The State of Plateau

BRITISH-AMERICAN INTERCHANGE (FLY OVER) CONSTRUCTION: TRAFFIC DIVERSIONS COMMENCE AS CONTRACTORS TAKE POSSESSION OF SITE  The traffic diversions earlier announced by the Plateau State Ministry of Works have finally taken effect as the contractors moved to the site in the early hours of Monday 31st January 2022 to block the required areas that will enable them break ground.  At the site around 4am was the Commissioner for Works Hon. Pam Bot-Mang, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works Engr. Alexander Plangnaan, the Site Engineer of the Contracting firm Engr Charbell, to ensure that the exercise was carried out seamlessly.  Speaking on the development, Commissioner for Works Pam Bot-Mang said the exercise was very key to the commencement of the project.  He reiterated his appeal to the citizens to cooperate with the situation and bear the inconveniences that will occur as a result of the diversions.  Bot-Mang said "we are excited that the contractors are moving to site to commenc

By Peter Akpah 01:02:22 Sale your manifesto not blackmail. My attention has once again drawn to a publication making the rounds in the social media regarding my aspiration to contest Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency bye election, ordinarily, I wouldn’t have even contemplated joining issues over a write-up by a coward and faceless person over cheap blackmail and propaganda but since in democracy, freedom of expression is encouraged to deepening the process.   However, the said piece on the social media is not even said by me or any of my campaign team,  but outright falsehood, spurious, misplaced and malicious aimed at character assassination and causing problems and confusion, to the faceless persons their propaganda and cheap blackmail is dead at arrival. The said write-up summarizes the best definition of mischief. To further exhibit the motive, intend and purpose behind the malicious machinations, the sponsor of the write-up cooked up by mischief makers, first it was that CAN en

By Golok Nanmwa ,Jos  Plateau state government on Saturday directed the closure of  vehicular traffic beginning Sunday around th let British American Junction to Lamingo Junction as it is begins construction of the Interchange Fly over . A statement signed by Pam Bot-Mang, the  Honourable Commissioner of Works, Plateau State and made available to newsmen in Jos reads that the  general public may recall that it  recently issued a Press Statement on the construction of a fly over at the British American Junction . The statement reads in parts " In keeping to our promise to regularly give updates on the construction activities of the project, we therefore wish the general public to know that the surveys which included Geotechnical surveys, soil tests, load tests, etc. have been concluded and setting out/markings are being rounded up."  "The construction work proper is set to commence and the contractor requires full control of the construction site with little or no obstruc

Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong has charged Nigerians to be circumspect and deliberate in their choice of public office holders by supporting candidates who have the fear of God and respect for humanity.  Governor Lalong was speaking at the 1st General Assembly of Catholics in Politics and Catholic Business Leaders in Abuja.  Lalong said Nigerians of all faiths must fully participate in the political process before, during and after elections by ensuring that candidates that vie for public office posess godly principles that will guide them to govern with the fear of God and do justice to all.  He said bringing Catholic politicians and captains of industry under one roof to discuss their roles in the Nigerian project at this particular time is very significant, because the nation is in dire need of godly men and women to champion the rebirth that will lead Nigeria to achieving its national aspirations.  The Governor said Christians and indeed Catholics are taught to follow the

When Dr Nentawe Yilwatda was quoted as saying he can deploy technology to secure Plateau, I for one believed him.  Not because he possesses the capacity and know how but because he has done it before. I recalled that as the then Resident Electoral Commissioner in Benue State, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda was able to organize and conduct the most peaceful election in the history of Benue State in spite of the preemptive red flag warning issued by United Nations Organization of a possible bloodbath in the 2019 elections in Benue State. How did he achieve this?  Being an Associate Professor of Artificial Intelligence, he personally developed an application that was sensitive to all Tiv, Idoma, Hausa, Igede and English phrases that connotes violence and deployed them on all local Networks which successfully identified, tracked and disconnected all communications by individuals speaking vocabularies that are suggestive of violence.  This was how all political thugs and their sponsors were disconnect

