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  • Honour for Tambuwal, Abubakar, Lalong

    Honour for Tambuwal, Abubakar, Lalong

    The Jos Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has honoured three Northern governors who left legal practice for politics.

    The Branch said the governors have been worthy representatives of the Bar and have contributed to the growth and development of the legal profession and democracy.

    Those honoured are: Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi) and Simon Lalong (Plateau).

    They were conferred with awards during the branch’s yearly law week programme in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

    Tambuwal, who chaired the events’ opening, was honoured for deepening democracy in the country by developing the legislative arm of government.

    He was a former House of Representatives Speaker before being elected governor.

    Abubakar was honoured for deepening democracy in Nigeria by developing the electoral process.

    He was a National Commissioner at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Lalong was honoured for being a worthy ambassador of the Bar by rendering bold and selfless service to Plateau State, Nigeria and humanity.

    He was the longest serving Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly.

     

    Their profiles

     

    Tambuwal

    Tambuwal was born on January 10, 1966 in Tambuwal, Sokoto State. He had his early education at the Tambuwal Primary School from 1972 -1979 and Government Teachers College Dogon-Daji where he obtained his Teachers Grade 11 Certificate in 1984.

    Determined to become a lawyer, Aminu proceeded to study Law at the Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, graduating in 1991 with an LL.B (Hons).

    In 1992, after completing his one year mandatory studies at the Nigeria Law School Lagos, he was called to the Nigerian Bar.

    He was elected the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Bar Association, Sokoto in 1997.

    Subsequently, he was to serve variously as the association’s Assistant National Financial Secretary, First National Secretary, and Secretary of the Human Rights Committee, between the 1998 and 2002.

    After working as the Personal Assistant to the then Senate Leader, Senator Abdullahi Wali, Tambuwal ran for the House of Representatives seat for Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal constituency of Sokoto State in 2003 on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and won.

    In 2004, he became the Minority Leader of the House. Tambuwal again contested the National Assembly elections in 2007 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).  He won the seat to represent his constituency from 2007-2011.

    When he left the opposition, he was promptly elected the Deputy Chief Whip of the House.  In 2011, Tambuwal again stood for and won election to the House of Representatives.

    He subsequently became the Speaker of the seventh House of Representatives against all odds in 2011.

    He was  leader of the Nigerian Delegation to African, Caribbean, Pacific and European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly; Leader of the Federal Government team to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the controversial denial of visas to Nigerian female pilgrims, among others.

    He was named Leadership Newspaper’s Politician of the Year 2011; Sun Newspaper’s Man of the Year 2012; and Best Performing Governor in Education in Nigeria by BusinessDAY and The Authority Newspapers (2017).

    He was given an honorary Doctorate in Law from his alumnus, Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, December 2012. He also has an Honorary Doctorate Degree by the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, 2013, among others. On September 27, 2014, he was turbaned the Mutawalle of Sokoto Caliphate by Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III.

    On October 28, 2014, after the day’s plenary in the House of Representatives, Tambuwal formally joined the All Progressives Congress (APC). On April 11, 2015, he was elected Governor of Sokoto State under APC platform.

     

    Abubakar

     

    Abubakar, referred to as the architect of modern Bauchi State, is the fifth democratically elected governor of Bauchi State who led the All Progressives Congress (APC) foot soldiers that ousted the once powerful Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    An accomplished legal practitioner, he rendered free legal services to the poor and needy, first in Bauchi state and later in other major Nigerian cities.

    Born on December 11, 1956 in Gombe, he started his educational career at the Jos Native Authority Primary School in Plateau State from 1963 to 1968 from where he proceeded to Tudun Wada Primary School, Kano in 1969.

    He then gained admission into the Government College Kano (now famous Rumfa College) for his Secondary School Certificate education from 1970 to 1974.

