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Tag: Plateau State

  • Long lists of abandoned projects in Plateau

    Long lists of abandoned projects in Plateau

    Plateau State has a long list of abandoned projects, scattered all over the state. It appears that the act of abandoning projects in the state has been made a tradition as all former governors in the state since the creation of the state in 1975 has one or two abandoned projects attached to their names.

    Part of the reasons for the large number of abandoned projects in the state seems to be that all the 12 military administrators that governed the state before the present democratic dispensation (1999) left the state unceremoniously, following sudden changes.

    The civilians that also governed the state before 1999 never got to complete their tenures as they are often removed through military interregnum. In such manner of forceful transition, projects are often abandoned.

    But at the coming of full democratic dispensation in 1999, one expects the era of abandoned projects to be over since the governors are often elected by their people with a term of office prescribed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. However, the civilian governors have also recorded a couple of uncompleted projects for reasons not clearly known to citizens of the state.

    Some of the lists of abandoned projects in Plateau State include; Olympic Stadium located at Zaria Road Jos, Mado Tourists Village, located in Tudunwada Jos, the Jos Rock Motel, Dr. Luka Bentu Indoor Theater, Solomon Lar Amusement Park, Rayfield Resort, Bokkos Fertilizer Blending Plant, etc.

    There are other categories of abandoned projects, especially the projects that were completed and became useful but were later fraudulently mismanaged, exploited and grounded. Such projects include the Jos International Breweries (JIB), Barc Farms, Highland Bottling Company, Jos Ultra-Modern Market, Plateau Investment and Properties Limited (PIPC), Pamyam Fish Farms, Pandam Forest and Games Reserve, Hill Station Hotel, etc.

    But when Governor Simon Bako Lalong assumed office on May 29, 2015, the All Progressive Congress (APC)-led administration in the state promised to revive moribund industries. There were some fundamental reasons which made it almost impossible for the incumbent administration to overlook uncompleted projects: The quest by citizens of the state to do away with abandoned projects became forceful under the incumbent administration. Secondly, as Lalong himself puts it, “it is part of the APC manifesto that governors must complete all inherited projects so as to restore the spirit of continuity of government in the democratic system”. Thirdly, the prevailing economic situation may not have given him the luxury of starting new projects due to paucity of funds.

    So, it seems Lalong was compelled by these three factors to emphasize the completion of inherited projects, especially the ones initiated by the immediate past administration like the intra-city road project, which runs from Secretariat Junction in the city center through to Maraba Jamaa Junction, which cut across the Jos-Bukuru Metropolis. Among the inherited projects listed by Senior Special Assistant, Media, Mark Longyen, to have been completed by Lalong, include the State Secretariat Flyover Bridge, the Plateau State Geographical Information System (PLAGIS), the College of Health Technology, Zawan; Multimillion Naira e-Library, and the Plateau State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja.

    Others, according to Lonÿen, are the General Hospitals in Riyom and Kanke, which have both been completed, while that of Mabudi, Langtang South LG is near completion. The multibillion naira Olympic size Zaria Road Stadium is awaiting completion. The Plateau State University (PLASU), Bokkos, which was curiously abandoned by the last administration, has been resuscitated. The Jos-Maza-Angware road is under completion. The Mangu-Gindiri-Lere road is under completion, among other inherited projects that are at various stages of completion”

    So far, Lalong seems to have won the hearts of many citizens of the state because of his bold move to resuscitate old and moribund state-owned companies that were abandoned for ages. He believed that if most of the moribund companies are made functional, they will boost the internal revenue of the state, especially now that external funding of the state is no longer viable. Hence, the state Fertiliser Blending Plant in Bokkos has been resuscitated and has commenced production; the Highland Bottling Company located in Kassa, Barkin Ladi Local Government has been fully resuscitated and has commenced production of beverage drinks, bottled water, etc. The Jos International Breweries (JIB), the company that produces the famous Rock Larger Beer, has been thrown into the market for private investors to bid. Chairman of the state’s economic team, Mr. Ezekiel Gomos, said, “The plant audit of the factory has been completed, the cost of reviving the company has been ascertained, all that is left now is for private investors to come and take over and commence production”

    According to Gomos, “the economic team has put up several ailing state companies and made them active again so that they can help provide jobs for our teaming youths. The Highland Bottling Company is already producing, they have employed more than 100 workers; they are planning to expand very soon. This administration has invested N20 million to bring the company back to life.

    “Now, the Jos International Breweries (JIB) is the biggest of them all, we have completed the plant audit; this involves checking each of the equipment and ensuring its working condition. So, for any investor to take over the company, all these investigations have to be done. The investor expects the results of these investigations for him to compare with what is on ground. He may wish to change the plants and bring new ones, but he expected government to come up with its own report first of all, so we are at the point of plant audit.