By Golok Nanmwa ,Jos Less than 15 months to next year’s general elections, a Group  operating under the aegis of Plateau Youths for Good Governance has called on citizens of the State to support Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, the former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Benue State who has since accepted the numerous calls to offer himself to serve Plateau State. The group further declared that there is no better candidate for the 2023 Governorship  election in Plateau than Nentawe. In a statement made avail­able to journalists on Thursday in Jos, the pressure group led by Hon. Murphy Lazarus Gobus the Direc­tor-General of the Group, called on citizens of the State  to support the aspirant whose objective is to further transform the State. Mr Yilwatda, a former engineering lecturer at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, was appointed REC in July 2017 and posted to Benue State.  During his four-year stay in office, he participated in the conduct of over six elections in Benue

By Golok Nanmwa,Jos  Plateau State Government is to partner with Sightsavers, an international organisation in establishing a comprehensive eye health program throughout the State. Governor Simon  Lalong stated this while receiving the Country Director of Sightsavers Nigeria and Ghana, Dr. Sunday Isiyaku at the Government House Jos. He said the partnership is based on his earlier visit to the United Kingdom where he interacted with the global leaders of the organisation and a subsequent request for the partnership which is aimed at addressing the challenges of eye health in Plateau State particularly in the rural areas. Lalong said one of his passions is to see that people who are living with disabilities in any form get assistance and reprieve through deliberate steps such as the one being taken in the partnership with Sightsavers. He thanked the team for the visit and assured them that the Plateau State Government was ready to play its part in the partnership by paying its counterpar

By Golok Nanmwa,Jos  Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Plateau state Hon. Rufus Bature  yesterday said that eight aspirants of the political party have purchased forms to contest the forthcoming by-election at Jos North/Bassa Federal constituency. Bature made this known while speaking with   journalists in his office at the party secretariat in Jos. Our correspondent reports that the deceased lawmaker at the Federal House of Representatives for Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency Mr. Haruna Maitala had died in a ghastly motor accident along Abuja, Jos road about a year ago, was elected on the platform of the APC. The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC recently fixed the 26th of February 2022 to conduct the bye-election to fill in the vacancy created by the demise of the federal lawmaker. Similarly, INEC has also fixed the same date for the conduct of the bye-election at Pankshin South state sonstituency to replace a member of the state assembly who died rec

By Pwol Benjamin Dature 27th January, 2022. Sequel to a reported case of one Mr Samson Eze, a 31 year old resident of Kampala in Rukuba road Jos, who lured two Tricycle owners and a motorcycle rider at different times to his brother's new house in Agingi, Rukuba road under construction and killed them just to take possession of their tricycles and motorcycle. Three dead bodies were today uncovered in a soak away inside the house and has since been evacuated. Kudos to our gallant officer's who have worked tirelessly in making our society a save Haven.

Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong has commended the Support Women Initiatives to Transform Children (SWITCH) Foundation for its tremendous impact in touching the lives of many under-privileged women, children and young girls in Plateau State.  The Governor was speaking while recieving Mrs Zainab Tsok, Coordinator of SWITCH Foundation at the Government House Rayfield Jos during a courtesy visit.  Lalong was told that SWITCH Foundation which is the brainchild of Plateau First Lady Mrs. Regina Lalong, has continued to assist women with funding, training and facilities to enable them carry out businesses and farming which have yielded positive results.  Mrs. Tsok said thousands of women have been removed from poverty due to the empowerment given to them by SWITCH Foundation which has enabled them overcome the challenges of widowhood, health and social issues.  She said the girl child in Plateau State has also been given proper attention through ICT literacy, counselling and mentorsh

Dear Plateau PDP and Lalong/APC Haters,  You keep asking what Lalong and the APC has  brought to Plateau State out of the cordial relationship between the State and the Federal Government (which you have mischievously referred to as "servitude", "sell out" etc). You have called Governor Lalong names and accused him of being a "Buhari boy", "Caliphate stooge" and other uncomplimentary names despite what he has done to ensure that Plateau State is at the table in national affairs and gets its fair share of the National Cake.  Without any abuse and insults, let's do a comparative analysis of what Lalong and the APC attracted to Plateau and what Governor Jang and the PDP brought in 8years.  In no particular order, here is Governor Lalong's list in 6 years:  1. Establishment of Airforce Base Kerang 2. Establishment of FRSC Training School Shendam 3. Establishment of Nigerian Shippers Council North Central Coordinating Office Jos 4. Designation