    Abubakar proceeded to the highly competed School of Basic Studies (SBS) of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria for the one year pre-degree programme and thereafter proceeded to the Faculty of Law in the same premier northern University where he studied for and obtained his Bachellor of Laws  (LLB. Hons) degree in 1978.

    By 1979, he had completed his Law School training in Lagos and proceeded to Rivers State for the mandatory National Youth Service (NYSC), working as a lecturer at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology.

    On completion of his national youth service, Abubakar returned to Bauchi State and joined the services of the State Government as a Pupil State Counsel in the Ministry of Justice and rose through the ranks to the position of a Director. Before then, he headed the Legal Drafting department in the Bauchi State House of Assembly in 1983.

    After the military coup in 1983, Abubakar was deployed to the Ministry of Justice as Principal State Counsel and by 1984 seconded to the Yankari Games Reserve and Tourism Company Limited as its Secretary/Legal Adviser.

    Two years later, he was  redeployed to the Ministry of Justice where he acted as Director, Civil Litigations for two years before being promoted to the rank of Director, Public Prosecution (DPP).

    He was appointed Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice between 1990 and 1991 by the then Military administration. He was re-appointed for the second time until 1993.

    When the military intervened again in 1993, he decided to disengage from Public Service and went into private legal practice as Managing Partner of Fortuna Chambers.

    He was the Chairman, NBA, Bauchi Branch, from 1996 to 1998. He was elected Deputy National Secretary of the PDP in 1997 and then appointed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), serving in Kogi, Delta, Plateau and Rivers States.

    In 2003, he was elevated to the position of National Electoral Commissioner in-charge of Legal Services. He supervised Borno, Yobe and Jigawa states.

    He finally retired from public service and returned to his private legal practice as the Managing Partner of M. A. Abubakar & Co (Fortuna Chambers) which has offices in Bauchi, Abuja and Port Harcourt respectively. He is also a Member of the National Judicial Council since 2013.

    In March 2016, Abubakar was elected Governing Council member of the African Bar Association (AFBA).

     

    Lalong

     

    Governor Lalong, a native of Ajikamai in Shendam Local Government Area, was born on May 5, 1963.

    He had his Primary Education at R.C.M Primary School Shendam and obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1977.

    After his primary school, he gained admission into Government Secondary School Shendam where he had his O’ Level Certificate in 1982. He further went to S. P. S. Keffi, where he obtained his A’ Level in 1986.

    Lalong later gained admission to the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he studied Law and graduated with a Bachelor of Law (LLB. Hons) degree in 1990.

    He obtained his Masters Degree in Law (LLM) from the University of Jos in 1996.

    Lalong did his NYSC in the Legal Unit of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).

    He started his legal practice in 1992 with the T-Obot & Co. Legal Practitioners, Jos.

    He also worked with Victor Fomwul & Co. Jos from 1997 – 1999 as a Managing Partner.

    He later established his own chambers and was the Principal Partner of Simon B. Lalong & Co. Legal Practitioners.

    When the ban on partisan politics was lifted and by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar in 1999, Lalong contested to represent the Shendam Constituency in the state House Assembly. He won and was subsequently made the Speaker of the State House of Assembly in October 2000.

    Lalong’s rare leadership qualities earned him the record of the longest serving Speaker in the history of Plateau State legislature which span across seven unbroken years between 2000 and 2006.

    He twice elected as chairman, Nigerian Conference of Speakers, a forum of all the 36 Speakers.

    He was the National Chairman, forum of All former Speakers of Nigeria and also Chairman of former State Legislators, Plateau State Chapter.

    He contested for the Governorship of Plateau State on April 11, 2015 elections under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and emerged victorious.

     

  • Lalong: restructuring must strengthen institutions

    Lalong: restructuring must strengthen institutions

    Many restructuring of the country must strengthen institutions, Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has said.

    In his welcome address at the  Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Jos branch,  Lalong said restructuring must unite the country rather than divide it.

