PRESS STATEMENT

The attention of the Management Committee Chairman of Jos North Local Government Council, Hon Shehu Bala Usman has been drawn to a malicious false propaganda going round being spread by some selfish individuals who have been using public places for personal gains for years. These few individuals initially paraded themselves as “officials” of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, and when their mission failed, they metamorphosed to “officials/representatives” of traders of Laranto Motor Park, Jos.

Ordinarily, the Jos North Local Government Council will not bother to discuss publicly a matter that is sub judice, but for the purpose of setting the records straight to disabuse the minds of the citizens from the lies being spread around by those selfish individuals cornering the Commonwealth of the larger citizens of Jos North Local Government Area to their exclusive use and advantage.

Early this year, the Council under the leadership of it’s chairman and his principal officers paid a visit to the Laranto Motor Park, duly created for the purpose of loading and unloading of goods being brought to the Laranto Market. The park is principally for trucks. When the park was set up shops were constructed around it and the shops let out to enhance the revenue base of the Council. During the visit, it was discovered that the park is being grossly under utilized and few people disguising themselves as NURTW officials are using the park for parking and were making illegal and unaccounted collection from truck drivers who park their trucks in the park. This was an arrangement not known to nor endorsed by the Council. The Council further noted the need to put to use, some unoccupied spaces in the Northern part of the Laranto Motor Park by construction of additional shops. The Council called for application from interested citizens and those that succeeded were allocated shop spaces at the park on build, occupy and surrender basis.

Sadly, the Council got a letter from a law firm of U. C. Dashuwar & Co writing on behalf of one Alhaji Sule Yaro and one Alhaji Auwalu Kado, claiming to be officials of NURTW, urging the Council to stop what they called “illegal and subtle displacement of NURTW from the Laranto Motor Park. The letter was dated 18th March 2020. At the time of the receipt of the letter construction work have already commenced at the site allocated to successful applicants to build their shops as specified in the allocation letter and were expected to be completed within three months.

Next, the Council recieved a court order obtained behind it’s back from Upper Area Court Kasuwan Nama in suit No: UAC1/CV.35/2020 with NURTW, Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed, Alhaji Sule Yaro and Alhaji Auwal Yahaya as plaintiffs claiming to be suing for themselves and on behalf of NURTW, Plateau state. The order which was dated 26th February 2020 directed the Council to stop the construction work of the shops in the market. The Council duly complied but briefed it’s legal representatives to challenge the wrongfully obtained order. On the day fixed for hearing of the case, those people hastily withdrew the case.

When the Council directed the allottees to continue their construction work, it recieved another order dated 6th June 2020 in suit number CAC1/CV/59/2020 from Central Area Court 1, Jos with Alhaji Sule Yaro, and Alhaji Auwalu Kado again suing for themselves and on behalf of NURTW, Laranto Motor Park. The court ex parte ordered the Council to stop work and the council complied again. However, when issues were joined and the application for stoppage of work was heard on it’s merit, the application was dismissed on 18th June 2020.

The people bent on truncating the noble moves by the Council to boost it’s revenue base and ease commercial activities for traders in Jos changed style. The went to the Senior District Court JMDB were they obtained another ex parte order on 1st July 2020, using the names of Auwalu Mohammed, Salisu Shuaibu, Okido Eze and Adewale Ezikiel as plaintiffs, suing one Abubakar Baba Ilori (not a beneficiary of the shop allocation), Anas Ɗan Ado (a councillor with Jos North) and Alhaji Bala Bacco (the only beneficiary). The Council applied and was joined as an interested party and the 3rd order of stop of work was duly obeyed by the Council.

Lastly, beneficiaries of the shops allocation kept sending representation to the council but the council has been begging them to exercise patience.

Unfortunately, the Council recieved another order from Plateau state High Court No 7 Jos directing it to allow all the beneficiaries of shop allocation at Laranto Motor Park Jos to continue with their shops construction. The order was dated 24th September 2020.

The Council as a law abiding government unit again complied with this order. We wonder where the fault of the Council is in all these.

For the records, Jos North Local Government Council nor it’s Chiarman never sold any motor park or any of the Council’s properties to anyone. Rather both the Chairman and his Council have been patient and law abiding in their quest to improve the lots of the Area and it citizens. The chairman and his Council and officials will not be intimidated by blackmail or vexetious legal proceedings into preventing it from delivering good governance to it’s citizens.

The Council notes that it faced similar blackmail when it moved to improve the Farin Gada vegetables market, which is now history and the overall traders are living to tell the beautiful story of how the market is now much better than it used to be.

The Chairman and his Council will continue to remain law abiding but firm in its resolve to deliver good governance.

Dated this 6th day of October 2020

Signed

Philip Eplong, Senior
Information Officer
JNLGC

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Jos North LGC Never Sold any Motor Park