Tag Archives: simon lalong

Plateau To Reduce Dependence On Federal Allocation – Lalong

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Plateau governor, Mr Simon Lalong, says his state is already diversifying its economy in order to reduce dependence on allocation from Federation Account.

 

He made this known in Abuja on Friday at the All Progressives Congress Media Roundtable.

 

The governor said that development of the state was on course but said that it was gradual.

 

He appealed to Nigerians to be patient and give President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration at least a year for the change being yearned for to be felt.

 

“We know people are expecting change but they should also understand the economic situation; we need to be patient with the reform that is going on so that the expected change will come. Let us give ourselves at least one year and see what the president and states are doing. Some of us are already diversifying.

 

We are moving into agriculture and other ways of diversification.

For me, if you give me between six months and one year and with adequate funding, like getting our full bailout, let me go into Internally Generated Revenue.

By God’s grace, when you come, you will see a different Plateau,’’ he said.

 

On the president’s trips, Lalong said that they would be beneficial to the nation at the long run.

 

“I don’t see anything wrong with it. Presently, I am granting an interview in Abuja and not in Jos; if I didn’t travel to Abuja from Jos, who will fight for my bailout?

For example, foreigners have stopped coming to Jos due to insecurity. If you want private investors, you have to travel all the way to Abuja because that’s where the foreigners are.

“That is also exactly what Mr President is doing. He is trying to attract private investors into the country to do business. He has been invited to several workshops and seminars.’’

 

Concerning the allegation that lawyers were part of the reason why the corruption fight was slow, the governor who is a lawyer said “If there are allegations against a profession like that, it is good to be specific.

 

“Each profession has a way of disciplining its members. This means that there are members who are recalcitrant.

So, it is better to name those lawyers, arrest, investigate and prosecute them.

I also have been detained by the EFCC in 2005/2006 for more than 40 days before I was later prosecuted, discharged and acquitted by the Supreme Court.

“All of that was because I wanted to follow due process with regards to illegal impeachment.’’

 

On the need to assign more women into positions of authority, he said that they had important portfolios in his government because he believed in their capabilities.

 

“We have three female commissioners; the Commissioner for Finance is a woman and that of Agriculture whose ministry is the thrust of our diversification programmes.

“We also have seven permanent secretaries who are doing excellently well; so we are taking good care of women affairs in the state,’’ he said.

 

(NAN)

TSA: Plateau Recovers N2.7 Billion

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Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau on Friday disclosed that the state government had recovered N2.7 billion through the implementation of Treasury Single Account (TSA) in the state.

 

Lalong made this known at the All Progressives Congress (APC) media roundtable in Abuja.

 

According to him, the money, which had hitherto been missing, was traced to some accounts in the state and have been recovered.

 

 

He said that the recovery had enabled him to pay workers in the state, who had been on strike for months, at a time.

“Recently, we recovered about N2.7 billion in the state, money that was regarded as lost. We traced and recovered the money which was meant for teachers.

“Teachers, civil servants, the judiciary had gone on several months of strike; some nine, some 11 but now, since I came on board, we did our best. We now have arrears of salaries of only two months.

“For teachers, we paid all; they are back to work. The judiciary is also back to work. So, for the plateau, we are moving on well.

“In the area of corruption, we are putting pressure on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to hasten their investigations so that they can begin prosecution and we can also gain recovery of looted funds,’’ Lalong said.

 

He said that several other cases had also been sent to the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), “which will yield results soon’’.
He disclosed that like the Federal Government, there was pressure to stop prosecution of some cases, while some people with concrete evidence refused to come out to testify.

 

He, however, said that such antics did not and would not deter the government from pushing for the recovery of stolen funds in the state.

 

The governor said that he was unsure why other governors were finding it difficult to implement the TSA, disclosing that the merits of the system outweighed its demerits.

 

“I am not an accountant but immediately I became aware of both the advantages and disadvantages of TSA, I gave the instruction that it should be implemented.