    The event’s theme was: Restructuring – a panacea for Nigeria’s development and cohession.

    The governor believes that a misunderstanding of the concept of restructuring gave rise to provocative and inciting calls for succession and Nigeria’s dissolution.

    According to him, Nigerians  agreed on the unity in the country’s diversity.

    To him, Nigeria is not suffering from a deficit of good governance ideas, or technocrats and bureaucrats to drive them.

    “This pre-disposes itself to the argument that the problem is with the operation of our institutions and the governance process that drives implementation of policies,” he said.

    Lalong said restructuring must be systematic and done to strengthen institutions that would compel service delivery.

    “So, whether the position is for devolution of powers, restoration of true federalism with financial autonomy and the independence of federating units, or even the issue of the operation of a bi-cameral National Assembly, let the debate be such that it favours the unity of the Nigerian state and will enhance the socio-economic well being of the Nigerian Citizen,” the governor said.

    Law Week Committee Chairman, Mr. Steve Abar, said the theme underscored the association’s belief in the primacy of dialogue as the most effective means of resolving real or perceived grievances.

    “Consequently, we have provided a platform for all discordant opinions to be harnessed with a view to building consensus as an alternative to the agitation for the re – evaluation of the basis of Nigeria’s subsistence as one indivisible entity,” he said.

    The Branch Chairman, Mr. Ralph Monye, said the theme was chosen becuase it was a “critical issue not only for the Bar, but for the unity of our country.”

     

     

  • The Lalong effect

    The Lalong effect

    A sense of peace crippled me as I boarded the aircraft and left behind the crisp air of Jos. I reflected on the irony first: Jos of firebombs and fleeing feet, of internecine feud, of blood-stained fault lines and arbitrary borders and breach of borders, of prostrate streets and pious hate, of Muslims at the throat of Christians and vice versa, of official impotence, of the loss of innocence.

    Then I recalled what I had learned in three days last week in the city of fabled weather and its cosmic earth, a democratic soil that abides all fruits and vegetation from apple to roses. I had come to deliver the keynote address at the Nigerian Bar Association Week on the topic: Restructuring: A Panacea for National Development and Cohesion.

    On entering the city I had a flush of foreboding. But the genial exchanges of three governors who attended the event mitigated some of my misgivings. They were the host Governor, Simon Bako Lalong, who, in a yet understated electoral triumph, toppled the cocky mainstay in Plateau power, David Jang; Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State and Sokoto State counterpart and the Matawallen Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal.

    The striking moment came when Governor Lalong mounted the podium and joked that Tambuwal loved the Jos weather so much that he came a day earlier and he would not mind to stay another day. Tambuwal responded with a ironic smile and interrupted Lalong by thrusting his right hand out of his voluminous babaringa in a hand gesture, indicating he was leaving town that afternoon. The governor was making the point that the three governors were, in varying degrees, products of Jos the beautiful, the literal city on the hill.

    All three were baked in Jos. Yet they belonged to three geopolitical zones. Tambuwal from the northwest, Abubakar from the northeast and Lalong from the north central. All three blossomed as lawyers in Jos. They inhaled the weather, blended with its shrubberies and hugged the people. Their successes in that city predated and even foretold their political ascent.

    Lalong noted that Abubakar was one of a string of Bauchi State governors, including Yuguda, bred in Jos. The chairman of the law week planning committee Barrister Steve Abah said he served in Tambuwal’s chambers. I was to learn later that Tambuwal brought his team to Jos for their retreat recently.

    The point? So beautiful was Jos not just as a place where seed budded but any tribe bloomed. Before I presented my address, all three governors stamped their support for restructuring with Tambuwal reiterating that the north wanted restructuring but it must be preceded by understanding. Abubakar,  who gave a short speech aligned himself with Tambuwal. This was Jos as conduit, as the umbrella of all people, from the Fulani to the Birom to the Afemai to the Yoruba to the Urhobo. It was mini Nigeria in hope and harmony.