    “On the Jos Main Market, the government does not have the cash to rebuild the market; it has been estimated that it will take up to N5 billion to rebuild the market and government don’t have such money. That is why government opted for Private Public Partnership (PPP). The partnership requires an experienced company to do that because the PPP is a new concept in Nigeria, and so it has failed in so many attempts. You need an experienced company to handle that. It is something that if you rush into it, it will fail with a very huge loss. So, government advertised and has gotten one experienced consultant who has done similar projects in various countries in Africa.

    The economic team is also looking at boosting the state’s economy through the revival of the burnt Jos Ultra-Modern Market. Gomos said, “Now the new concept is a model market of 21st Century, not the market type of 1970. In modern market, people drive into the market to buy, not to park one kilometer away. So, this will be put into consideration in the reconstruction of the burnt market so as to meet global standard.

    The chairman of the state’s economic team expressed confidence that “when all the ailing industries are fully revived, the state will no longer be called civil service state; it will be called an industrializes state. Massive training of youths in entrepreneurship has commenced in the state, because a lot of businesses are going to be generated by the industries and we need to get our youths ready to be the businessmen. They will be made to start small scale businesses and gradually grow to large scale businesses. Because we believe that industrialization is not just about industries, it is also about entrepreneurs.”

  • Plateau CP warns new recruits against extortion, other crimes

    Plateau CP warns new recruits against extortion, other crimes

    The Commissioner of Police in Plateau, Mr Udie Adie, has warned the new recruits posted to the state against extortion of money from the people or intimidating them.

    Adie who gave the warning on Monday in Jos during an induction lecture organised by the state Police Command for the constables warned them to steer clear any act of criminality.

    190 newly trained policemen who hail from Plateau have been posted to serve in the state.

    The police boss advised them to live within their means to enable them to avoid the temptation of indulging in unlawful acts in order to sustain their lifestyles.

    “You must learn to live within your means because by doing so the urge to get involved in criminal acts that mostly give the police a bad name will be curtailed.

    “I must specifically warn you to desist from extortion, intimidation, harassment and other criminal acts.

    “You will be sent to the communities not to harass or extort money from people, but to serve and ensure security of lives and properties,” he said.

    The commissioner added that any of them caught indulging in any crime would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

    Adie advised the constables to be disciplined, adding that the force would not spare anyone found disrespecting senior officers.

    He said that the 174 male and 16 female constables would be posted to various divisions across the state.

    NAN

  • 38 classrooms, 22 health centres constructed in Plateau in 2016

    38 classrooms, 22 health centres constructed in Plateau in 2016

    The Plateau office of Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ), constructed and furnished 38 classrooms and 22 primary health centres in 2016, Mr Samuel Damla, the Coordinator, has said.

    Damla told newsmen on Thursday in Jos that it also constructed 17 boreholes and seven VIP toilets.

    According to him, the projects are spread across various communities in Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Shendam, Kanke and Jos North Local Government Areas.

    “The projects are mostly in the rural ares because our mandate is to alleviate the sufferings of the people in the rural communities, especially in the areas of education, health, water and sanitation.

    “We have also constructed boreholes and VIP toilets to promote personal hygiene in some of the communities,” he said.

    He said that the SDGs office trained 2,000 youths on Google digital production and programming this year, and explained that the training would empower the youths with the requisite knowledge to harness the potential of the digital world.

    “The digital world has lots of opportunities and could create many employment opportunities,” he said.

    He said that funds would soon be made available to the SDGs office following the payment of N600 million counterpart funds by the state government.

    “We intend to pay more attention to addressing the menace of erosion and deforestation and support people venturing into agriculture in 2018,” he stated.

  • Plateau restarts its economy

    Plateau restarts its economy

    The Plateau State economy, which was comatose for decades, is bouncing back to life, thanks to the revival of its firms, reports YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU

    Once, Jos, the Plateau State capital, was the place to be. Few could resist its scenic ambience and clement weather. Back in time, when the colonialists were around, the Plateau tin mining industry helped to sustain the Nigerian economy. But at independence in 1960 the colonialists withdrew, and the tin industry shrank. Local mining hands lost their jobs.

    Upon its creation in 1975 Plateau State turned to agriculture but much of its land had been devastated by mining activities. Only such firms as NASCO Group and UAC prevented an economic disaster in Plateau. A boost came through the establishment of Jos International Breweries Plc (makers of Rock beer), Highland Bottling Company, Bark Farms, and Plateau Hotels, among others. The Jos Modern Market raised the commercial profile of the state. But over time, inconsistent government policies killed the new firms. In the case of the modern market, fire was its undoing. Even NASCO has weakened to the point of irrelevance. The famous Hill State owed its workers 27 months’ salary.