“I organised a committee immediately and today, TSA is being implemented.

“I don’t know why some governors are finding it difficult to implement TSA in their states but out of the TSA implementation in our state, we have gained some dividends.

“We are now tracing some accounts that were not known to us before and we are seeing some excesses in those accounts, especially in some of the ministries.

“So, I will advise other states that have not yet implemented TSA to do so,’’ he said.

 

Lalong assured that in spite of the reduction in monthly allocation to the state, there would be no downsizing of workers in the state.

“It will be very difficult to downsize on the plateau; I don’t intend to and I will not. All I want to do is to maintain what I have and also improve on it.

“That’s why our concentration is on improving on the revenue so that we can, if possible, employ additional workforce.

“Downsizing in this present administration is going to be very difficult; the president has advised state governments and even corporate organisations not to downsize,’’ he said.

The governor said that although he was yet to pay all outstanding salaries, he would do so as soon as the Federal Government paid the bailout he applied for in full.

“Before the issue of bailout, we had already started paying workers in the state.
When the issue of bailout came, we applied for N10 billion which was supposed to be for the arrears of salaries for about eight to nine months and so far, we have only received N5 billion.
“Plateau was supposed to get N10 billion for salaries and for infrastructure but all we have got so far from the Central Bank of Nigeria is N5 billion.
“Even with that, we have been able to clear most of the arrears of salaries; we only have an outstanding of two months salaries not paid in our state.
“We have paid all the outstanding salaries for all our local governments. If I am able to get my balance of N5 billion, within a week, all the remaining salaries would have been cleared.’’

 

(NAN)

Eid el-Kabir: Plateau spends N40m on rams

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Plateau Government said it distributed rams and food items worth N40 million to Muslims in the state for the Eid el-Kabir celebration.


The Director of Press Affairs in the state, Mr Emmanuel Nanle, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Thursday.


Nanle said that the gesture was part of the state government’s way of ensuring that Muslims in the state, especially the less-privileged, enjoyed the celebration.


He said that the rams and other items were distributed through Muslim groups, and enjoined them to see the initiative as a step toward promoting mutual affection in the state.


He called for more prayers for peace in the state and charged the people to show love and tolerance for each other.
Nanle assured that the government was committed to giving a sense of belonging to everyone in the state.

 

(NAN)

Governor That Left N222 Billion Debt, Transition Committee Reveals

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The Transition Committee set up by Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau says the immediate past administration of former Governor David Jang left a debt of N222.3 billion for the Lalong administration.

Sonni Tyoden, the Plateau Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Committee, made this known on Tuesday when he submitted the report of the committee to the governor.

Mr. Tyoden explained that the committee was made up of 12 members of the central committee, 188 other members were broken into 27 sub-committees, each handling a particular aspect of government operations.

The deputy governor said that government records showed that between May 2007 and May 2015, the state received a total income of N525.35 billion.

“The sum of N747.65 billion was said to have been expended on Plateau citizens in the last eight years.

“The hand-over notes received from the previous government stated that the level of indebtedness of government was N103.9 billion as at May 2015 but our findings put the figure at N222.3 billion.

“Furthermore, what was left as credit in all the government accounts put together was N93 million,’’ he said.

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Open Letter To the Governor-Elect, Plateau State Mr. Simon Lalong By Daniel Gomagallah Herbert

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Dear Sir,

I want to first of all congratulate you for the success at the polls. It’s a victory for Plateau State and I pray God will see you through your administration.

As a state, We’re grateful that we’re blessed with both natural & human resources. So, I write this piece to draw your attention to just a part of what we’re blessed with, that of course, I know you’re aware of. However, I’ll still say Plateau, the home of peace & tourism needs to rise beyond our great past into a future that is worth celebrating.

