Kanke agog as Hon Calep Shikir declared his intentions to contest
DAYYABU GARGA RECEIVES A GOLDEN AWARD OF EXCELLENCE AND THE PILLAR AND MOULDER OF PLATEAU STATE STUDENTS, (NAPSS).
DAYYABU GARGA RECEIVES A GOLDEN AWARD OF EXCELLENCE AND THE PILLAR AND MOULDER OF PLATEAU STATE STUDENTS, (NAPSS).
The event which took place at Kanam Local Goverment Legislative Chamber, Dengi had in attendance, His Deputy, Leader of Kanam Legislative Arm, Secretary Of the Executive Council,Chief Of Staff of the Counci, APC Party Chairman Of Kanam LGC and All Executive Cabinet Of Kanam LGC.
President Of Plateau State Students NAPSS, National Body, Comr.Jatau Luna (Jatau Kroos) was, On behalf of his Excos, happy that they are able to present the" A Golden Merit Award" to the Executive Chairman Of Kanam LGC, Comr. Hon. (Dr). Dayyabu Yusuf Garga, 'AS THE PILLAR AND MOULDER OF PLATEAU STATE STUDENTS, NAPSS'.
Comr. Jatau described Dayyabu Garga as a role model to Plateau State Students at home and in diaspora.He said we have followed your track record since 2001 of which your continuous sponsorship of students in various institutions as well as the National Teachers Institute,NTI Kaduna,free Jamb registration and Colleges Of Education.Your recent persons across LGAs who got admission at the Plateau State Polytechnic and financial assistance that you helped our younger ones at various institutions. That is why today you see us massively on behalf of Plateau Students to here to reward you and show you our support for you to continue Help our younger ones.
"In view of the numerous contributions to the Kanam Local Government Council Chairman to Plateau State Students, to Kanam Local Government Area and to humanity evident in the monumental achievements he has recorded both in his official and private dealings, National Association Of Plateau State Students decorated him with a Gold medal and further presented him with an award of excellence As the Pillar and Molder Of Plateau State Students NAPSS.
Individual members who spoke at the gathering said they were not surprised that the people of Kanam Local Government Area have seen in Dayyabu Garga a man deserving of their mandate because he has always exhibited leadership traits way back in school. They prayed for more grace and guidance upon him.
Appreciating the National leaders of Plateau State Students, the Council Boss thanked them for the recognition and honour done him which he said strengthens his resolve to do more. He equally seized the opportunity to appreciate his Teachers/lectures for the training they received.
Hon. (Dr). Dayyabu Yusuf Garga, (Walin Garga) also charged them to be good ambassadors of Peace and advised the younger ones to go learn as his door is open to help the less privileged and assured the good people of Kanam that very soon he will flag off the Scholarship to Kanam Students and organise debate competitions in public primary and Secondary Schools to promote the education across the Local Government Area through the Office of Senior Special Assistant On Students Affairs and Office of the President of Kanam Students Association (KANSA).
"That was why in my Administration I create the office of Senior Special Assistant On Students Affairs and this the first in history of local government Administration of Kanam LGC to accommodate and coordinate students activities such as this"
He equally advised them to shun vices that will affect their today and tomorrow.
Taru Salim Dugub
Senior Special Assistant to the Executive Chairman Of Kanam LGC
(Media and Students Affairs)
25th February,2022
THE NEED TO STRENGTHENED DISABILITY INTERVENTION
THE NEED TO STRENGTHENED DISABILITY INTERVENTION
There is a thin line between a person with a disability and a person without any form of disability; in a
split of a second, a person leading a normal life could become disabled. A person is considered to be disabled if: They have a mental or physical impairment. The level of disrespect and discriminatory treatment against people with disabilities is so frustrating and diminishing. Realized that people with disabilities are humans too, we must directly or indirectly be willing to consider or accept new suggestions and ideas which would help us change our mindset when it comes to dealing with disabled persons.