By Pwol Benjamin Dature, Jos 26th January, 2022 It is common knowledge that Justice delayed is Justice denied, the remains of the murdered Miss Jenifer Anthony may have been put to rest amidst anguish by family, friends and loved ones, but her spirit and soul still yarns for Justice. 1. Over two weeks after this case was bloated and suspect paraded by the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters here in Jos, Mr MOSES OKO has neither been charged to court nor has he been properly handed to the Police authorities detention system, as he has been recieving treatment and relaxing in the Pchychiatric Department of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), on pretence of mental health which was only reported after he had allegedly committed the said crime, what an irony. 2. It is a point to note that such heinous crime can never be committed without an organize accomplice network, which the police hasn't uncovered nor identified to the best of the knowledge and information available within the

Chairman of the Governing Council for Federal Polytechnic Ny'ak, Shendam, Plateau State Engr. Sistus Ukelina Abetienbe has said that new students will be admitted by the end of the year 2022 as the Polytechnic takes off in the temporary site donated by the Plateau State Government.  The Chairman was speaking when Members of the Governing Council paid a courtesy visit to Governor Simon Bako Lalong at the Government House, Little Rayfield as part of their working visit to the State.  He praised Governor Lalong for not only seeing to the establishment of the Polytechnic, but also making sure that the institution is granted large percel of land, very big and suitable temporary facility with quality infrastructure for take-off, planned provision for basic infrastructure such as power, water, and access road  to the permanent site among others.  Engr. Sistus said the institution was fortunate to have been established during the administration of Governor Lalong who is not only passionate

By Golok Nanmwa ,Jos  Plateau State House of Assembly , on Tuesday  resolved to officially write security formations in the state to intensify surveillance in communities that suffer from unwarranted attacks. According to the state assembly, it is with a view to forestall ceaseless killing of people across Communities in the State. The House’s resolution follows a motion of urgent public importance by member representing Jos North West Esther Simi  Dusu on last week’s killing of four miners at Dong Community. Member representing Jos North West constituency Esther Dusu ,in a motion called on the State Government to mobilize for a security Outpost in Dong, Jos North Local Government to protect citizens from unprovoked attacks. Citing last week’s killing of four persons in a mining site, the lawmaker decried the carnage people in the community had suffered lately.    Contributing to the motion, members of the House noted stringent measures must be taken to address security challenges in t

By Pwol Benjamin Dature, Jos. He is IBRAHIM ABUBAKAR MUHAMMAD, A final year (500l) Electrical Electronics Student, Faculty of Engineering, University of Jos. He was hale and hearty, he was a hardworking gentleman who wishes to make things worth it, gleamy and rosy. Until he unfortunately meet with an accident around Nasfat mosque close to Naraguta Hostel gate on his way back from transporting passengers from Jos to Bauchi. An accident which claims four lives of passengers returning from Bauchi with him. All he wanted was to raise the school fees lawfully and calmly, not having to disobey the University authority by not paying at the lawfully speculated time. The Gallant, Agile, and well to do Ibrahim now bedridden in the hospital at Lamingo Juth. Sadly the School fee he was working tirelessly for, is still very unattained.  HELP PAY IBRAHIM'S SCHOOL FEE WHEN IT'S STILL AT ITS LAW-ABIDING PRICE. Acct No:0226912812  Name:Ibrahim Abubakar Muhammad  Bank: Gtbank. Your little will d

Governor Simon Bako Lalong has eulogised frontline First Republic politician, Chief Michael Audu Buba, Wazirin Shendam, who he said played a key role in the emergence of democracy in Nigeria and opened doors for many politicians in Plateau, the Middle Belt and Northern Nigeria.  Governor Lalong who was speaking when he met with some family members of the late politician at the Government House Rayfield Jos, said the late politician was yet to be accorded the honour deserving of his personally and political achievements.  He recalled that Chief Michael Buba, one of the closest associates of the late Premier of the Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, was a member of the Northern House of Assembly where he became a Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources under the then Northern Region.  During the nation’s independence era, he was variously appointed as the Northern Region’s Minister of Trade and Industry, as well as the Minister for Social Welfare and Cooperatives whe

