status of the government accounts or whether the restrictions have been lifted.
He argued that the prolonged situation has continued to generate public interest, particularly following concerns previously raised by the Benue State House of Assembly.
Akase noted that the Assembly had, at one point, passed a resolution urging Governor Alia to unfreeze the accounts, warning that the continued restriction was affecting Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), slowing government operations and hindering the delivery of essential public services.
Despite the legislative intervention, he observed that there has been no public clarification on whether the accounts remain frozen or if the administrative processes that prompted the directive have since been concluded.
Describing the development as unusual, the former Chief Press Secretary posed what he described as a simple but fundamental question.
“Are the signatories to the accounts still being changed after three years and 60 days, or is this the longest ‘effective immediately’ in the history of public administration?” he asked.
The remarks add to the growing political discourse ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Benue State, where governance, transparency and accountability are expected to feature prominently in campaign debates.
As of the time of filing this report, the Benue State Government had not issued a fresh statement responding to the concerns raised by Hon. Terver Akase.