    The state economy was in ruins, with only the government being the major employer of labour, giving Plateau the status of civil service state.

    One major consequence of the slide was the large army of idle youths who became ready tools in the hands of unscrupulous politicians. In 2001 those youths played a major part in the violence which threw the once peaceful state into a theatre of war.

    Things are changing, thanks to Governor Simon Lalong who took office two years ago. Lalong came with a promise and determination to turn the state’s ailing economy around. The government set up an economic team of experienced entrepreneurs chaired by Mr Ezekiel Gomos, a former Secretary to the state government and managing director of Jos Business School. The economic team’s brief was simple: revive the state’s economy.

    Their effort is yielding fruit. Several firms are coming back to life.

    Gomos said, “The state-owned investment company that used to drive the state’s economy in the past was the first to be revived so that it can play a leading role in this economic revival. I am talking of Plateau Investment and Property Company (PIPC). This company itself was neglected by past administrations and that made previous attempts to revive the state economy difficult. But when we realised the important role of PIPC, we decided to start from there. So we had to properly reposition PIPC to be able to perform its statutory role as expected of it. One of the things we did in terms of properties that we are very proud of is the Gwarimpa Housing Estate in Abuja. PIPC acquired the properties from government in the year 2000. It was acquired by PIPC as a way of property investment. At a point the houses were allowed to deteriorate by those who managed it in the past, the houses got so bad that nobody wanted to live in them. Out of the ten houses, previous governments sold two and allowed the remaining eight to deteriorate. By the time we came two years ago, there were suggestions that we sell them, but even if you wanted to sell them you had to renovate them first. So the technical board embarked on the renovation and today they are all occupied by tenants, and we have not sold them.

    “When we came in we were able to track some of PIPC’s investments and we’ve been able to recover them. When you recover an investment of about N150 million, which was believed to have been lost, definitely it is an achievement one can be proud of.

    Speaking further, Gomos said, “To those who may not know, PIPC has capital market section, we introduced stock broking in 1994 when a lot of people in this state did not know anything about buying and selling of shares. But the section also collapsed in 2009 during the period of global economic depression. You know Nigeria was not spared in that global economic shakeup, same factors that affected capital markets in the entire country also affected that of PIPC. The good thing is that PIPC securities never lost their license unlike many brokers firm in the country, all we are doing now is to see how we can wake up businesses again, especially now that the country is gradually recovering from the recess.

    “But as it is now, this is the right time to buy shares as the global market economy improves gradually.

    “The economic team has put up several ailing state companies and made them active again so that they can help provide jobs for our teeming youths. But it is not easy to revive an ailing industry, it is easier to start a new one, but if you must start an old one, you need to take necessary steps. It takes longer to revive old companies especially the one that has debts on it, aging plants, unpaid workers’ salaries, etc.

    “However, Highland Bottling Company is already producing, they have employed more than 100 workers, they are planning to expand very soon. This administration has invested N20 million to bring the company back to life.

    “Now the JIB is the biggest of them all, we have completed the plant audit, this involved checking each of the equipment and ensuring its working condition, whether the equipment is outdated or useful, and whether any investor will want to continue with those plants. So for any investor to take over the company all these investigations have to be done. The investor expects the results of these investigations for him to compare with what is on the ground.

    “The main market itself is not a profit-driven investment; it was owned 100% by the state government and managed by an agency known as Jos Main Market Authority, which reported to the state Ministry for Commerce and Industry. When the market was burnt, the market authority also ran out of business. Now the present government does not have the cash to rebuild the market, which has been estimated to take up to N5 billion to rebuild. That is why government opted for private public partnership (PPP). Government advertised and has gotten one experienced consultant who has done similar project in various countries in Africa.

    “When all the ailing industries are fully revived, the state will no longer be called a civil service state, it will be called an industrialised state. Massive training of youths in entrepreneurship has commenced in the state because a lot of businesses are going to be generated by the industries and we need to get our youths ready to be the businessmen. They will be made to start with small-scale businesses and gradually grow to large-scale businesses. We believe that industrialisation is not just about industries, it is also about entrepreneurs.”

    The popular Hill Station Hotel has also been revived.

