Six years in office - Plateau Stakeholders rates Gov Lalong's adminstration high

 

By Golok Nanmwa, Jos

As the Plateau state Governor Simon Lalong clocks 6 years in office on May 28th 2021 , some citizens of the state have commended him for his efforts at 

prioritizing education , welfare of civil servants , peace and security as well as education .

Some stakeholders who spoke to our correspondent said the Governor has so many projects and has done well for the people of the state .

Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong ,on assumption of office in his second term vowed to leave a lasting legacy in the state in line with the manifesto of his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC.) 

Our correspondent report that the Lalong legacy projects, are key projects initiated by the administration to impact on the lives of the people of the state.

Most of the projects are on critical infrastructure like education, health and human development .

 The  legacy projects includes several comprehensive hospitals, several comprehensive secondary schools and eight comprehensive primary schools, all scattered across the three senatorial districts of the state and most of the housing projects are about 70 percent completed .

An All progressive Congress stalwart Alhaji Nagelu Garba  ,said Plateau is fortunate to have Lalong as governor.

 ” I must commend Governor Simon Lalong for his efforts in leaving behind lasting legacies for Plateau people .

Lalong is doing excellently well for the people of Plateau , i call on people of the state to support Governor Lalong .

"Lalong has good plans for the people of the state ."

Nagelu added further that  the Lalong led adminstration has  rehabilitated and reconstructed over 40 township roads within the Jos Bukuru metropolis under the “Operation Zero Potholes” which gave a lot of relief to the  citizens of the state .

in his words "The Lalong led Government in Plateau has  taken steps to providing more affordable and accessible housing for the teeming population ."

He said the Lalong led adminstration recently  installed street lights across the city under the “Operation Light up Plateau” which has increased the beauty and safety of the city, this are among the thousands of other achievements he has ,Nagelu further added .

It could be recalled that Governor Simon Lalong recently said that education remains a priority of his administration as he believes that the solution to the problems of poverty, under development and insecurity can only be overcome through an enlightened citizenry. 

The Governor further explained that, “Our vision for the new Plateau State promises to leave behind legacies of our commonality, human dignity and welfare.

“While as a Government we shall strive to meet our own side of the social bargain, we equally expect the good people of Plateau State to reciprocate Government gesture, not only by giving their unalloyed support, but, more importantly, by learning to live in peace with one another so that together we can achieve the much-desired development,” Lalong stressed.

Lalong also said he would strive to complete all projects he initiated and some inherited ones before his second term ends.

Lalong said he hates hearing about abandoned projects.

The governor said that he sees it a waste when an administration leaves uncompleted projects and succeeding administrations’ abandon the projects in the name of politics.

“In our vision we said that if projects initiated by the previous administration are viable and is going to be useful to the people, we will continue and complete the project.

“

”We have so far completed some abandoned projects and we are going to complete more of them because I hate hearing about abandoned projects,’’ he emphasized.

On his legacy projects that were mainly in health and education sectors, Lalong assured that he would complete the 46 projects.

The governor said that due to paucity of funds, the scope of the legacy projects was scaled down from N50 to N30 billion to enable the state government complete them.

“We went to the capital market, got the money needed to complete the projects and we told the contractor that he must finish the projects in time.

“We realize that the contractor is slow and we have issued him a notice of termination and you will see what will happen in the next three months,’’ he assured.

Also the Lalong led adminstration has worked so hard to make land available and  accessible to the poor  .

It could be recalled that recently the Plateau state Government  said that state Ministry of Lands is pursuing Governor Simon Lalong’s policy of making land available and accessible to the poor and vulnerable through strategic partnerships with key drivers amongst which are the Central Bank of Nigeria, Federal Mortgage Bank, Fidelity Bank, Federal Ministry of Housing and sister ministries in the provision of lands for Agriculture, Minning, Tourism, Commerce and Industry in line with the Plateau State Strategic plan.

Commissioner for lands, survey and town planning, Hon Yakubu Dati made this known while unveiling the publication of the fees at the Ministry in Jos the state capital recently .

He said that the unveiling of this publication is aimed at improving the  capacity to key into the giant strides of Gov Simon Lalong, whose vision to improve the “Ease of doing business in Plateau State” gained traction following the commissioning of the Plateau State One-Stop Investment Centre.

He said that the unveiling is also in pursuant of promoting transparency in our operations in line with our Medium Term Sector Strategy (MTSS) as encapsulated in The Plateau State Strategic Plan.