On a daily basis, disabled persons experience untold hardship and challenges, or more dangerous than we could ever imagine as they go about routine activities, which is why it is important to draw attention to disability inclusion and ways in which access can and should be improved in any way possible. Your ability to get around with ease is something that you cannot afford to take for granted. From stairs to narrow passages and thresholds, these are all everyday barriers that we walk over and around every day. For those with physical difficulties, the story is entirely different.
Disability has three dimensions: Impairment in a person’s body structure or function, or mental functioning. Examples of impairments include loss of a limb, loss of vision, memory loss or activity limitation such as difficulty seeing, hearing, walking, or problem-solving. While some persons were born with disability others became disabled as a result of accidents, war, poor access to health care, illness, usage of alcohol, drug addiction, injections, and medicine. Poor people are at more risk of acquiring a disability because of a lack of access to good nutrition, health care, sanitation, as well as safe living and working conditions. Once this occurs, people face barriers to education, employment, and public services that can help them escape poverty. Also, in today’s wars, more civilians than soldiers are killed or disabled, and most of them are women and children.
On Jan 23, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018. Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. The law prohibits discrimination based on disability and imposes sanctions, including fines of 1,000,000.00 on the corporate body and 100,000.00 or six months imprisonment or both on individuals who contravene it.
According to the World Health Organization, in 2018, about 29 million of the 195 million people who comprise Nigeria’s national population were living with a disability. Data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey revealed that an estimated 7 percent of those 60 or older have some level of difficulty in at least one domain, seeing, hearing, communication, cognition, walking, or self-care; and 1 percent either have a lot of difficulties or cannot function at all in at least one domain. These estimated rates, while significant, are probably even higher because currently available data likely underestimate the prevalence.
Generally, the number of disabled persons in Nigeria is expected to further increase due to the emergence of new diseases, drug abuse, stress, armed conflict, malnutrition, and poverty. Other causes are increasing numbers of elderly persons, many of whom have impairments. This proves that there is a huge demand for there to be alterations in existing public buildings - schools, offices to be made across Nigeria to allow improved access through making simple adjustments for every item to be used by everyone in an inclusive way. That calls for State and non-State actors to consciously prioritize and double their efforts to expand the frontiers of inclusion of Persons with Disabilities and handle the same with utmost urgency and seriousness it deserves.
Appropriate government agencies saddled with the responsibility of creating public enlightenment should deploy technology to step-up public campaigns on the plights of disabled persons and social inclusion. Persons with disabilities have underlying health issues that make them vulnerable to diseases, therefore, appropriate information about COVID -19 and other diseases, including symptoms and prevention, should be provided in accessible formats such as print materials in Braille, sign language, interpretation, captions, audio provision, and graphs. It is equally important to focus on educating caregivers, educators, and mothers on disease conditions such as albinism which causes vision problems, down’s syndrome, which causes a distinct facial appearance and intellectual disability and developmental delays; and also autism - a serious developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact. Similarly, a lot of education is needed to get our communities to protect hunchback (hunchback is someone who has a large lump on their back because their spine is curved usually refers to an abnormally curved spine. This condition can cause pain and be disfiguring. In some climes, this category of persons is being hunted for rituals particularly targeted towards moneymaking. Such fetish beliefs had caused the lives of some hunchbacks. This act is not only condemnable but barbaric therefore, youths should reject the narratives that ritual killing can make one rich overnight.
We need to educate teachers to be facilitators of inclusive education. Inclusive education can be made possible and successful only with the active initiative and the positive attitude of the teachers. The success of this entire process of inclusion depends largely on the general climate they establish within the classroom to make children with disability feel accepted, confident and achieve their academic and social potentials. It is, therefore, important to sensitize teachers towards the needs of children with disability. The curriculum of teacher education would play a major role in empowering the educator with not only theoretical experience, but real-life experiences to achieve a lasting change of attitudes. Equally, an attempt should be made to understand how teachers can be made motivated in this endeavor to ensure successful inclusion it children with special needs.