    I also recalled, in the midst of that morning air of happy levity, the yarns that television producer Peter Igho had spun to me about how he grew up in Jos and everyone lived together without ethnic interspaces. In his lament, he was puzzled about how that great city stumbled into the arms of bandits.

    Jos has become a metaphor not only of how we fell as a nation of economic promise, but also how we crumbled into malice. Without soliciting comments, residents spoke of how the soul of their beloved city had left them, how hate, bigotry and political egos had truncated the example of the north. They spoke with glum eyes and wistful resignation. But they ended their complaint with natal cheer.

    That quiet cheer I noted when I engaged Governor Lalong. Articulate with a sober grasp of the task ahead, he expressed how he had brought together the 53 ethnic groups in the state to agree to live in peace. He set up the state’s version of truth and reconciliation commission that encompassed representatives from each of the 53 tribes, so that it did not become a case of over-inclusion and exclusion, which would generate another round of suspicion and spilling of blood. The issue of herdsmen and cattle rustling was also resolved with representatives from both sides coming to the table to eke out an agreement.

    Though still fragile like a healing wound, Jos has moved far ahead today beyond the days when it was hard to predict a day. Many people left town, and may not return. But what Governor Lalong has pulled off with the 53-tribe entente is a model for our fractious nation. He said he was working with the Federal Government on establishing a ranch. While ranching is a marvel of an idea, there is already understanding before it comes into being.

    This shows that building institutions is a good idea, but institutions are vacant without trust. As the African proverb says, who would accept a shirt from a naked man? When the ranch comes to Plateau, it will become a technicality. If, that is, the peace holds up among the tribes. It also reifies the power of leadership. That we have ethnic tension on the national scale is the failure of leadership and trust deficit from the people. We don’t have the Lalong effect in the centre.

    Lalong has to sustain this. Jos is not just about a town. It is about its vast array of people. As Ghanaian playwright Ama Ata Aidoo wrote, “humans, not places, make memories.” We are not asking Jos to become the city it lost. We only want it to become the city it can be. “I don’t want to repeat my innocence,” noted a character in Scott F. Fitzgerald’s novel, This Side of Paradise. We can remember the past but as a resource to own the future. We will not lament in the words of the poet, Birago Diop, “If we tell gently, gently all that we shall one day have to tell.”

    Cities have fallen and were reborn. We know of London, Berlin, Paris, Warsaw. The Second World War broke their backs. They came back, reinvigorated.  Those cities lost brick and mortar, Jos’ soul became mortal. Biafra lost structures but its soul survives. The task before Lalong is not just physical rebirth but to give it new life by dismantling forever the infrastructure of prejudice. It is a state I will monitor, especially when other states like Kaduna, Taraba and Benue have sought Lalong’s formula on how he is doing it on the Plateau. The Federal Government can learn a thing or two about how a state with 53 ethnic groups in a small geographic space can wake up from a slumber of bloodshed. It, therefore, can work for the 250 ethnic groups in the country.

  • We are working with security agencies to free Sango – Lalong

    We are working with security agencies to free Sango – Lalong

    Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau has said that the Plateau and Kaduna State Governments are working round the clock with security operatives to have the Plateau PDP Chairman, Chief Damishi Sango, released.
    Sango, a former Minister of Sports, and four others were abducted by unknown persons on Wednesday evening at Jere-Kaduna on their way to Abuja from Jos.
    Lalong, in a statement signed by his Director of Press, Mr Emmanuel Nanle, on Friday said that the state governments were working for their unconditional release without delay.
    “I received with deep concern the news of the abduction of Hon. Damishi T. Sango, Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Plateau State and four others at Jere, Kaduna State on their way to Abuja.
    “To say the least I am most saddened by this act of inhumanity to man that must be condemned totally,” he said.
    Lalong while sympathising with members of the families of the kidnap victims and the PDP over their traumatising experience, also called for calm.
    He assured travelers on Plateau-Kaduna and Kaduna-Abuja routes, that the Federal and the state governments were taking every step to ensure that the roads were secured from armed robbers and kidnappers.
    The governor further enjoined Plateau citizens to be vigilant while on transit and ensure that they reported all suspected criminal movements they noticed to the relevant authorities. (NAN)