    Gomos said, “We have spent about N250 million to renovate it, much of that money went into settling debts, the famous hotel has been abandoned for over a decade, they have several months of unpaid salaries, to the level that the labour union dragged the hotel management to court over unpaid salaries. The court virtually closed down the hotel because the court ordered the auctioning of all properties of the hotel to settle unpaid staff salaries. As at then, the Plateau State government had only about 20% shares of the hotel. But the last administration bought additional shares and now the state holds about 75% of the hotel. So the hotel is more or less that of Plateau State government. The intercom of that hotel has not been working since the last seven years, and you can imagine what anyone lodging there will face without intercoms services. There were no TVs. But with the N250 million invested in the hotel by the present administration, the hotel has been turned around. It has about 170 rooms; we have renovated over 100 rooms, we have renovated the entire structure of the hotel and it is now looking new. The new GM is another experienced guy who has worked in Transcorp. Everything about the hotel has been changed including the service staff; now they look corporate and neat with their name tags. The staff were owed 27 months’ salary before we came, we have reduced that significantly. As result, tourists are back to the hotel as usual.

    “As chairman of the state economic team, I know that several investors have indicated interest in Plateau Hotel, Solomon Lar Amusement Park, Jos Wild Life Park, Jos Rock Hotel on which we are about sign a MoU. A German investor wants to take it for 30 years.

    “There is a lot of investment in the agricultural sector but the role PIPC plays there is to re-acquire the Bark Farm for agricultural purposes. A foreign company has asked for 1000 hectares of the land for processing of agricultural products.”

    Some believe the state governor has already started an economic revolution in the Plateau.

  • The toil after the peace

    The toil after the peace

    SINCE the administration of Governor Simon Lalong came into being in Plateau State in May 2015, the midnight attacks suffered by residents of various communities in the state between 2010 and 2015 have become a thing of the past. The Lalong administration made deliberate efforts to halt the trend as soon as he became the state’s chief executive. Last week’s incident in which 20 people were killed, however, came as an exception that punctured the long period of peace.

    But the humanitarian problems posed by previous conflicts in the state are still posing serious humanitarian challenges to the government and the people. The grave conditions of the people displaced by the conflictswere worsened by the prevailing economic situation in the country on account of which the government cannot meet up with its responsibility with respect to providing the necessary aids to victims.

    However, one humanitarian organisation that has never relented in providing succour for humanity in conflict situations globally is the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The humanitarian body has rendered its services to victims of conflicts in Plateau, Benue, Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states.

    But for the work done by ICRC to save lives since the beginning of the conflicts, the humanitarian situations in the affected states could have been worse than was experienced during the Nigerian civil war. According to a recent facts and figures compiled by ICRC, the humanitarian challenges facing the country could be the worst in its history.

    The media officer of ICRC in Nigeria, Eleojo Esther Akpa, who authored the figures, noted that “more than five million people in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states were in dire need of food, while an estimated two million persons have been displaced from their homes in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe and Yobe states.”

    Akpa said: “The situation is further compounded by the steady flow of returnees from neighbouring countries of the Lake Chad Basin who took refuge there at the peak of the armed conflict in Nigeria. In the places they are returning to, the scale of devastation is astounding and implies continued hardship for those heading home. People’s sources of income have been decimated. Their fields have been left uncultivated, pastoralism has been disrupted and trading opportunities cut off. The conflict has separated families and destroyed access to food, water, education, shelter, and health care.”

    She said to help mitigate the conflict’s humanitarian consequences, “the ICRC has been delivering emergency aid, as well as supporting health-care services and livelihoods, particularly in remote areas where few other humanitarian organisations are able to operate.

    “Together with Red Cross societies in the Lake Chad Basin, the ICRC is searching for more than 10,000 persons who have been separated from their families as a result of the conflict.

    “Apart from the conflict in the North-East, communal clashes in the Middle Belt and urban violence in the Niger Delta have led to forced displacement, disruption of health services and long-term psychological trauma.

    “In these conflict-prone states, the economic base and sources of livelihood of residents, especially farming and trading, have been inconsistent, and lack of food remains one of the most urgent humanitarian needs. People are bracing themselves for a prolonged lean season due to the sporadic rainfall and several missed planting seasons.

    “The situations of the most vulnerable groups such as children, women and the elderly, is of particular concern. They will remain dependent on aid for some time, and sustained food assistance will be necessary to prevent further malnutrition and death.

    “The ICRC, in partnership with the NRCS, aims at meeting the immediate needs of the most vulnerable populations in hard-to-reach areas through the distribution of food and essential household items to the displaced, returnees and vulnerable residents.

    “Those returning to homes that they had abandoned in search of security are apprehensive about rebuilding livelihoods. The ICRC has started, whenever feasible, to move from emergency food relief to greater support to livelihood initiatives for these affected communities, identifying with ways and avenues to provide more durable and sustained solutions centered around resilience and self-reliance.

    “We seek to support sustained livelihoods through the provision of improved seed for farming activities as well as cash and vouchers in areas with active markets. In particular, households where women and particularly widows are the main breadwinners receive cash for the purchase of items that they consider the most important.”