“The unveiling ceremony is part of the ongoing reforms in the ministry to overcome the bottlenecks that had persistently crippled the revenue generation capacity of the ministry in the past.”

He said that “, our clients and stakeholders can assess our fees and charges at their fingertips in a transparent manner thereby eliminating middlemen who scare away our investors with dubious and outrageous charges.

“We have also been able eradicate cash transactions completely through collaboration with the Plateau State Internal Revenue Service who have provided the needed infrastructure and personnel.

Dati said that the task force on Internally Generated Revenue has been reinvigorated to focus on the largest source of untapped revenue, ground rents.

“These strategies are being driven by a committed crop of competent staff who are gradually but surely adapting to new technology and change of attitudes. This is evident in our growing revenue and improved services.”

“Following the return of relative peace under this administration, our towns and cities are urbanizing at an incredibly fast pace and, in many cases, with unplanned settlements that pose enormous challenges.

“In order to check the menace of urban slums, Gov Simon Bako Lalong approved seven layouts to define the urban planning frameworks that will guide the construction of new neighbourhoods and city extensions. Datti noted.

He said that “in this regards, we have entered into Public Private Partnerships (PPP) with land developers including Vanac Estates Ltd, Guya Nigeria Ltd, Clearview Security Ltd and … which has enabled us to create layouts in designated locations in Rayfield, Miango Low-cost, Zaria Road, Bauchi Road and environs under the Greater Jos Masterplan. We are also developing layouts in Barkin Ladi, Mangu, Pankshin, Langtang, Shendam through our zonal offices. The package offers ownership of choice landed property with Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) in a single transaction.

“We must appreciate His Excellency, Rt Hon Simon Lalong for the foresight to inject huge capital into the automation of the Plateau State Geographic Information System (PLAGIS) which has improved our performance.

With the coming of this administration in 2015.

“The Governor has boosted the business community especially the SMEs with the approval of One Thousand, Four Hundred and Eighty (1,480) Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os) and a total of Three Thousand, Five Hundred and Fifty Eight (3,558) Rights of Occupancy (R of Os). Several Devolution orders deeds, Deeds of Assignment and other instruments have been approved.

He further stressed that the agony of abandoned applications stretching several years is being replaced with a new dawn of processed land titles being issued in few weeks after application.

“Currently, the Ministry is fine tuning processing time from 180 days to 45 days.

“Our development partners, the GIZ are partnering with us in our pilot project of land reforms in the area of the Systematic Land Titling and Registration (SLTR) in Plateau State. Currently less than 3% of land in Nigeria is registered.

" Government’s vision to create a land market economy is to empower the rural dwellers by unlocking their asset, land."

“In this regard, we are calling on land owners to take advantage of the 50% waiver approved by His Excellency, Rt Hon Simon Bako Lalong, to register their lands and improve their access to finance.

Southern Zone Chairman of  the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Plateau, state Hon Paul Attsar who spoke to our correspondent on  the six years of office of Governor Lalong said he has done excellently well in boosting education in the state .

If you go the Plateau university in Bokkos ,you would see the good works Lalong has done in the institution .

Lalong has done a lot by constructing some roads in the southern part of Plateau  .

Attsar said at the  the inauguration of the Governor Simon Bako Lalong led administration in Plateau State in his first term.  the governor made it clear that his government is coming with a clear vision for the development of the state and would, as a matter of priority concentrate on five areas which policy has been termed the 5- Point Policy Thrust.

These are peace, security and good governance; human capital developmentand social welfare; agriculture and rural development; entrepreneurship and industrialization; and physical infrastructureand environment.

After winning his second term elections  , he vowed to continue the good work he has been doing in the state .

In his words "After about 6 years  in office, it would suffice to say that progress have been made in these core areas .

It is common knowledge that the current administration in Plateau  inherited a state which psyche has been assaulted by an avalanche of crisis and which needed healing to get back on track.

Taking serious the fact that without peace there cannot be meaningful development, the current administration immediately set out to work out Strategies that would ensure a lasting peace in the state.

Part of the strategies devised was to put in place an inclusive government, that gives every section of the state a sense of belonging as part of the problems of the past it was observed, was the feeling of alienation by certain parts of the state.

This policy made it imperative not to unnecessarily malign a particular section but to take everybody along in the scheme of things in terms of project allocation and appointments for the mutual benefit of all citizens of the state..

