Allegations of financial impropriety have been levelled against the person of the Governor –Da Jonah Jang by a yet-to-be identified group called the Plateau Patriotic Front (PPF).

The allegations have bordered around extra Budgetary Spending, Misappropriation, Inflation of Contracts, Operation of Un-authorised Bank Accounts, obtaining of Illegal loans amongst others. Given the magnitude of the allegations and the ferocious debate the allegations generated in Plateau state and on social media sites, ViewPointNigeria thought it was prudent to bring clarity to the issue by reaching out to some of the named respondents in the petition to get their own side of the story.

Allegations of financial impropriety have been levelled against the person of the Governor –Da Jonah Jang by a yet-to-be identified group called the Plateau Patriotic Front (PPF).

The allegations have bordered around extra Budgetary Spending, Misappropriation, Inflation of Contracts, Operation of Un-authorised Bank Accounts, obtaining of Illegal loans amongst others. Given the magnitude of the allegations and the ferocious debate the allegations generated in Plateau state and on social media sites, ViewPointNigeria thought it was prudent to bring clarity to the issue by reaching out to some of the named respondents in the petition to get their own side of the story.

In a discussion with Mr. Pamson Dagyat yesterday, he said he ordinarily does not respond to baseless accusations made by faceless/anonymous groups, but said such accusations are hardly surprising in the light of the upcoming 2015 elections. He alleged that with the impending political dispensation, politicians are getting desperate and are trying to blackmail the government into doing their bidding –saying that strategy would simply not work.

Speaking further, he said all the allegations made in the said petition were mere figments of the imaginations of the anonymous group that produced it and that the petition does not warrant a response because it is based on rumours and is devoid of any established facts. He wondered why the identities of the authors of the petition are completely anonymised. Saying with such weighty allegation, the people behind it should man-up and own up to the points raised. He said, it would be cowardly and undignified if someone who is accusing another person, simply hides in the comfort of his bedroom and writes a petition and sends it to the House without coming out in broad daylight to acknowledge it’s authorship.

He further questioned why the said document did not go through the usual House of Assembly submission procedure where a petition (if written), would reach the Speakers desk having passed from the petitioner, to the House of Assembly Member representing the constituency of the Petitioner, subsequently to the House Majority Leader and then finally to the Speaker for consideration and debate.

He said the breach of due process demonstrates that the allegation are spurious, full of holes and not worthy of consideration because they are merely driven by political agendas as opposed to actual facts of financial impropriety. He said, such a breach of House procedures shows that the House does not have the Locus Standi to consider the petition. But quickly added that, even if considered –the Government is happy to respond to these allegations in a public hearing where the petitioner unmasks him/herself and comes to the public hearing with his/their facts.

About the allegations of himself and other officials operating an account in Zenith Bank, from where he pays civil servant salaries – Pamson said he is unaware of any such accounts in his name, but said he was happy for whoever knows about such an account to come up with facts. He clarified that for the benefit of those who may not be familiar with how governance works: “the Plateau State Government account is operated and approved only by the Accountant General of the State and not even the Governor, nor the Commissioner of Finance is signatory to that account –much less the Senior Adviser of Special Duties or Salary Administrators”. Saying that this financial arrangment is sacrosanct and never in compromised because of the premium the current administration places on transparency and financial accountability.

He said with the above explanation, “it demonstrates how people peddle baseless rumours out of ignorance, mediocrity and in a bit to score political points. Such people he said, do not know the workings of government and instead of asking questions so that they are schooled in the art of governance, they resort to swimming in their realms of ignorance and negative propaganda –adding that, that would not do them or their benefactor’s gubernatorial campaigns any good. Pamson re-stated his faith in Plateau people, saying he knows how intelligent, smart and inquisitive Plateau people are and that they know when dubious politicians are simply trying to take them for a ride by using rumours, cheap blackmail, pull-him-down tactics and negative propaganda to sell their candidates to the Plateau electorate. 

He re-iterated the achievement of Governor Jang in the past 7 years, saying the Governor has left a “Standard” for subsequent leaders who would come after him and that posterity would be kind to him and his legacy for his incredible achievements, stellar leadership and sacrifice. And that no amount of cheap propaganda or blackmail can distort these facts because they are tangible and shall stand the test of time.

In closing, Pamson said for fairness to all parties, i.e., both the petitioner (the anonymous author) and the petitioned (the Government), a public hearing should be set up where both parties would come out with their facts and counter facts for that the truth of these allegations can be verified.

For completeness, ViewPointNigeria is already seeking to make contact with the-yet-to-be identified group to get more information on their own side of the story.

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Allegations of Financial Impropriety against PLSG: Pamson Dagyat responds, calls for public hearing into allegations