    According to ICRC, in all, almost 398,380 people in the North-East and the Middle Belt regions received food for three months or longer. It also noted that in the area of the health of the victims of the conflicts, the period of conflicts exacerbated the already difficult access to health care in the North-East, whose development had lagged behind the rest of the country. Many clinics and health care centres were destroyed while the health personnel fled for safety.

    However, the ICRC continues to support primary health care centres of the Ministry of Health in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states with medicine and technical support for the identification and treatment of diseases. Two ICRC surgical teams provide care for the wounded in need of emergency surgical care in the North-East while the ICRC trains the staff of Nigerian hospitals nationwide to enhance their skills in the treatment and management of wounded patients.

    The ICRC also provides psycho-social support for trauma-affected victims of the armed conflict and the NRCS volunteers working to assist them. The ICRC first aid training programme spans over 15 states and includes the North-East, the Middle Belt and Niger Delta states.

    According to the data provided by ICRC, “Close to 255,300 patients attended 23 ICRC- supported centres for primary health care and three mobile clinics serving the displaced, returnees and residents in North-East Nigeria and the Middle Belt; over 13,050 children were delivered in ICRC supported clinics; around 6,520 children under five suffering from severe acute malnutrition were treated in ICRC- supported clinics in North-East Nigeria, including 170 children with medical complications from Borno South treated in Biu stabilization centre; over 990 patients benefited from free surgical care with 720 of them treated as out-patients while 360 patients were admitted to the ICRC surgical ward and a total of 820 surgeries were performed; 33 NRCS and community volunteers were trained and supported by the ICRC to provide basic mental health and psychosocial support.”

    The data added that “almost 106,000 displaced persons in North-East Nigeria improved their sanitation and hygiene conditions. Almost 10,000 returnees and persons affected by communal clashes in Michika (Adamawa), Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Bokkos (Plateau) received ICRC support to rebuild 860 houses. Over 40,000 displaced persons in camps in Borno State, North-East Nigeria, live in 120 family tents built by the ICRC. In Borno, the ICRC improved access to health services for 310 people through the construction and rehabilitation of health care facilities.”

    The most pathetic aspects of the conflicts are cases where a father or mother could not locate their children after escaping from fire. While running for his life, a father would find himself in Jos but does not know the whereabouts of his wife and children. Some children who found themselves in one camp in Jos were restless because they did not know the whereabouts of their parents. Some who found themselves in Cameroon had no contact with other members of their immediate families.

    But the ICRC says it has come to the rescue of many in this regard, working with the NRCS and other Red Cross societies in the Lake Chad region to locate and where possible reunite families. With the use of Red Cross messages and free phone calls, “separated family members have been able to get back in touch with their displaced relatives. About 4,590 new tracing requests were opened by persons looking for relatives with the ICRC or the NRCS. For instance, a victim named Falmata was overcome with emotion when she was reunited with her grandson, her only surviving relative, after two years of separation.

    “No fewer than 180 Red Cross messages containing family news were exchanged among separated family members; 730 free phone calls were made available by the Red Cross to persons searching for their family members. Over 47,770 people in the North-East and the Middle Belt received essential household items such as cooking pots and water containers, as well as clothes, hygiene products, and sleeping and shelter materials, while 76,460 people received agricultural inputs including seeds, fertilizers, machinery and tools to start farming or to increase their farming production through donations in-kind and vouchers, and more than a dozen villages like Egba in Agatu LGA Benue State, devastated by several years of communal violence, receiving assistance to rebuild homes and livelihoods.

    “About 26,150 people including widows received cash and basic training on small businesses to help them start a sustainable livelihood. In addition, 17, 620 persons received repeated multi-purpose cash assistance. Over 100 sensitization sessions to raise awareness of mental health issues stemming from conflict and violence were organised with a total of 5,060 community members and 14 health staff in attendance.

    “Almost 5,510 displaced persons benefitted from ICRC’s mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programme. 260 victims of violence received group counselling support while 60 hospitalised wounded patients benefited from individual counselling support. In all, 1,030 group and 90 individual MPHSS sessions were conducted. Around 6,000 casualties were treated and evacuated by the NRCS emergency first aid teams, while 660 community first aid responders in 15 states covered by the ICRC-supported first aid programme were trained.

    “The high number of the displaced in the North-East put a strain on basic resources, such as water and sanitation installations. The ICRC creates or upgrades water points and sanitation facilities in the camps for the displaced and affected host communities. We also build tents and emergency shelters. To promote hygiene in the camps, the ICRC works with the NRCS and displaced persons on cleaning the environment. In areas where returns are possible, the ICRC has stepped up its work to repair or construct water systems benefitting both host communities and returnees.