Remark Ditep an event planner in Jos said i must commend the Lalong led adminstration for always paying salaries and pension of workers at when due .

Now in Plateau , the era of none payment of salaries is over , Lalong has done well in so many other aspects ,he has done well in construction of roads in the state as well as boost commercial activities in the state .

Lalong  is a prudent Governor and has done well in tackling wastage in governance .

Remark further said that The Project Monitoring and Result Delivery Unit headed by the Chief of Staff to Governor Lalong , Mr Noel Donjur  has already been working so hard to  ensure that the State gets value for money and to track the implementation of all Projects and Programmes through the various Key Performance Indicators.

“Peace remains fundamental to any form of development and the Lalong led government has  been  doing everything possible to return Plateau State to its rightful position as the Home of Peace and Tourism.”

Dr Makut Simon Macham,the Director of Press and  Public Affairs to Governor Lalong who spoke to our correspondent recently said the Governor  exudes uncommon attributes and leadership skills which includes  humility, discipline, forthrightness and tolerance. 

In his words "Lalong  abhors bigotry under any guise. His passion for peace has even been misunderstood by some as a weakness while the discerning praise him as a bridge builder and Apostle of peace. "

"He took over Plateau State in 2015 when there were religious and ethnic tensions especially in Jos as a result of ethno-religious crises. But today as a result of his non-partisan and forthright approach to issues, the tension and apprehension has since been diffused and many of the old barriers dismantled. 

Macham further said that to tame the orgy of violence inherited, Governor Lalong established Plateau Peace Building Agency to promote the culture of dialogue, forgiveness and conflict prevention that has gingered peace and harmonious coexistence among the diverse ethno-religious groups in the state. 

Presently, there is clear evidence that the situation has improved tremendously over the last five years with better community relations and less tension and fear. Plateau State is again the melting pot of Nigeria and the Home of Peace and Tourism. 

He further said that Lalong has been exploring all plausible avenues to consolidate on the prevailing peace. 

"Apart from supporting security agencies, Operation Rainbow, a hybrid force established by the state government was strengthened by his administration with a clear mandate for intelligence gathering and response to pave the way for community policing. "

The Governor's regular consultation with stakeholders in the state including members of the State House of Assembly has led to many positive developments.

" For instance, the passing of the anti-land grabbing law which criminalises forceful occupation of land by some unscrupulous elements, has since stemmed the tide of land grabbing in the state especially in the Northern zone of Plateau State.  "

Macham also said that The Governor has continued to demonstrate his affection for his people, task after task, no matter the cost. In spite of the economic crunch in the country, his administration since coming on board decided to complete all the abandoned projects inherited from his predecessors.

 Governor Lalong equally initiated and completed many projects with others still ongoing such as the mega projects dubbed “Lalong Legacy Project” which are mostly in health and educational sectors in the 17 local government areas of the state. 

The Governor recently assured of completing the projects when he said “Having inherited quite a number of abandoned project and completed many of them, I don’t intend to leave any project uncompleted. The legacy projects will be completed before the end of my tenure God willing.”      

Governor Lalong’s Rescue Mission is fundamentally about service and fairness in distribution of scarce resources and development projects across the three geo-political zones of the State. 

He also said that Lalong recently  created an ICT Agency christened “Plateau Information and Communication Technology Development Agency” PICTDA. He recently declared thus: “Our goal is that before we leave office, we would like to have most, if not all our governance processes driven by information and Communication technologies".  

Macham also said that The prevailing industrial harmony on the Plateau is as a result of cordial relationship with the state civil servants. In the past six years, workers have been receiving their entitlements as and when due. When it comes to payment of salaries, pension, gratuity and other emoluments, Governor Lalong stands out nationwide. This has earned him the indelible name of “Governor Alert” bestowed on him by no other than the state civil servants. The Governor recently told the civil servants that his administration was working towards acquiring land in all local government areas of the state to build affordable housing for them. 

He added that "The vision of the governor to transform Plateau State into an industrial hub is manifested in the high number of MoUs his administration signed with both local and foreign partners to resuscitate moribund government owned industries such Jos International Brewery, BARC Farms, Highland bottling Company among other which have been lying comatose for a very long time. "

In his words "Another main thrust of Governor Lalong's administration is the provision of qualitative education for its citizenry. In the tertiary section, he injected life into the State owned University, Plateau State University Bokkos which was gasping for breath before his election as the governor of the State due to sheer neglect and reckless abandonment driven by politics. Apart from this, other tertiary institutions such Plateau State Polytechnic, College of Education Gindiri among other were also given a new lease of life.       "

The Director of press and Public affairs  further said Lalong’s modesty, nature and humility keeps him away from hugging the limelight unlike his more aggressive and socially astute contemporaries.