  • My thoughts on restructuring, by Lalong

    My thoughts on restructuring, by Lalong

    •Omatseye: Nigeria’s unity negotiable 

    PLATEAU State Governor Simon Lalong has said he will support any model of restructuring, which will lead to service delivery for the betterment of the citizenry.

    He spoke yesterday at the 2017 Law Week and 20th Justice Dauda Azaki Memorial Lecture of the state branch of Nigeria Bar Association in Jos.

    Lalong said the theme for the law week, which is: “Restructuring – A panacea for Nigeria’s development and cohesion”, was another topical issue in national discourse.

    The governor said the theme was timely and appropriate because of the level it had dominated the political landscape.

    His words: “Both political and non-political state actors have joined the debate on the issue of restructuring from their different perspectives and concepts of restructuring.

    “The process of change we must target with the restructuring must be systematic and progressively intended to strengthen institutions that would compel service delivery that will improve the lot of Nigerians.

    “So, whether the position is for devolution of powers, restoration of true federalism with financial autonomy and the independence of federating units, or even the issue of the operation of a bi-cameral National Assembly, let the debate be such that it favours the unity of the Nigeria state and will enhance the socio-economic well-being of the citizens.

    “In the course of my involvement in the restructuring debate in the Southwest, under the All Progressives Congress Restructuring Committee led by my brother Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, the various mistaken perception of calls for regionalism as a call for dismembering of the Nigeria State was properly situated. I can assure you that Nigerians are in agreement on the unity in diversity of our country.

    “The question, however, begging for answer is whether the present clogs to our progress as a nation is a structural or a functional problem. We must seek to adequately address this as we seek to harmonise the various submissions, in our bid to get to a workable template on how to restructure the country.”

    Lalong noted that Nigeria was not suffering from a deficit of good governance ideas and neither was it suffering from a deficit of technocrats and bureaucrats to drive its  ideas.

    The governor asserted that the problem “is with the operation of our institutions and the governance process that drives implementation of policies”.

    He added: “I am not in doubt that given the rich experience, expertise and educational exposure of the keynote presenter; a journalist per excellence and an award winning public analyst, Mr. Sam Omatseye, and the combination of legal luminaries and academics of repute, in the mould of Prof. Maxwell Gidado, SAN and Prof. Agbo Madaki, this Bar Week 2017 is set to deliver pragmatic solutions by way of recommendations on how to address the restructuring question.

    “I assure you that as you avail government the resolutions that would come out of this Law Week, I will make it a point of duty to ensure they receive the consideration of the committee set by government, to harmonise the various submissions coming out of the restructuring discourse.”

    Lalong lauded Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal and Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar for accepting to take time out of their very essential state functions to honour the state Bar association with their presence at the law week and 20th Justice Azaki Memorial Lecture.

    Omatseye, in his paper, noted that the calls for restructuring only exposed the fact that Nigerians did not trust themselves and mutual distrust has taken over national interest and patriotism.

    He said: “The reality, however, is that we need to go to the table. The key here lies with the President, who has not shifted ground on the point that our unity is non-negotiable. Even husbands and wives negotiate their relationships every day. As the philosopher said, those who deserve freedom are those who are ready to fight for it every day.

    “It is not easy to give up power. No one gives it up without getting something back or without its back to the wall. What it means is that if the unfairness in the Nigerian state continues, the agitation will grow, and no one can predict what nature it will take. I love Nigeria, but I don’t agree that it is not negotiable.”

  • Lalong bags ICMC fellowship award

    Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong has been conferred with the fellowship of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (ICMC).

