Another political battle for the soul of Plateau has taken off on the
Plateau following the submission of transition committee report to
Governor Simon Lalong led by his Deputy Governor Professor Sonnie Tyoden
in which series of allegations of mismanagement of resources were
leveled against the administration of Senator Jonah Jang the immediate
past governor of the state .
This time around Governor Lalong has deployed his rescue mission search light on the administration of his predecessor ,Senator Jonah Jang, the immediate past governor of the state over how the finances of the state was spent in the past 8 years that Jang ruled like a maximum ruler on the Plateau.
The stage for what look like a probe of the past regime in the state was set by Governor Lalong on the 7th of May, 2015, when he inaugurated a transition committee to study all aspects of the structure, organization and operational modalities of the preceding government and to advice his government accordingly.
The committee which was made up of 12 Central Committee Members and 188 other members was broken into 27 sub-committees, each handling a particular aspect of government operation.
The sub-committees on completion of their assignments , the chairman of the committee, the Deputy governor of the state professor Sonnie Tyoden submitted a comprehensive report to the Governor for government’s attention and necessary action on the 11th of August at Jos New Rayfield Government House with full attendance of political stalwarts from the state.
The Deputy Governor, while submitting his report to governor Lalong suggested that because of the importance of some of the recommendations for the emplacement of good governance; there was urgent need to address the issue of key appointments needed to steer the process of governance; and also the need to correct evident lapses in some actions and policies of past government resulting in inequities and gross injustices,’’ we urge that His Excellency told study our report carefully with a view to implementing the recommendations made herein’’.
Plateau Deputy Governor ,Professor Tyoden told Governor Lalong that from the findings of the transition committee, Plateau State has been rendered prostate, saying that the task ahead of them was not going to be easy, thus the need for the government and the people of Plateau State to brace up for the challenges ahead.
According to Tyoden, as government prepares to take the hard decisions that will be required to correct the mistakes of the past and reposition government for the arduous task of rebuilding Plateau, the actions of government should be put in proper context.
He noted that the government is not out on a vendetta to witch-hunt anybody, but it has a duty to correct whatever mistakes might have been made, so that they can have a more prosperous and united future on a platform of equity, fairness and justice for all.
The Plateau Deputy Governor observed in his committee report that from their findings, they observed that while governance between 2007 and 2011 under Senator Jang can be said to have been conducted along familiar lines, with some semblance of respect for known rules of procedure and civilized democratic governance, after 2011, there was a sharp decline and the descent of governance to the level of bestiality, where impunity, nepotism, sectionalism became the order of the day, with dire consequences for good governance, the unity of state and the collective welfare of the vast majority of the people of Plateau State.
According to the transition committee report, for a poor state like Plateau, the management of government funds and finances left much to be desired, citing instances where his committee encountered many ‘’ wanton irregular and doubtful expenditure, misapplication of funds and disregard for laid down known financial rules and regulations, saying Day-to-day administration of Senator Jang on Plateau in the last 8 years on the plateau ,witnessed the grotesque monopolization of power by a clique and the personalization of authority and the instruments of government.
‘’ For instance, he stressed that there was an individual who was a jack of all trades, who appropriated three titles to himself, each conveying separate and identifiable functions. He was a “Statistician-General”, a “Salary Administrator” and a “General Manager” all at the same time. With such arrogance of power, you can imagine the damage that was visited on the process of governance as laid down rules and regulations and known governmental procedures were deliberately jettisoned and desecrated with impunity, resulting in a situation where government processes were reduced to the whims of individual government officials, with dire consequences for service delivery and good governance’’.
Even in the area of infrastructural development and road construction in particular, where some appreciable impact could be said to have been achieved, Professor Tyoden said one cannot but be struck by the lopsidedness and selective distribution of such facilities and services, as 80% of such projects were located in a particular section of one senatorial district.
Another cause for concern he lamented was the penchant for the then government to bite more than it could chew, by embarking on so many projects at the same time without a clear picture of the source to finance them, resulting in the large number of uncompleted projects that currently litter the city of Jos and its environs and a corresponding accumulation of unpaid certificates and bills on the table of the Accountant General.
On the discrepancy between what the State got as income and what was left at the exit of the out gone government, Tyoden said from available records, between May 2007 and May 2015, the sum of N525.35 billion was the total income that accrued to the State, statutory allocations inclusive, wondering why the state was left with a debt of N222.3 billion by May, 2015?