By Golok Nanmwa, Jos A Social Entrepreneur, philanthropist and promoter of good governance, the Convener Hope Initiative, a non profit organisation,  Bashir Abdullahi ll has declared his intention to contest the Nasarawa Federal Constituency seat in Kano state. Speaking with our correspondent in Kano, Abdullahi ll who is also the Founder and CEO Konad group highlighted the soft spot he has for vulnerable and underserved groups such as  the youths, women, children and the elderly, through several philanthropic and Empowerment schemes aimed at improving their human condition. He also reiterated his determination to work towards the reduction of poverty to its barest minimum when elected. Bashir assured that he would strive to ensure sustainable empowerment by creating an environment that allows the people to continuously generate a source of income and livelihood.  Bashir Abdullahi ll  further said  his decision to run for this elected office is  to deliver unmatched representation to hi

Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State has paid tribute to the late First Class Traditional Ruler in Mangu Local Government Area, the Mishkaham Mwagavul, HRH Da Nelson Bakfur who joined his ancestors at the age of 73.  Governor Lalong while speaking at a funeral service for the deceased traditional ruler held at the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) Kerang, said the Royal Father was man of peace who did a lot to promote peaceful coexistence and tolerance within his domain and in the entire State.  He said "Our father did his best and served with all his might and strength. He was a man who loved peace and did everything possible to encourage unity, love and tolerance among all citizens within and outside his domain, irrespective of their tribes, religion or political affiliations. He did not discriminate against people, but brought them together".  The Governor Governor described him as a very reliable ally of Government particularly at difficult times when enemies of

We are compelled to make a rejoinder to this article for many reasons. First because it is full of concocted lies and character assassination targeted at the political fortunes of Governor Simon Bako Lalong and his hard earned reputation. Secondly, we want to let the authors (who wrote under an anonymous fake group, Jos/Bassa Vanguard) to realise that we know them and are fully aware of this and other evil plans they have unleashed on the Governor and the APC in Plateau State. To our chagrin, the brain behind this write up is not even from the Northern Zone, nor is he from Bassa/Jos North Constituency. In order not to allow the concocted lies go unchallenged, we hereby dismantle it with the following points.  In the case of the Southern Zone Senatorial which the writers claimed the Governor threatened aspirants including former Chairman of Quaanpan who was removed by the Legislative Arm, this allegation is laughable and mischievous because all processes leading to the election were sup

As reported by, Pwol Benjamin Dature, Jos 21st January, 2022. The story of Hanifa who was kidnapped since December last year on her way from school has giggled in the mouth of many sympathizers. Revelations has it that Tanko the proprietor of her school, kidnapped her and had demanded a N6 million ransom from the parents of the child and in the process of collecting part of the money, he was arrested. He had failed to disclose that the victim had been killed. “I have three daughters…I seriously have regrets, even the moment this girl was dying, I was in shock. It was financial crisis that made me do it" I am owing landlords.  First thing I want now is, I just want to plead to those parents. Honestly, "I’m so sorry about what I did to them, I’m very very sorry about what I did to them. I have killed their daughter so I’m very sorry." “This is a life, a life is something precious. I’m aware of all the laws.” He also narrated how he killed the innocent child and said he use

Vows to remove questionable civil servants ,inject new ones  By Golok Nanmwa ,Jos  Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong  on Friday said  his administration will not tolerate civil servants with questionable records and those who have falsified their data to remain in service or secure placement and promotions they dont deserve.  A statement signed by Macham Makut reads that Governor Lalong was speaking at the Government House Rayfield Jos while recieving the report of the High Powered Committee on Staff Audit and Verification that was saddled with the task of auditing the State Civil Service.  Governor Lalong said the Committee was necessitated by the desire of Government to address some of the challenges that constituted barriers to service delivery, professionalism, accountability and transparency.  He said "among other things, Government was worried that despite the number of people exiting from the Service as a result of deaths, retirements, transfers, withdrawals etc., the Sta