As a matter of priority, Government should endeavor to provide intervention funds to be used for scholarships, acquisition of assistive technologies, expansion of vocational training centers across the country to accommodate more disabled persons, and distribution of starter packs to encourage disabled persons to be more self-sufficient (entrepreneurs) and employers of labor as well at the end of skill acquisition training. The two-way link between poverty and disability creates a vicious circle, therefore, such interventions, particularly the provision of scholarship to people with disability are key to ensuring that substantial number of children with disabilities in Nigeria do attend school.
Athletes with disabilities should be scouted and receive scholarships based on their athletic abilities by their chosen school. Their abilities should not be seen as an inspiration rather they should be commended for hard work like their able-bodied counterparts; it entails attitudinal change on the way people rate talented people with a disability.
With the enactment of the disability discrimination (DD ACT) prohibition, the executive and judiciary alms, as well as the law enforcement personnel, should work together to bring an end to discriminatory policies, under-representation and other practices against the vastly under-served population of disabled persons.
Nigeria can increase disability representation in a political setting by encouraging younger generations with disabilities to become politically involved from local, State, to National levels. Incorporating disability voice in National campaigns is key to disability inclusion.
Job placement for people with disabilities is central to social inclusion. They deserve to be employed because they are educated, ambitious, and want to work. Most often they are discriminated against at work or being refused a job or denied a final interview. But when it comes down to it, employers need to see a person, including his/her disability, as an asset and not a potential liability. Government should include a considerable percentage of disabled persons in it social investment programs.
Persons with disabilities are more likely to be victims of violence or rape, and less likely to obtained Police intervention, legal protection, or preventive care. Many disabled persons face Police brutality, therefore, there is a need for intervention through the training of law enforcement agents for special needs to address issues or interface with persons with disabilities.
Many people with disabilities have faced unfortunate experiences at the airport or even in the air- left for hours without a chair or access to a washroom. Training the special services Request personnel would go a long way in promoting a more positive experience. A better interaction would be to ask travellers with a disability what they need and act accordingly. Also, major airlines need to do a better job at accommodating people with disabilities by building an accessible restroom within the planes. Many people with disabilities have to forgo traveling for long flights because they do not have access to the bathroom.
Accessibility is also an important aspect of realizing the rights of the aging population in Nigeria. As we grow older, our chance of experiencing a permanent or temporary disability is increased. Focus on accessibility can ensure that we can participate fully in our society well into our older years.
Ways in which Cities can improve accessibility for people living with disability include considering specific hearing and visual needs, designing for autism. Making the architectural alterations to the existing public building is a practical way we can ensure there is no discrimination between those who are non-disabled and those who are disabled. These fundamental changes include:
Fitting buildings with doorways is a practical way of improving accessibility for disabled individuals. By widening doorways wheelchairs and mobility scooters can pass through easily. This will allow more people to gain access to goods and services they need and also enhance their lives in a normal way.
Replacing steps with ramps will enable those with wheelchairs and mobility scooters the chance to get around a building or enter into a facility easily.
Modifying switches and handles - through moving light switches, door handles, and other important details that can be found on the surfaces of doors and walls, you will allow those who have difficulty with reaching up to be able to have the same access to switches. Fire alarms ought to be mandatory in many buildings, however, not all are designated to be used by those who have a disability, so effort should be made to improve such designs.
Providing accessible bathroom facilities (toilets) are vital when it comes to providing disabled people with basic facilities. All employers have to provide the necessary changes needed to ensure that disabled workers are not in any way denied toilets which could be of different form, or better still make assisted- use of toilets more available. The smallest of gestures such as offering a designated location to charge mobility scooter batteries to offering any form of paperwork in Braille could make all the difference when it comes to making the lives of those with disabilities that much more comfortable.
People with disabilities make up a vast proportion of the population and serve as a highly valuable pool of Nigerians. They form the biggest minority population, therefore; the disability community should be viewed as a valuable consumer or a targeted audience with significant purchasing power. So models with a disability should be incorporated into fashion and marketing commercials.