According to the report, the sum of N747.65 billion could be said to have been expended on Plateau State citizens, in the last eight years.
The Deputy Governor said looking at the State in its current condition; they were at a lost where all this money went to.
The committee also raised query over the N2 billion Central Bank of Nigeria remitted to the coffers of Plateau State Government for the benefit of small and medium scale industries in the state that about 90% of this amount which was remitted to the state on the 17th of March, 2015 was drawn in two days (between 24th and 26th March 2015), for unexplained expenditure, without a single small and medium scale enterprise in the state benefitting from the money, yet the hand-over notes dated 29th May 2015, stated that the government was yet to access the fund.
Other issues raised in the report had to do with the various sums totaling N6.1 billion which were transferred from the accounts of SUBEB, SURE-P and Ministry of Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs, to State Government accounts, without justifiable explanations on how the funds were used.
The transition Committee also alleged that on the 27th of May 2015, four political appointees of a certain government agency who were not entitled to severance allowances as specified by the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission, illegally paid themselves the sum of N30million, severance allowance.
On the level of indebtedness of the state, the report had it that from the hand-over notes received from the preceding government, Jang claimed the level of indebtedness of the government was N103.9 billion as of May, 2015,but stressed that from the committee’s findings, the figure of indebtedness is standing at N222.3 billion, as what was left as credit in all the government accounts put together, was N93million.
While touching on the much talked about new Government house, the committee report had it that while the out gone government claimed to have spent N8.6 billion on the new government house at little Rayfield, their findings put the figure at N16.4 billion even though work is still on-going.
On the issue of funds raised from the capital market, the committee report; Said the sum of N28.2 billion was raised from the capital market on the eve of the departure of the former government ostensibly to refinance existing state loans in three commercial banks and suggested that Government will need to have a second look at the status of the projects covered by the bond.
Similarly, the committee said the sum of N420 million was said to have been released to Kaiser Trading House Ltd for the supply of fertilizer and the establishment of the fertilizer project in Foron, but said a visit to the site shows no development on ground, and calls for further investigation on this transaction and project to know where the money went.
Also to be investigated is the sum of N2.28 billion which the committee said was alleged to have been invested in the Kuru Cassava project. According to the report while work has started at the site, they suggested for further investigation to determine whether or not the amount of money said to have been expended, is commensurate with what is on the ground and equally calls for investigation into the whereabouts of two containers with tools and imported equipment for the project which could not be traced by the committee.
While touching on the issue on the appointments and promotions in the state civil service during the tenure of Senator Jang as Governor of plateau state, the committee said the appointments and promotions done shortly before Jang 8 years tenure ended did not follow due process and suggested to Governor lalong that to rejuvenate the Civil Service and boost morale among our workers, such appointments and placements needs to be reviewed, giving due cognizance to seniority, merit and State character.
It was their suggestion also that given the lean resources at the disposal of the state government, the structure of government might need to be reconsidered and trimmed down, while government needs to rethink the continuation of some practices and patronages that add no evident value to the welfare of the people of Plateau State.
The Committee also suggested that some institutions of government demonstrated institutional weakness giving rise to the series of abuses of procedure and office witnessed during the tenure of the last regime, advising that the membership of such government institutions and agencies should be reassessed to place square pegs in square holes and to create a basis for functional efficiency in government.
Another cause for concern they argued is the hype on the use of biometric technology to unravel the exact number of civil servants in the employment of the Plateau State government, wondering why after two years of this exercise and after the heavy investment on the exercise, the government and the people of the state still do not know how many workers they have in the state as the exercise seems unending. They suggested that Government should take a closer look at the whole biometric exercise and determine whether the investment has been worth it and take necessary action.
The Plateau Deputy Governor, the chairman of the transition committee said in the view of the committee, judging from the nature of some of the issues highlighted in the report,’” there may be need to set up more specialized technical or audit committees and the engagement of security agencies to conduct further investigation, advising Governor Lalong to order for this investigation as soon as possible.
He argued that even through governance is a continuous process, they must be guided by what is in the best interest of the State, lamenting that Plateau has suffered enough, as the people of the state need to look forward and move as a family, united by brotherhood and commitment, to enthrone fairness, equity and justice which are the hallmarks of good governance.