As a tourist haven, it’ll be good if you develop our very own Sherri-Hills into something bigger than Obudu. Just before we get there sir, I will like to suggest that the major projects that have a lot of impact on the state but standing uncompleted should be completed by your administration. For example, the Flyover at secretariat Junction, Zaria Road Stadium among any others.

Dear Governor, having a five star hotel or its equivalent in our state will make this place worth visiting by a lot of prospective investors.

Sir, an international conference centre if,constructed like wise, is an image projector we need as a one stop “shop” for everyone doing business in the Middle Belt,North &

beyond. Sir,we need a world class shopping mall in this state too to make this tourist haven complete. Better still, The Jos main market can be reconstructed.

The last but not the least,our primary, secondary & state owned tertiary institutions should be made even better so as to develop human capital base of the state.

On the payment of salaries, that can never be over emphasised.

Hopefully,Plateau will be even more beautiful.

Just so when some people thought that we’re all finished in Jos, I hear us all saying, with the coming of this government that ; “This just the beginning.” With the hands of our political leadership, with the choice we’ve  made all to live in peace and to contribute our quota in making this state beautiful again, Plateau is rising!!!

Our streets will be made beautiful, businesses should  thrive, hopes should be raised and that tourist haven should be unveiled. That’s what we look forward to in this new government.

We have great entertainers here and those that left this state as ambassadors, and the entertainment industry should be made to thrive in this state. The talents I see are just enormous.

So that even the stereotypes will testify to this fact that Jos is rising!

We want everyone to Discover Jos city; The Home of peace and tourism.

Discover Jos city; The spring board to every success story.

Discover Jos city; The most accommodating state in Nigeria.

Discover Jos city; A haven to behold.

The State is known as The Home of Peace and Tourism because it has a lot to show to the world.

In terms of tourism, we have the following to be proud of ;

The Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture. This has life-size replicas of a variety of buildings, from the walls of Kano and the Mosque at Zaria to a Tiv village. In addition, articles of interest from colonial times relating to the railway and tin mining can be found on display.

Jos Zoo is located in Jos city, beside the museum. It has a good stock of animals, birds and reptiles and was established in 1957.

Assop Falls is one of the most notable of Nigeria’s many waterfalls. Located at the edge of the Jos Plateau, about 40 miles (64 km) from Jos city, on the road to Abuja.

The Wildlife Safari Park sits in the middle of 8 km2 (3.09 sq. miles) of unspoiled savanna bush, about 4 km (2 mi) from Jos. It offers a wide variety of wild animals within easy viewing. The park also boasts great, panoramic views of Jos city.

The National Museum in Jos was founded in 1952, and is recognised as one of the best in the country. It is renowned for its archeology and The Pottery Hall has an exceptional collection of finely crafted pottery from all over Nigeria. The museum boasts some fine specimens of Nok terracotta heads and artifacts dating from between 500 BC to 200 AD.

Kurra Falls is an area of magnificent scenery some 77 kilometers southeast of Jos. It is the location of the State’s first hydroelectric power station.

The Kerang highlands are located about 88 kilometres from Jos. These beautiful, volcanic mountain hills are the source of natural mountain springs, which supply the popular spring water company (SWAN).

The Shere Hills include some of the Plateau’s highest peaks. They are a scenic range of hills to the east of Jos which offer a prime view of the city below. They offer fantastic opportunities to mountain climbers and hill walkers alike.

Riyom Rock is one of nature’s most spectacular rock formations, located 25 kilometers southwest of Jos, near Riyom town. One of which is the famous “Three-Stone”.

Pandam Game Reserve is a wildlife sanctuary. It is a protected region of natural habitat and is home to Hippopotami, Crocodiles and snakes of all types. Local park rangers track local game on foot and guide people to the best viewing areas. It offers sports fishing facilities and tourist accommodation is available.

Wase Rock is a striking dome-shaped inselberg which juts out of the ground to an incredible height of 450 meters. It is located about 216 kilometers southeast of Jos near Wase town. It is one of the only five breeding places for the White pelican in Africa. Because of this, the government now protects about 321 acres (1.30 km2) of land around the rock as a bird sanctuary and for wildlife development.