    The conferrment was held during the institute’s National Induction Ceremony at the National Judicial Institute (NJI) in Abuja.

    ICMC is saddled with the training of individuals and organisations on mediation as a primary mechanism for resolving disputes.

    Its President Emeka Obegolu, said: “The Governor is being acknowledged and honoured for his proactive initiatives in promoting peace and the depth of knowledge applied in the governance of the state, which has consolidated on its  peace and security.”

    Lolong thanked the institute for finding him worthy of the honour. He dedicated it to the “good people of Plateau”.

    He said the award would strengthen his resolve and commitment at ensuring that every part of Plateau remains peaceful.

    Lalong urged Plateau citizens to partner with the government in the building of cohesive communities through social interactions and neighbourhood vigilance.

    At the event were the Yobe State Governor, Dr. Ibrahim Geidam; Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Maikant Baru; and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu.

    Others were former Nigerian Law School Director-General Dr. Olarenwaju Onadeko (SAN), former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), among others.

  • I’m not perturbed by Atiku’s resignation from APC – Lalong

    I’m not perturbed by Atiku’s resignation from APC – Lalong

    Plateau governor Simon Lalong, a close associate of former vice president Atiku Abubakar, says he is not perturbed by the later’s resignation from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Atiku, last week, resigned from the APC, a party he joined others to build into a strong political force that wrestled power from the PDP in 2015.

    The former vice president and Lalong had been very close friends in the PDP before moving to the APC, making pundits to list Lalong among governors Atiku had boasted would soon join him in his new political fold.

    But Lalong told newsmen on Sunday in Jos that he would not leave the APC.

    “We reached out to Atiku while building the APC structure in Plateau and received some help from him, but my loyalty is with the APC. My loyalty is with President Buhari and my people have endorsed him for a second term.

    “Whatever happens in another party does not concern me. We are only waiting for the APC National Convention to endorse Buhari for a second tenure,” he said.

    He, however, stated that it was the constitutional right of every Nigerian to decide which political group to associate with. (NAN)

  • Lalong deplores inciting calls for disunity

    Plateau State  Governor  Simon Bako Lalong has deplored the growing and inciting calls by those he termed elements of disunity for secession and disintegration.

    He expressed his displeasure during a reception for Miss Nalong Promise Gulong over her emergence as one of the four winners of the “Labour Room” National Reality TV show organised by National Rebirth Foundation.

    The governor urged the organisers of the show to sustain the national ethical values in building peaceful co-existence and national cohesion amongst the youth in the wake of growing and inciting calls by elements of disunity, secession and disintegration.

    A statement signed the Director, Press and Public Affairs,  Mr. Samuel, Emmanuel Nanle  reads in part: ”Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong has received the cheering news of the emergence of Miss Nalong Promise Gulong as one of the four Winners of the “Labour Room” National Reality TV show with excitement and great commendation.

    “The victory of Miss Gulong from among 36 other carefully chosen contestants, in a 200 million African Viewer participatory voting Reality Show, is a reflection of the Plateau Brand which she represents.

    “Recounting the victory of Mr Efe Michael Ejegba, who won the Big Brother Nigeria Reality show in April 2017, Lalong stated that the vital connection in their separate victories, is their common orientation with the typical Plateau virtues of determination, selflessness, sound morals and indomitable commitment to excellence in private and public life

    “These virtues, the governor acknowledged, as the enviable character traits that Miss Gulong deployed to win the 60 days Youth Reality Show, aimed at promoting the ideals of National integration and the development of pragmatic solutions to the myriad of socio-economic problems bedeviling Nigerians

    “The governor commended the National Rebirth Foundation for organising the Reality Show and enjoined the Labour Room Governors to ensure that beyond the economic benefit of the shared N200,000,000 (Two hundred million Naira) Star Prize, the National ethical values of the show are sustained in building peaceful coexistence and national cohesion amongst the youth, in the wake of growing and inciting calls by elements of disunity for secession and disintegration.