Governor Lalong in his response to the transition committee report submitted to him, described the exercise as very significant in the life of “The Rescue Administration” in the state.
The Plateau Governor commended members of the committee for painstakingly doing this great task given to them without minding the criticisms of some individuals and groups who will want the usual practice to continue on the Plateau.
According to him, the summary at the disposal of government is quiet revealing particularly the abuse of civil service rules and regulations and the huge debt profile steering this government and its people in the face.
Government he said has deliberately allowed the submission of the report to guide it in her 5 policy thrust of redefining governance and charting a new course of affairs that will be beneficial to the people of the state which he said were among other things centred on Peace, Security and Good Governance, Human Capital Development and Social Welfare, Agriculture and Rural Development, Entrepreneurship and Industrialization and Physical Infrastructure and Environment.
He assured the people of his state that the recommendations contained in the transition report will be implemented religiously within the provisions of law and best governance practices.
Our strong desire and determination is to provide the needed leadership and give the people qualitative service that will outlive this administration and return governance to its proper place.
Lalong promised to make available to the people of state, details of the committee findings so as to guard against misrepresentation of facts and mischief makers who will want to confuse the general public on the work of this committee, and how the recommendations made would road map good governance on the Plateau.
The Plateau governor gave two weeks to those he said stole from the state treasury to return the looted funds within two weeks as he has already invited anti graft agency ,the EFCC to Jos to bring them to book.
According to Lalong, nobody should go behind to send emissaries to government to temper justice with mercy after the expiration of two weeks he has given them if they don’t want them to be committed to prison.
In his reaction, the immediate past Governor of the state, Senator Jonah David Jang described the report of the transition committee set up by the incumbent Governor of the state, Mr Simon Lalong, in which he was alleged to have left a debt N222.3b as untrue, insisting that he left debts and liabilities of N103.9b.
Jang in a statement signed by Barrister Olivia Dazyem, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state under Jang administration, said the comprehensive breakdown of the debt is well documented in the handover notes and leaves no one in doubt, urging the committee to go back and study the handover notes properly.
Jang said he has raised the bar of governance in the state and urged the Plateau people to use it as a yardstick to measure all succeeding Governors on the Plateau.
This time around Governor Lalong has deployed his rescue mission search light on the administration of his predecessor ,Senator Jonah Jang, the immediate past governor of the state over how the finances of the state was spent in the past 8 years that Jang ruled like a maximum ruler on the Plateau.
The stage for what look like a probe of the past regime in the state was set by Governor Lalong on the 7th of May, 2015, when he inaugurated a transition committee to study all aspects of the structure, organization and operational modalities of the preceding government and to advice his government accordingly.
The committee which was made up of 12 Central Committee Members and 188 other members was broken into 27 sub-committees, each handling a particular aspect of government operation.
The sub-committees on completion of their assignments , the chairman of the committee, the Deputy governor of the state professor Sonnie Tyoden submitted a comprehensive report to the Governor for government’s attention and necessary action on the 11th of August at Jos New Rayfield Government House with full attendance of political stalwarts from the state.
The Deputy Governor, while submitting his report to governor Lalong suggested that because of the importance of some of the recommendations for the emplacement of good governance; there was urgent need to address the issue of key appointments needed to steer the process of governance; and also the need to correct evident lapses in some actions and policies of past government resulting in inequities and gross injustices,’’ we urge that His Excellency told study our report carefully with a view to implementing the recommendations made herein’’.
Plateau Deputy Governor ,Professor Tyoden told Governor Lalong that from the findings of the transition committee, Plateau State has been rendered prostate, saying that the task ahead of them was not going to be easy, thus the need for the government and the people of Plateau State to brace up for the challenges ahead.
According to Tyoden, as government prepares to take the hard decisions that will be required to correct the mistakes of the past and reposition government for the arduous task of rebuilding Plateau, the actions of government should be put in proper context.
He noted that the government is not out on a vendetta to witch-hunt anybody, but it has a duty to correct whatever mistakes might have been made, so that they can have a more prosperous and united future on a platform of equity, fairness and justice for all.