Promoting social inclusion schools is very important. Our overall cultural conciseness on how we treat and interact with a disability needs to change, beginning elementary school. We need to celebrate our peers for their differences. If this is taught at a young age, less discrimination and more social inclusion will occur. Having kids with or without disabilities, learning side by side helps everybody appreciate the talents and gifts all kids bring with them. As a society, we have the responsibility to promote the inclusion of our differences.
Promoting accessible tourism is a central element of any responsible and sustainable development policy targeted at improving the plights of
The disabled. It is both a human rights imperative, as well an exceptional business opportunity. Government should be committed to sustainable and equitable development. Certainly, making basic adjustments to tourist facilities, providing accurate information, and understanding the needs of disabled people can result in increased visitor numbers. This involves a collaborative process among all stakeholders: Governments, International agencies, tour operators and end-users, including persons with disabilities and their organizations (DPOs). Accessible tourism does not only benefit persons with disabilities, it benefits all of the society.
Another area of interest is electoral inclusion. Some of the election practices which create barriers for voters with disabilities should be addressed. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities underscores the equal right of persons with disabilities to participate in political life. People with a disability still encounter architectural, attitudinal, and technological barriers when exercising their right to vote, including inaccessible voting machines, an absence of sign language, interpreters, no Braille signs or ramps. The elections and Disability Encyclopaedia topic review examples that acquaint election authorities with emerging international standards on the electoral rights of disabled citizens and assist election authorities to identify specific strategies to enfranchise voters with different types of disabilities. Voter education should be implemented in such a way to effectively communicate to educate the blind and deaf in the phase of an election.
The media is a critical stakeholder in all spheres of national development, capable of promoting issues of national interest. Whereas Journalists are encouraged to fight or protect the vulnerable, the State and non-State actors should leverage the media to undertake massive public enlightenment campaigns to educate Nigerians on the sorts of issues that disabled people are experiencing, promote social inclusion and enforce the right of persons living with a disability. It is possible to see a fully inclusive society. The time to act is now, contribute your quota towards enhancing social inclusion, let’s all become voices that challenge discrimination against persons with disabilities.
##Media Action For Health, Environment and Sustainable Development (MAHESD)
Breaking News: PDP BOYCOTT PEACE COMMITMENTS MEETING
UPDATE ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF INTERCHANGE (FLY OVER) AT BRITISH AMERICAN JUNCTION
PLATEAU STATE MINISTRY OF WORKS
(RELOCATION OF WATER AND POWER LINES)
We wish to sincerely thank and commend the general public particularly Residents, Business owners and road users for their patience, understanding and co-operation thus far on the diversions, road closures and construction activities ongoing around the British American Fly-over interchange.
It is on this note and in line with keeping the public abreast with the ongoing construction work that the Ministry of Works wishes to inform the public as follows:
- The Plateau State Water Board in collaboration with the Mechanical dept of the Ministry of Works/Contractor are currently identifying and excavating the water pipes along the road alignment for relocation.
- The Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JED) with the Electrical dept of the Ministry of Works will also commence relocation of power lines alomg the road corridor in the affected area under construction.
- The Ministry/Contractor will commence some remedial works/patching of potholes on some already identified alternative routes to further ease the flow of traffic and enhance pleasurable motoring by road users.
We are aware that these operations particularly those involving the key Utility providers are bound to create some inconveniences to citizens living in the affected areas.
Government hereby assures that these operations will be carried out with minimal inconveniences and utmost care and will not last longer than neccessary.
While we regret the inconveniences that may arise from these operations, we continue to crave the maximum cooperation and understanding from the public to enable the Government and contractor to deliver on the project within stipulated period.
Government also urges the motoring public to continue to comply by avoiding the construction site and using alternative routes that have so far been provided.
ALWAYS THINK AND ACT PLATEAU
Engr. Alexander Plangnan, fnse
Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Works,
Plateau State.
Sunday 13th February, 2022.