    “The governor assures Miss Nalong Gulong that having achieved this feat through the sacrifice she has made to positively project Plateau State beyond Africa, the state is waiting to receive and celebrate her as the true brand of the Plateau youth. He also enjoined all youth to be consciously determined to take the lead in all spheres of their endeavours, while affirming that the state will continue to do the needful by ensuring all laudable initiatives that would enhance youth development in the state are supported”.

     

     

  • Lalong to security agencies: find perpetrators of Jos killings

    Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong has condemned the latest attack on the citizens where nine people were killed and several others injured.

    The governor has directed security personnel to fish out the perpetrators and urged citizens to volunteer useful information that will lead to their arrest.

    Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor Lalong, Mr. Dan Manjang said in a statement that: “The Governor is deeply saddened by the barbaric attack of November 7 in Rim Village of Riyom Local Government Area, where nine  people were killed and several others injured by yet to be identified gunmen.

    “The Governor condemns this savage act in its entirety, especially that it passes for a deliberate attempt by the perpetrators to throw Riyom Local Government Area back into the dark days of violence. What is most worrisome is the fact that this inhuman attack is coming at a time the state has made considerable improvements in building intra and inter ethnic cohesion, for sustainable peace among the various ethnic groups in the entire Riyom Local Government and neighbouring communities. These positive efforts will not be allowed to be spirited away by evil agents of distabilisation.

    “Governor Lalong commiserates with the families of those, who have lost their lives and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.

    “He assures the people of Rim in particular and Plateau citizens in general that government would continue to intensify security efforts and intelligence to identify perpetrators and ensure they are brought to book.

    “In this light, therefore, the Governor has directed security personnel in the state to fish out the perpetrators without further delay.

    “He requested all peace loving citizens to stand united in prayers and vigilance, while ensuring that they volunteer all useful information that will lead to the apprehension and prosecution of these agents of evil and their collaborators.”

     

     

     

  • Foundation’s honour for Lalong

    Foundation’s honour for Lalong

    Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong has  bagged this year’s Kpakpando Foundation Award for Disabled Persons Inclusive Governance.

    The award was presented to the governor at the 12thAnniversary Celebration of the Kpakpando Foundation which held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. .

    The founder and chairman of the foundation, Sen. Osita Izunaso, said the award was in recognition of the programmes initiated by the governor and most importantly, the  establishment and success story of the Disability Rights Commission which began operation in 2005 when he was Speaker  of the state House of Assembly.

    He also said the governor was also being acknowledged for his commitment to the provision of equal rights for persons with disabilities in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and other Declarations of the United Nations 10th Conference of State Parties (COSP) on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which held in New York from  June 12 to 16, 2017.

    Other awardees include the All Progressives Congress (APC) which  received award for being the first political party in Nigeria to have constitutionally provided for the “Inclusiveness of Persons with Disabilities in National Leadership and Political Participation” across all the states of the federation.

    In his acceptance speech, Governor Lalong  appreciated the chairman of Kpakpando Foundation and his team for  their educational and social welfare interventions in the last 12 years, which he noted have kept the faith with and built the lives of people living with disabilities in the Nigerian Project.

    He gave assurance to Plateau citizens and  Nigerians that the award will step up all other Inclusive governance measures that will empower people living with disabilities in all aspect of their lives, so that their hope in the people oriented government of the state can be sustained.

    The conference which was chaired by Ondo State Ondo Rotimi Akeredolu, had in attendance different groups of people living with disabilities. The APC National Chairman was represented by the chairman of the  Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Governors of Adamawa and Nasarawa states. Other dignitaries in attendance were the Minister for Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, Minister for Interior, Lt Gen Dambazzau, Minister for Science and Technology, Chief Ogbonnoya Onu and other senior government functionaries.