    We have built over 6,700 emergency shelters to house the displaced across North-East Nigeria.”

  • Herdsmen predawn attacks: Plateau’s unending nightmare

    The wee hours of September 8 will remain some of the darkest in Plateau State. That was the day gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen invaded Ancha village of Bassa Local Government Area of the state, killing 19 people. The victims were killed in their sleep. The death toll would have been more than that if other targets had not escaped. Many are in the hospital receiving medical attention for gunshot and machete wounds inflicted on them by the attackers.

    The situation has thrown Bassa community and the entire state into another mourning mood.

    The attack came when residents of the state had almost forgotten about the dark days of bloodshed in the state. The state could be said to have recovered fully from the era of crisis. The last time such attack was carried out in the state was 2014.

    Governor Simon Lalong made it a priority to end conflicts in the state. Those conflicts, when they occurred, were always between Fulani herders and local farmers, and they were often concentrated in Berom communities comprising Jos South, Riyom, Barkin Ladi and part of Bokkos local government areas. In those areas, between 2010 and 2014 hundreds of residents lost their lives. The attack on Dogo Nahawa community, which produced the highest casualties of all the predawn attacks, is a case in point. Similar attacks were carried out in Jol, Rim, Foron, Hiepang, Gwarim, Kakik, Shonong, Bashi, Rafpen, Mase, Lua, Gwol, Tahol, Sopp, Jebbu, Kwaki, Gwarim, Gwom, and Torok, among others.

    These attacks produced numerous mass graves. In one of those attacks in Mase village, sympathisers who were conducting a mass burial were also attacked. That was what led to the sudden death of a senator representing Plateau North senatorial zone at the National Assembly, Senator Gyang Dantong alongside his house of assembly counterpart, Hon. Gyang James DanFulani. They both ran out of gas while fleeing from their attackers. That was the peak of attacks in Berom communities.

    Now the attacks seem to be shifting to the other side of Plateau North. The latest fresh attack on Ancha village lends credence to this.

    The death of those 19 persons was said to be a reprisal for the death of one Fulani boy.

    The Plateau State police command confirmed to newsmen that the attack in Bassa was a reprisal.

    The police said, “We went to the village as soon as we got wind of the attack to see things ourselves. We discovered that people were killed during their sleep by suspected Fulani men. There were 19 people killed in the attack.

    “This attack were said to have been a reprisal because a Fulani boy was reported killed earlier. As police, we have always cautioned residents not to take the law into their hands, this Fulani boy that was found dead without his head was alleged to have committed mischief, he was not reported to law enforcement agents, some people took laws into their hands and killed him, that was what must have led to this very attack. We followed the Fulani petition and arrested 5 suspects over the death of the Fulani boy, they have been in our custody.

    “So we are still appealing to citizens not to ever take laws into their hands because information reaching us shows that this very attack was a reprisal over the death of the Fulani boy killed earlier”.

  • Plateau engages 400 extension workers to curb potato loss

    Plateau engages 400 extension workers to curb potato loss

    Plateau State Government has engaged 400 extension workers to teach farmers improved methods to mitigate loss of Irish potatoes across the 17 Local Government Areas.

    Mrs Lynda Barau, the Plateau Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural resources, stated this at a stakeholder’s town hall meeting organised by Voices for Food Security (VFS) in partnership with Country Women Association of Nigeria (COWAN) on Tuesday in Jos.

    She said Plateau was known in Nigeria for Irish Potatoes cultivation but have suffered losses over the years due to climate change.

    “The extension workers will be posted to communities in the 17 LGAs soon to assist farmers.

    “I advise farmers to listen to them because some officers complained of farmers recalcitrant attitude of saying their forefather’s used the same method and got bumper yield, so refuse the improved method,’’ she said.

    Barau said the Ministry would work with women who are 60 per cent farmers’ population in facilitating land clearing for cooperative cluster farming and early delivery of farm inputs.

    “The State government will facilitate their access to farm inputs at subsidised rates from manufacturers.

    “The state’s abattoir will be renovated to boost animal husbandry business as Dangote company will establish an Agro-Allied investment on wheat and maize in Plateau,’’ she explained.

    In her remarks, Mrs Jessica Vonkat, the Coordinator of COWAN in Plateau said that climate change was deepening the scale of poor farm yields, poverty, hunger, unemployment and their consequences.

    She said that agricultural operation was not focused on supporting small holder farmers, research, knowledge development and dissemination and extension services.

    “Women farmers lack resources to access farmlands, assets; farm inputs; knowledge and market information. Government at all levels should take appropriate measures in terms of policy formulation and implementation to address issues of food security,’’ she said.

    Women farmers complained of stringent conditions for access to loans, especially for widows.