The Plateau Deputy Governor observed in his committee report that from their findings, they observed that while governance between 2007 and 2011 under Senator Jang can be said to have been conducted along familiar lines, with some semblance of respect for known rules of procedure and civilized democratic governance, after 2011, there was a sharp decline and the descent of governance to the level of bestiality, where impunity, nepotism, sectionalism became the order of the day, with dire consequences for good governance, the unity of state and the collective welfare of the vast majority of the people of Plateau State.
According to the transition committee report, for a poor state like Plateau, the management of government funds and finances left much to be desired, citing instances where his committee encountered many ‘’ wanton irregular and doubtful expenditure, misapplication of funds and disregard for laid down known financial rules and regulations, saying Day-to-day administration of Senator Jang on Plateau in the last 8 years on the plateau ,witnessed the grotesque monopolization of power by a clique and the personalization of authority and the instruments of government.
‘’ For instance, he stressed that there was an individual who was a jack of all trades, who appropriated three titles to himself, each conveying separate and identifiable functions. He was a “Statistician-General”, a “Salary Administrator” and a “General Manager” all at the same time. With such arrogance of power, you can imagine the damage that was visited on the process of governance as laid down rules and regulations and known governmental procedures were deliberately jettisoned and desecrated with impunity, resulting in a situation where government processes were reduced to the whims of individual government officials, with dire consequences for service delivery and good governance’’.
Even in the area of infrastructural development and road construction in particular, where some appreciable impact could be said to have been achieved, Professor Tyoden said one cannot but be struck by the lopsidedness and selective distribution of such facilities and services, as 80% of such projects were located in a particular section of one senatorial district.
Another cause for concern he lamented was the penchant for the then government to bite more than it could chew, by embarking on so many projects at the same time without a clear picture of the source to finance them, resulting in the large number of uncompleted projects that currently litter the city of Jos and its environs and a corresponding accumulation of unpaid certificates and bills on the table of the Accountant General.
On the discrepancy between what the State got as income and what was left at the exit of the out gone government, Tyoden said from available records, between May 2007 and May 2015, the sum of N525.35 billion was the total income that accrued to the State, statutory allocations inclusive, wondering why the state was left with a debt of N222.3 billion by May, 2015?
According to the report, the sum of N747.65 billion could be said to have been expended on Plateau State citizens, in the last eight years.
The Deputy Governor said looking at the State in its current condition; they were at a lost where all this money went to.
The committee also raised query over the N2 billion Central Bank of Nigeria remitted to the coffers of Plateau State Government for the benefit of small and medium scale industries in the state that about 90% of this amount which was remitted to the state on the 17th of March, 2015 was drawn in two days (between 24th and 26th March 2015), for unexplained expenditure, without a single small and medium scale enterprise in the state benefitting from the money, yet the hand-over notes dated 29th May 2015, stated that the government was yet to access the fund.
Other issues raised in the report had to do with the various sums totaling N6.1 billion which were transferred from the accounts of SUBEB, SURE-P and Ministry of Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs, to State Government accounts, without justifiable explanations on how the funds were used.
The transition Committee also alleged that on the 27th of May 2015, four political appointees of a certain government agency who were not entitled to severance allowances as specified by the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission, illegally paid themselves the sum of N30million, severance allowance.
On the level of indebtedness of the state, the report had it that from the hand-over notes received from the preceding government, Jang claimed the level of indebtedness of the government was N103.9 billion as of May, 2015,but stressed that from the committee’s findings, the figure of indebtedness is standing at N222.3 billion, as what was left as credit in all the government accounts put together, was N93million.
While touching on the much talked about new Government house, the committee report had it that while the out gone government claimed to have spent N8.6 billion on the new government house at little Rayfield, their findings put the figure at N16.4 billion even though work is still on-going.
On the issue of funds raised from the capital market, the committee report; Said the sum of N28.2 billion was raised from the capital market on the eve of the departure of the former government ostensibly to refinance existing state loans in three commercial banks and suggested that Government will need to have a second look at the status of the projects covered by the bond.
Similarly, the committee said the sum of N420 million was said to have been released to Kaiser Trading House Ltd for the supply of fertilizer and the establishment of the fertilizer project in Foron, but said a visit to the site shows no development on ground, and calls for further investigation on this transaction and project to know where the money went.