Troops of Operation SAFE HAVEN acting on credible intelligence have bursted and neutralised a notorious Gang of kidnap syndicate on the plateau. The syndicate has been on the watchlist of Operation SAFE HAVEN and believed to have masterminded the recent  kidnap incidences on the Plateau. The syndicate is also believed to have participated in the Jos prison jail break on 28 November 2021. The syndicate met its waterloo when troops of Operation SAFE HAVEN tracked them to Gyero general area where they plan and carry out their nefarious activities. The kidnappers on sighting the troops opened fire. Our troops responded with superior fire power resulting in neutralisation of 3 notorious kidnappers.  Items recovered from the syndicate includes, one AK-47 Rifle, 2 AK-47 rifle magazines, 101 live rounds of 7. 62mm ammunition and one tricycle (Keke Napep). Other items recovered include one itel phone, one techno phone, 2  sharp knives and 2  military headwarmers. While Commending the resilience

By, Pwol Benjamin Dature 20:01:2022 With the group stage of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations closing up, only 16 of the original 24 teams remain standing, as eight teams headed home. All the first-place and second-place finishers of the group stage qualified for the knockout round, while the four best third-placed teams made it through to complete the field of 16 teams. Shockingly, African powers Ghana and Algeria were both eliminated in the group stage. For Algeria, the defending champion fell flat in its title defense, while Ghana failed to reach the knockout round for the first time since 2002. On the flip side, Cape Verde advanced to the knockout stage for just the second time in the nation's history, following up its 2013 showing when it reached the quarterfinals. Tiny Comoros also moved on in its first-ever appearance at the AFCON tournament. It was the final team to make it through as a third-place finisher, with Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau missing out.  Hosts Cameroon, en

By Golok Nanmwa, Jos  Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong on Thursday  commended security personnel in the State for rising up to occasion and thwarting the attempts by kidnappers to create fear among citizens.  Governor Lalong in a message signed by Macham Makut ,his director of press and public affairs said he was glad that the swift response of the security forces to distress calls of kidnap incidents led to the dislocation of their operations leading to rescue of some victims and arrest of suspects.  Lalong cited the rescue of the Gwom Rwey of Vwang District, Da Gyang Gutt Balak shortly after he was kidnapped and the arrest of some suspects as a good development that is worth sustaining.  A similar situation had also happened when three students of the Plateau State Polytechnic Barkin Ladi where rescued shortly after being kidnapped from the school in Heipang.  The wife of the Deputy Chief of Staff and a Medical Doctor among others were also rescued by security forces after being k

The Journey So far and Prospects Ahead Fellow citizens, Its with great delight that I address you today. You may recall that, we took oath of office on October, 11th, 2021 and today, i marked my one hundred days in office as Executive Chairman of Langtang North Local Government Council. I therefore wish to appreciate you all for your unflinching support and prayers over the last hundred days of my administration.  Your relentless support and love has helped us to grow in the service to humanity, a service we are doing with so much joy. You may recall that two weeks after i assumed office as the Executive Chairman, we were welcomed with a challenge of forceful invasion of our council office by a group of miscreants led by the immediate past Chairman. The action of which, caused serious tension in our land and even the council secretariat, an issue we had to deal with squarely.  However as a law abiding citizen, I refuse to walk the same path they took, but reported to the right authorit

𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝘾𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙆𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙚, Today marks Hundred days since I took over affairs as the Executive Chairman of our dear Local Government. We have tried to put in our best despite the meager resources available to us as a Council. As a Government that is people oriented, we have continue to build on the focal points of our Administration of Providing Accessible Primary Health Care, Primary Education, Security, Youth and Women in Governance , Agriculture And having a Need assessment of our people. With the little resources you have entrusted in our care, We have been able to make judicious use of it. The following are some of the areas we have touched in our first hundred days in office: 1. 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣:  ★We have held engagements with various market heads , leaders of various association of the market in Amper and Dawaki to look at ways in which we could improve the revenue generation of the market and also block leakages ★ Inspection