    Some stakeholders alleged that government’s agricultural interventions were being hijacked by friends and families of politicians.

    The meeting was also supported by Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre.

  • Herding: A crisis that won’t go away

    Herding: A crisis that won’t go away

    Try as the Plateau State government might, cattle grazing remains a nagging headache for the Berom, YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU reports

    The crisis reared its ugly head again after a period when it seemed the worst was over. The Berom in Plateau State never forgot how one night one of their communities was attacked by people suspected to be herdsmen who slaughtered as many residents as they could. Several families were left without parents. In those days clashes between crop farmers and cattle breeders were rampant. Then came the Simon Lalong administration which stepped in quickly to avert further trouble. The governor moved from one community to another seeking peace. His efforts paid off. The crisis abated.

    But did it go away? No. Three local governments have been grappling with the menace of herds of cattle eating up crops. That was why Berom women rose up in protest. The recent nude protest by Berom women and the outcry by a representative of Riyom constituency in the state house of assembly pointed to the reality of the menace in the troubled communities.

    Berom communities in three local governments, Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Jos South, have been the centre of violent conflicts between Berom crop farmers and Fulani cattle breeders. These local governments which form a larger part of Plateau North senatorial zone knew no peace between 2011 and 2015.

    The violence in the zone only came to a halt on the advent of the Lalong administration. Lalong has made restoration of peace in the area a priority area of his administration. The peace efforts he initiated led to a ceasefire. The series of midnight attacks that characterised the zone was brought to a halt following peace agreements reached between community leaders of Fulani and Berom.

    Though there are no more midnight attacks, but the total peace needed in the area has not been attained. There are complaints from farmers that the Fulani are still grazing on their farms and destroying crops. Recently, Berom women took to the streets around Bisichi in Foron District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state to protest against what they described as “illegal grazing” by herders on their farmlands.

    The protesters, mostly women, dressed in black clothes, blocked cattle routes in the areas and prevented breeders from going out for grazing. This prompted the intervention of the special military task force codenamed “Operation Safe Haven” (OPSH). The outgoing Commander, Major General Rogers Nicholas, who handed over to a new commander spearheaded the military intervention that prevented another bloody clash. The protesting Berom women said that they had complained several times to the task force about cattle grazing on their farms but that nothing was done to stop the Fulani cattle breeders, hence their protest.

    Similarly, a representative of Riyom constituency in the state house of assembly, Hon Daniel Dem added another probe to show all is not well in the communities. The lawmaker raised the alarm that almost 27 Berom villages were still being held by cattle breeders. He also confirmed that the Fulani are strange to the communities.

    Hon. Dem said while the armed Fulani occupied the villages forcefully, the original owners of the villages are in displaced persons camps in Riyom LGA. Dem who disclosed this in an interview in his office, said, “Thousands of Berom who were driven away from their homes are currently taking refuge at a safer ground. It is not a joke to say there are IDPs camps in my constituency. Just recently, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) accompanied by a member representing Riyom/Barkin Ladi federal Constituency visited the IDPs camp to deliver some relief materials. These people have been taking refuge in market stalls for more than two years. Some are squatting with their relations and they are not finding things easy. They are in a pathetic situation; they are in thousands who were displaced from various villages.

    He said, “Some the village affected in this forceful displacement by the use of arms include, Rafpen, Mase, Shonong, Lua from Bachit district. Then from Riyom district you have Jol, Rim, Gwol, Tahol, Sopp, and also Jebbu, Kwaki, Gwarim, Gwom and Torok. These villages I mentioned and several others were attacked more than twice and when the people realised they are not safe there they had to relocate. As soon as they relocated, these Fulani took over their houses and remain there till date. They have been there for over two years now, while the owners of the homes are in IDPs camps.

    “Even though there are no more attacks in the areas, government has not been able to guarantee the security of these displaced people to return to their homes. I think the situation of displaced persons in my constituency posed a very huge challenge to governments at all levels, their rehabilitation is beyond the capacity of state and local government authorities.

    “These people need shelter as well as security, they are willing and ready to go back, but they have no home to return it, they are all farmers but they have been driven away from their farmlands.

    “I made a case when NEMA brought relief materials last week, that the needs of these people are not relief materials, they need rehabilitation and empowerment for them to get back to life again, if they can have shelter and have adequate security they can farm and feed themselves. So the stage of relief materials is over. These people now want to go back to their homes.

    The lawmaker who applauded the efforts of security agencies especially Operation Safe Haven and the state government for restoring peace in the state, also said there is still more to be done to rehabilitate thousands of displaced persons. He also lamented that the federal government has concentrated its rehabilitation programme in IDPs camps in the Northeast as if those in Riyom are not Nigerians.