I HAVE AN UNDYING PASSION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MY CONSTITUENCY – HON. ELISHA BITRUS
I HAVE AN UNDYING PASSION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MY CONSTITUENCY – HON. ELISHA BITRUS
Arguing
with some politicians’ serving as a local government legislature is not enough
for
the provision
of the dividend of democracy to be felt, but Hon. Elisha
Bitrus Shehu, from Gindiri, Chanson Ward, Mangu Local Government Area of
Plateau State has proven that Men make history and real men engrave their
forenames in the hearts and minds of their people. This astute grassroots
politician has continued to prove that for him every endeavour is an opportunity
to make an impact on humanity no matter how small the task is.
Just as the goldfish has no hidden place, this quintessential personality caught the attention of some Publishers; these groups are well known for celebrating Excellency regardless of personalities, political inclination, creed, or ethnicity.
Casting
a cursory look into Hon. Elisha Bitrus Shehu brief but impactful sojourned as a
local government legislature has shown that he is an individual who feels the
welfare and comfort of the people comes first, a unique fellow who feels that
the right and privileges of the common man must be accorded him, for a brother
who feels power comes from the people and they deserve the best from
leadership. His loftier-than-life image as well as his legendry humble and
self-effacing nature has momentously endeared him to the heart of people of his
community as well as those that had come in close contact with him.
In
a brief chat with this quintessential politician Hon. Elisha Bitrus Shehu said,
as a counselor he has constructed three culverts, renovated the District Head
Palace, and carry out a lot of other activities even before, receiving his
constituency allowance. He has given scholarships to some of the indigent
persons in his ward, he has organized and sponsored the maiden of speech and
prize-giving day of GSS Chanson, and had done many other things that touched
the lives of the people in his ward.
Hon.
Elisha said his desire and choice to run for the Plateau State House of
Assembly is borne out of the experience he acquired as a deputy leader and
desire to serve his people. He said ‘i have studied the scenario of where I
came from and realized that as a legislature; I can contribute meaningfully to
the development of my community because I have an undying passion for the
development of my constituency’. If I can do it as a local government
legislature, certainly state legislature will be my stepping stone, he added.
He
said ‘with my exposure, as a retired civil servant, a businessman and track
record as a legislature my contributions will be felt; certainly, lobbying for
projects to my constituency will be exploited with vigor and acumen. Arguing
with some politicians’ serving as a local government legislature is not enough
for the provision of the dividend of democracy to be felt, but Hon. Elisha
Bitrus Shehu, from Gindiri, Chanson Ward, Mangu Local Government Area of
Plateau State has proven that Men make history and real men engrave their
forenames in the hearts and minds of their people. This astute grassroots
politician has continued to prove that for him every endeavour is an opportunity
to make an impact on humanity no matter how small the task is.
Just
as the goldfish has no hidden place, this quintessential personality caught the
attention of some Publishers; these groups are well known for celebrating
Excellency regardless of personalities, political inclination, creed, or
ethnicity.
Casting
a cursory look into Hon. Elisha Bitrus Shehu brief but impactful sojourned as a
local government legislature has shown that he is an individual who feels the
welfare and comfort of the people comes first, a unique fellow who feels that
the right and privileges of the common man must be accorded him, for a brother
who feels power comes from the people and they deserve the best from
leadership. His loftier-than-life image as well as his legendry humble and
self-effacing nature has momentously endeared him to the heart of people of his
community as well as those that had come in close contact with him.
In
a brief chat with this quintessential politician Hon. Elisha Bitrus Shehu said,
as a counselor he has constructed three culverts, renovated the District Head
Palace, and carry out a lot of other activities even before, receiving his
constituency allowance. He has given scholarships to some of the indigent
persons in his ward, he has organized and sponsored the maiden of speech and
prize-giving day of GSS Chanson, and had done many other things that touched
the lives of the people in his ward.
Hon.