"Governor Lalong has been tirelessly interfacing with relevant individuals, groups and institutions towards restoring the legacies of the founding fathers of the North particularly the legacies of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto."

He added that Governor Lalong chairs the meeting of Northern Governors Forum in Kaduna. The election of Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State by his colleagues to succeed the former Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, to chair the Nigerian Northern States Governors Forum, did not come to many as a surprise.

"This is because he has demonstrated leadership that is forward looking and seeks to unite people and resolve conflicts while pursuing development.

His strides in Plateau state that saw the restoration of peace and accelerated development provided a very good example for the entire Northern States to put their trust in him to lead them.

He has liaised seamlessly with President Muhammadu Buhari and other institutions of the Federal Government in pushing the interests of the Northern Region and spearheaded the development of new blueprint for economic revival of the Northern Region.

Macham added that " Lalong as Chairman Northern State’s Governors Forum, has pushed for adoption of community policing by the Northern States, he also spearheaded the adoption and implementation of the National Livestock Transformation Programme by the Federal Government and Northern states."

He further stressed that Simon Lalong coordinated the Response of the Northern States in the fight against COVID-19, lobbied for the payment of entitlements of employees of New Nigerian Newspapers and mediated in many disputes between various interests and groups in the North, he also facilitated timely intervention and reconciliation among parties on national issues towards restoring confidence and understanding and spearheaded the final return of Almajiri children to their states of origin.

"Gov. Lalong, through the Northern Governors Forum, further assures Nigerians of all ethnic, religious and political persuasions of their constitutional rights to pursue their legitimate businesses wherever they choose within the region and appeal to the people to resist any attempt to lure them into any act that can threaten the peace and tranquility of the region and the nation at large."

Speaking further he said Lalong  has incessantly called on citizens to shun and jettison divisive polices, rhetoric and body language so as to ensure sustainable peace in the country.

In his first term, the Governor’s Rescue Mission operated under a 5-Pillar Policy Thrust, namely: Peace, Security and Good Governance; Human Capital Development and Social Welfare; Agriculture and Rural Development; Entrepreneurship and Industrialization; and Physical Infrastructure and Environment. After re-election in 2019, he streamlined the vision to Peace, Security and Good Governance; Infrastructural Development; and Sustainable Economic Rebirth.

Venturing into partisan politics despite his enormous successes in profession and businesses had been largely informed by the desire to turn things around for his people.

In 2019, the people of Plateau State were impressed with the first term performance and genuine efforts of the Lalong administration that they decided to overwhelmingly take the Rescue Mission to the Next Level by giving the Governor and his Deputy, another four years.

Notwithstanding the fact that the Lalong administration inherited so many problems and amidst limited resources, high expectations and competing demands, the government settled down for business under the purposeful leadership of Governor Lalong.

Macham also added that Lalong believes and sees politics as call to serve and not to be served.

 He has a strong view that power should be used for the transformation of the society and development of the people. His view for seeking power is consistent and relentless search for transformational ideas and policies that will transform the lives of the people.

He has touched the lives of his people positively by bringing to them the dividends of democracy.

"A man who always thinks much about Nigeria and less of self, Simon Lalong tries as much as possible to impact his wealth, both physical and human, to touch lives." He has used all means available to him to help the needy, the State and the country at large. He does not discriminate based on religion, sex or tribe.

A bridge builder and a grass root politician who has the capacity to build consensus in the political process and is viewed as a charismatic and strategic leader ,he stressed .

"No matter what detractors may want to say, Lalong is a gentleman to the core. His love for the masses is extraordinary, for he is a noble, detribalized and humane Nigerian who worked endlessly for the transition to democracy. 

Little wonder other opinions have described him as a behemoth bestriding the political landscape of Nigeria like a colossus, Macham added .

Marcus Pius , a citizen of Plateau ,who is a member of the  People's Democatric Party said ,i must commend him for the good works ,he is doing in Plateau ,however i call on him to work to complete all his legacy projects because they are key and very crucial to citizens .