Kahwang Rock Formation is a set of beautiful basalt rocks, second to one of its kind found in Switzerland. Located in Bangai village of Bachi District in Riyom Local Government of the state, the Kahwang rocks have received tourists from different parts of the state, the country at large and on occasions, from outside Nigeria, who visit the site to see for themselves the wonders of nature. This site is however, still awaiting the attention of the Plateau State Tourism Corporation to meet modern standards and to serve as another source of revenue generation to the state. All of these, I’m aware you know even more.

Putting them forward in this piece is just for emphasis.

POPULAR NIGERIANS ASSOCIATED WITH JOS:

Jos is not only one of the most popular cities in Nigeria but also served as the spring board for the following Nigerians: Kenneth Gyang – A filmmaker, An African Movie Academy winner [His movie won Best Film – And it is the African Movie Academy Awards, Bayelsa ] One of the best Nigerian Rappers, Award winning Multi-talented producer extra ordinary, J-Town Masterpeiece; Jesse Jagz, Mikel Obi; an international footballer who had his childhood years in Jos, Panam Percy Paul; popular Christian musician, Obinna Nsofor; popular Nigerian footballer who started his career in Jos, Kevin Pam; first Nigerian to win Big Brother Africa, Karen, P-Square; popular musical duo who had their childhood years in Jos, Jeremiah Gyang – Singer and Multi-Talented instrumentalist who is from Jos, MI; popular Nigerian Rapper who also had his childhood years in Jos, Ice Prince Zamani, Nigerian Rapper, who grew up in Jos, Bongos Ikwe; a popular musician who grew up in Jos. Others are Segun Odegbami; popular Nigerian footballer who had his childhood years in Jos, Bez ; a Nigerian alternative soul singer born and raised in Jos, Dayo Okeniyi, an actor most known for playing “Thresh in the Hunger Games” movie, He was born in Jos. The names mentioned are just few among many others that this city is blessed with. We all together are pictures of great personalities in Jos…

The state needs to grow beyond depending on what we get from Jos Electricity Distribution Company JED in terms of electricity… We really should do something about NESCO which to me, is something we can fall back to.

From there too, something good will happen to our internally generated fund. Tax isn’t the only way forward.

People should be encouraged to invest in the state and people with ideas should be given such opportunity to make such contribution.

Let me introduce you to someone whose idea was not given an opportunity to thrive. I Read about Choji Bare, from Turu in Vwang district. An industrial chemist from the University of Jos. In 2009, he  invented a refinery process that converts plastic/nylon waste to a good yield of petroleum products like petrol, diesel, kerosene and cooking gas. He built a prototype refinery that does that.  He submitted a proposal to the government for a 300,000 liters per day plant in Jos. This was not considered here. However with time, This invention attracted lots of interests from Europe and America. Companies sent representatives all the way to Jos. He was given a presidential award in 2012. But his aim was to setup a refinery in Jos with plateau indegenes having at least 70% majority take in it. These foreign companies wanted him to leave Nigeria. At first he was hesitant but had to succumb as he saw the government was not interested in his  developmental idea. Now he has been featured on forbs magazine severally, recognized and endorsed by several international bodies.

Let the environment be very friendly for investors from within the country and beyond, and those who have an idea.

 In Nigeria today, it’s like everyone doing great had his/her footprints in Jos. So, we can explore more and make this state the entertainment capital of Nigeria, and a tourist destination for all. First, then lets rear and our image away from our past.

Jos city is beautiful, lets join hands and rewrite our story… Lets showcase the beauty within and the strength we have to drive the wheel of progress.

You’re Just what will  make Plateau more beautiful.

Yours,

Daniel, Gomagallah Herbert.

Views expressed are solely that of author and does not represent views of www.omojuwa.com nor its associates