Elisha said his desire and choice to run for the Plateau State House of
Assembly is borne out of the experience he acquired as a deputy leader and
desire to serve his people. He said ‘i have studied the scenario of where I
came from and realized that as a legislature; I can contribute meaningfully to
the development of my community because I have an undying passion for the
development of my constituency’. If I can do it as a local government
legislature, certainly state legislature will be my stepping stone, he added.
He
said ‘with my exposure, as a retired civil servant, a businessman and track
record as a legislature my contributions will be felt; certainly, lobbying for
projects to my constituency will be exploited with vigor and acumen.
FORGIVENESS IS NOT AN ATTRIBUTE OF THE WEAK GOV. LALONG
FORGIVENESS IS NOT AN ATTRIBUTE OF THE WEAK GOV. LALONG
SPEECH BY H.E. (DR) SIMON BAKO LALONG KSGG, EXECUTIVE
GOVERNOR OF PLATEAU STATE ON THE OCCASION OF THE COMMEMORATION OF “FORGIVENESS
DAY” IN PLATEAU STATE HELD ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2022 AT THE PEACE AND
FORGIVENESS GARDEN, JOS - PLATEAU STATE.
Protocol
1. It is with a deep sense of
gratitude to God Almighty that I address you on another special day, which we
have set aside to drive the process of healing and reconciliation in our
beloved State. Since we instituted the Forgiveness Day, our people have continued
to embrace one another and work hard in putting the ugly events of the past
behind them, thereby building a better society.
2. We are therefore gathered here
today to commemorate in sober reflection, a day which we have set apart from 2019 to take a retrospective view on our journey as a people, and to appraise the
impact that the mistakes of the past have had on the very social fabric that
binds us together. Our goal since coming to office has been to restore our
State to its solid foundations of peace, justice, equality, tolerance and
hospitality. This year’s team, “Forgiving the Past to Reconcile the Future” is
very appropriate.
3. There is no doubt that two decades
of recurring violent conflicts in various parts of our State did unimaginable
damage to our collective psyche and fractured age-long peaceful intra and inter
group coexistence which stunted our development and growth. This resulted in
deep seated level of mutual distrust, suspicion and hate that characterized
social relations between people of different ethnoreligious groups across
Plateau State.
4. It is in a bid to mitigate
this situation that we set aside this day as a symbolic effort of using
forgiveness, which is a very powerful tool in pulling down the walls of differences
that we may have against one another. It is our firm belief that until and
unless we learn to forgive, we may never really understand the blessings of
God.
5. I am personally convinced that
“forgiveness” is not an attribute of the weak, but the very character of the
strong who love God and are willing to walk in his ways. Forgiveness as a Godly
virtue does not erase the hurt and pains we have inflicted on one another, but
a tonic that is needed to take us to the future where we shall no longer loose
loved ones and valuable property over issues we can sit together and resolve.
6. As a Government, we are fully aware
that it is within the power of individuals to choose to either forgive or not
to forgive. But we also realize that we have a responsibility to show society
the road that will take us to a better future.
7. We can either choose to live in hate and resentment, or to forgive the wrongs done to us in order to forge a new social compact that will guarantee a beautiful future for our children and generations unborn.
8. I am happy that as we mark this
year’s Forgiveness Day, there are very positive stories of achievements in the
process of healing since we came into office in 2015. Having taken steps and
developed mechanisms in the form of institutions that are working round the
clock to ensure the return of peace to our dear State, many communities that
were hot beds of crises are now calm and working together to forge a better
condition.
9. You will also recall that some Local
Government Areas like Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Jos South, Riyom and Jos North were
hot-beds of ethno-religious crisis and violent attacks where precious human
lives and property were lost. I am glad to say that as at today, we have
restored some level of calm and peace in those areas while work is continuing
to ensure that every remaining obstacle to peace is removed.
10.
This feat could not have been possible without the role of the Plateau Peace
Building Agency, the Traditional Institution, Security Agencies, Civil Society,
the citizens as well as other non-state actors who have continued to work
tirelessly to rebuild the peace through trust and confidence building,
dialogue, advocacy and community resilience.
11.