Also to be investigated is the sum of N2.28 billion which the committee said was alleged to have been invested in the Kuru Cassava project. According to the report while work has started at the site, they suggested for further investigation to determine whether or not the amount of money said to have been expended, is commensurate with what is on the ground and equally calls for investigation into the whereabouts of two containers with tools and imported equipment for the project which could not be traced by the committee.
While touching on the issue on the appointments and promotions in the state civil service during the tenure of Senator Jang as Governor of plateau state, the committee said the appointments and promotions done shortly before Jang 8 years tenure ended did not follow due process and suggested to Governor lalong that to rejuvenate the Civil Service and boost morale among our workers, such appointments and placements needs to be reviewed, giving due cognizance to seniority, merit and State character.
It was their suggestion also that given the lean resources at the disposal of the state government, the structure of government might need to be reconsidered and trimmed down, while government needs to rethink the continuation of some practices and patronages that add no evident value to the welfare of the people of Plateau State.
The Committee also suggested that some institutions of government demonstrated institutional weakness giving rise to the series of abuses of procedure and office witnessed during the tenure of the last regime, advising that the membership of such government institutions and agencies should be reassessed to place square pegs in square holes and to create a basis for functional efficiency in government.
Another cause for concern they argued is the hype on the use of biometric technology to unravel the exact number of civil servants in the employment of the Plateau State government, wondering why after two years of this exercise and after the heavy investment on the exercise, the government and the people of the state still do not know how many workers they have in the state as the exercise seems unending. They suggested that Government should take a closer look at the whole biometric exercise and determine whether the investment has been worth it and take necessary action.
The Plateau Deputy Governor, the chairman of the transition committee said in the view of the committee, judging from the nature of some of the issues highlighted in the report,’” there may be need to set up more specialized technical or audit committees and the engagement of security agencies to conduct further investigation, advising Governor Lalong to order for this investigation as soon as possible.
He argued that even through governance is a continuous process, they must be guided by what is in the best interest of the State, lamenting that Plateau has suffered enough, as the people of the state need to look forward and move as a family, united by brotherhood and commitment, to enthrone fairness, equity and justice which are the hallmarks of good governance.
Governor Lalong in his response to the transition committee report submitted to him, described the exercise as very significant in the life of “The Rescue Administration” in the state.
The Plateau Governor commended members of the committee for painstakingly doing this great task given to them without minding the criticisms of some individuals and groups who will want the usual practice to continue on the Plateau.
According to him, the summary at the disposal of government is quiet revealing particularly the abuse of civil service rules and regulations and the huge debt profile steering this government and its people in the face.
Government he said has deliberately allowed the submission of the report to guide it in her 5 policy thrust of redefining governance and charting a new course of affairs that will be beneficial to the people of the state which he said were among other things centred on Peace, Security and Good Governance, Human Capital Development and Social Welfare, Agriculture and Rural Development, Entrepreneurship and Industrialization and Physical Infrastructure and Environment.
He assured the people of his state that the recommendations contained in the transition report will be implemented religiously within the provisions of law and best governance practices.
Our strong desire and determination is to provide the needed leadership and give the people qualitative service that will outlive this administration and return governance to its proper place.
Lalong promised to make available to the people of state, details of the committee findings so as to guard against misrepresentation of facts and mischief makers who will want to confuse the general public on the work of this committee, and how the recommendations made would road map good governance on the Plateau.
The Plateau governor gave two weeks to those he said stole from the state treasury to return the looted funds within two weeks as he has already invited anti graft agency ,the EFCC to Jos to bring them to book.
According to Lalong, nobody should go behind to send emissaries to government to temper justice with mercy after the expiration of two weeks he has given them if they don’t want them to be committed to prison.
In his reaction, the immediate past Governor of the state, Senator Jonah David Jang described the report of the transition committee set up by the incumbent Governor of the state, Mr Simon Lalong, in which he was alleged to have left a debt N222.3b as untrue, insisting that he left debts and liabilities of N103.9b.
Jang in a statement signed by Barrister Olivia Dazyem, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state under Jang administration, said the comprehensive breakdown of the debt is well documented in the handover notes and leaves no one in doubt, urging the committee to go back and study the handover notes properly.
Jang said he has raised the bar of governance in the state and urged the Plateau people to use it as a yardstick to measure all succeeding Governors on the Plateau.
Comments
Post a Comment