    When contacted, the special military troops in charge of security in the state and neighbouring Bauchi and Southern Kaduna, denied knowledge of any IDPs camp in the areas. Media officer of OPSH, Captain Umar Ahmed said, “The command is not aware of any IDPs camp in Riyom local government, we are not also aware of any village forcefully occupied by armed Fulani men.

    Meanwhile, heads of security agencies in Plateau State, leaders of Berom and Fulani communities met three weeks ago and drew up a six-point declaration in Barkin Ladi that required all grazing routes to remain open while cattle owners are to pay for damages done to farmlands by their cattle.  The agreement banned night grazing and assault on herders or their cattle.

    The same story of forceful occupation of farmlands by armed Fulani also exists in some communities of Bokkos local government. It was alleged that some armed Fulani men have driven away the owners of the farms and occupied them with their cattle.

  • Man kills mother over ‘disappearance’ charm

    Man kills mother over ‘disappearance’ charm

    An 18-year-old man has allegedly killed his mother in Plateau State for refusing to give him a ‘disappearing’ charm he claimed was his inheritance from his late herbalist father.

    The suspect, according to   the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), committed the crime at his Kisaghyip village farm in Bassa Local Government Area of the state.

    After killing his mother, Agugu Adau, reportedly removed the sum of N20,000 from her blood-soaked clothes and used it to buy a mobile phone, a shirt and a pair of slippers.

    Mr Tyopev Terna, spokesman of the Plateau Police Command, confirmed that the suspect was being held, but declined further comments.

    “Investigation is ongoing. The details are not ready. Please understand with us and be patient,” he said by phone.

    But Agugu said he killed his mother because she refused to give him a charm that was his inheritance from his father.

    He said: “When I was 14 years old, my late father, who was a native doctor, showed me a charm that enabled him to disappear and reappear at will. He promised to handover the charm to me when I turn 18.

    “On his dying bed four years ago, he gave my mother the charm and asked her to give me when I turn 18. But I am now 18 and she has refused to give it to me.

    “On this fateful day at the farm, I asked her about it, but she threatened to throw the charm into the river, if I disturbed her too much.

    “Her response infuriated me and I suddenly felt that she was of no value as a mother. I immediately slaughtered her with the knife I was using to harvest potatoes.

    “After slaughtering her, I dumped her body in the bush.”

    Mr David Adau, elder brother of the suspect dismissed the suspect’s claim that he killed the mother because of a charm.

    According to him, “Prior to the incident, the family had faced several problems with Agugu. He was fond of stealing and causing trouble.

    “I believe he killed our mother because of the N20,000 I gave her the day before the incident. I work at the mines in Barkin-Ladi, and usually give my earnings to our mother to keep for me.

    “I handed over the money to my mother in his presence; in fact, when I gave her the money, she expressed fear that Agugu could attack her to get the money. He has proved her right.”

    David said that on his return from work a day after the incident, he asked after the mother but Agugu said he did not know of her whereabouts.

    “He said he did not know where my mother was. Later in the day, I saw him with a new mobile phone, a new shirt and slippers, and I became curious.

    “I asked him (suspect) where he got them from, but he could not give me satisfactory answers.

    “Other family members joined me and we kept pestering him over our mother, but he insisted he knew nothing.

    “Three days later, I invited the Police to question my brother. That worked immediately as he confessed to killing her,” he said.

    David said that the suspect later led family members and the police to the farm where they saw the already decomposing corpse of the mother.

  • MMM donates  to orphanage home in Plateau

    MMM donates  to orphanage home in Plateau

    An orphanage home, Kingdom Kids Klub based in Jos, Plateau State, has been given a major face-lift through a generous donation from MMM Nigeria, an online community where participants provide and get financial assistance with their spare money.
    With the donation, the home which was founded on February 4th 2006 and duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC), got its dinning room painted in addition to provision of new dining room tables and chairs for the 54 children who are currently in the facility.
    The kids also got brand-new bedsheets and blankets from the donation.
    Aside the physical facelift given to the facility, caregivers, numbering 15, who work in the home, also got generous sums of money from the online community for the sole purpose of encouraging them to do more for the orphans.
    While commending MMM for the donations on behalf of the Board of Trustees, Directors and staff of the home, Sandra Chikan, global coordinator of the home, said the donation helped a great deal in making a difference in the lives of the orphaned and vulnerable children in the country thus helping to secure their future.
    Kingdom Kids Club is a one stop resource centre for children in Plateau State, founded for providing help and care to orphans and vulnerable children majorly through education and medical care.
    The club which started with 18 children now has 54 children in the facility and many more are enrolled in the villages at Riyom and i Local Government Areas of Plateau State.