Despite the fact that we celebrate some modest achievements, we are however not
living under the illusion that absolute Peace has returned to the State. As a
Government, we are particularly mindful of the fragile nature of Peace in some
parts of the State particularly Bassa LGA. We are also concerned about the
activities of crises merchants who from time to time carry out isolated attacks
on soft targets in some parts of the State.
12.
Notwithstanding, we are not resting on our oars to ensure that we explore the
pathways that will lead to a lasting solution to the lingering security
challenges in Bassa before the expiration of the tenure of our administration.
13.
For the avoidance of doubt, I have, at various times personally led a series of
multi-level and multi-layered meetings with leaders of both Irigwe and Fulani
communities towards finding a lasting solution to the problem.
14.
Similarly, the Plateau State Peace Building Agency has held, and is still
facilitating a series of intra and inter-dialogues between the parties. The
Plateau State Inter-Religious Council (IRC), made up of respected religious
leaders is also facilitating mediation and dialogues in the troubled
communities. The most recent is the intra-dialogue engagement between the IRC
and Irigwe community that took place last Friday.
15.
This will be followed by another engagement between the IRC members and the
Fulani community in the next few days. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it
will interest you to know that the Irigwe and Fulani Internal Peace and
Security Committee set up by the two communities will complete its assignment
in the following weeks.
16.
We believe the potential that the work of this committee holds is immense and
will ultimately serve as a panacea to ending the protracted conflict and maybe
serve as a good model for other communities in conflict.
17.
While these processes are ongoing, I have also directed the Plateau Peace
Building Agency to design and implement a project that will help foster social
cohesion and ensure the reintegration of our segregated communities in the
State. They are expected to identify and map all conflict areas and especially
communities that have been sacked due to attacks. Our administration remains
committed to ensuring that displaced people return to their ancestral homes.
18.
that is why we signed into law the Anti-Land Grabbing Law to ensure that
nobody claims the land of those who temporarily relocated from their ancestral
lands due to insecurity. While we work to provide security for their safe
return, I call on all citizens to take advantage of the Law to report anyone
who seeks to claim their land.
The government will deal with such persons according to
provisions of the law as they are the enemies of peace and the State.
19.
Let me use this opportunity to once again register our profound appreciation to
the security agencies for supporting us in the process of reconciliation and
healing in Plateau State. Their presence, proactive engagement and even
advocacy have boosted our capacity to address lingering issues that could have
triggered other crises in the State. They have remained professional and
committed to performing their duty of confronting criminals and also providing
a conducive environment for dialogue and reconciliation to take place.
20.
I also want to thank our Royal Fathers who have not only worked assiduously to
maintain peace in their domains, but also engaged various stakeholders in
preaching the message of forgiveness and reconciliation. Our religious leaders
have also played a similar role by propagating the message of love and
forgiveness to their followers.
These messages have also been amplified by the leaderships of
the various Community Development Associations in the State thereby leading us
to the level of stability attained today.
21.
May I use this occasion to specially appeal to the political class to tow the
same line of the traditional, religious and community bodies by anchoring their
political messages on love, peace, forgiveness and reconciliation. As the race
towards the 2023 election intensifies, there is every need to exercise caution
and responsibility in an attempt to get votes. Let us always remember that
without peace, there will not even be elections or the positions we seek to
occupy.
22.
Finally, I wish to again ask our citizens and the media to avoid the
dissemination of messages that stir anger and incite the people to violence, revenge
and unforgiveness. By using social or traditional media to spread hate
speech, incitement and intolerance, we are further damaging the prospect of
attaining a peaceful Plateau. We should always remember that we have a choice
to think and act in a manner that will make us love one another and fight those
who seek to divide us.
23. Plateau is ours to hold, nurture and develop. Only love and not hate can make
us grow as a State. I wish us all a happy commemoration of the 2022 Forgiveness
Day. God bless Plateau State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Rt. Hon. (Dr) Simon Bako Lalong, KSGG
Executive Governor Plateau State.
7th February 2022.
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