LOVE LETTER TO GOVERNOR SIMON BAKO LALONG ON THE STATE OF AFFAIRS OF PLATEAU STATE.

Your excellency sir,

Sam Odeh’s Totem is a faith base movement with the ideology of raising servant leaders into nation building and leading in the light of Righteousness, Truth, Love, Faith, and Praise; which are our five pillars of belief.

We the House hold of Sam Odeh’s Totem are joining our voice to welcome the intentions of the five (5) policy trust of your administration for the development, advancement and betterment of our dear state. How time flies! This policy trust is almost five year old.

However sir, as beautiful as the intentions of your administration’s blueprint are, Mr Governor it has not translated into concrete deliverables in terms of physical infrastructure or social safety net for the generality of the people of the state.

We the house hold of Sam Odeh’s Totem after over four (4) years of watching and following series of un-replied and unattended calls for a more proactive approach to developmental and critical issues of the state by different segments of our society, it has become imperative that we lend our voice to the struggle for the development, advancement of the state. Thus, we have resolved to address our love to you via this medium which we hope will reach you directly or indirectly and communicate our position to you unequivocally.

Mr Governor, below are some of the issues we have observed and identified for your undivided attention:

1. PEACE , SECURITY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE:

Sir, your consciousness and deliberate efforts put in place as you assumed office 29th May 2015 and your re-election as governor of the State, you precipitated the harmonious relationship between the Governor’s office as the chief security officer on one hand and the state’s security cheifs on the other. I must say it is exemplary and worthy of emulation.

Tremendous efforts has been made in sustaining PEACE, SECURITY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE in the state. Which I must say that we enjoy relative peace especially in the state capital of Jos. One of the giant steps taken in this was the creation of the PLATEAU PEACE BUILDING AGENCY (PPBA), which developed a five year strategic peace plan for enduring peace in the state.

The peaceful disposition of the state, as a whole leaves much to be desired in terms of peace and security of lives and properties, of the generality of the citizenry.

However, we have concerns: Plateau being a predominantly agrarian society, one major security indicator for the people is the safety of their farmlands, farm products, and their personal safety are guaranteed especially from violent gunmen known as herders when they go to work in a bid to provide for our daily needs.

This is far from the case as there are rising cases of kidnapping, armed robbery, racketeering amongst other vices.

Sir, there is a new security threat in the state and this can ridicule the image of the state if nothing is done about it. Racketeering by some individuals brainwashing our young youths into acting porn, taking pictures and visuals of their nudes in the vail of sending it abroad to make money or grant them free visa but in turn resulting into blackmail, leaving them confuse and rejected by the society with no option than committing suicide which is attracting unwanted attention and passing ill orientation to many others.

Sir, due to the security issues occurring in the state relevant stakeholders must be brought together as a matter of urgency to tackle the issues of security for peaceful human activities cut across the three Senatorial District.
I want to use this medium to applaud your efforts towards the mini barack of Operatio Rainbow recently launched at Duse Ukwu which is a flash point of violence, with this many outfits of Operation Rainbow should be station and the empowering of local vigilante groups, hunters and local youth associations; should be the priority to secure lives and properties in the rural areas as our national security are not familiar with territory of the rural communities.

Security is every man’s interest and it should be treated as priority.

1. HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL WELFARE:

Human capital development and social welfare is one area you have proven dear to your heart via certain profound steps you have taken. For instance, your government created the PLATEAU STATE SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (PLASMEDA), for the sole purpose of training youths with entrepreneurial skills and supporting them to set up businesses.

This will no doubt, take them off the list of potential crisis mongers and perhaps stop them from becoming willing thugs in the hands of unscrupulous street lords and politicians.

However, this Agency has not yet brought to the fore it’s core mandate. Thus, its benefits are not available for the people. As youths, it breaks our heart to see that there is no dogged commitment to building our capacities in critical sectors of the economy such as entrepreneurship, academia, manufacturing just to mention a few even with the creation of PLASMEDA.

Sir, we know you desire to turn around the fortunes of Plateau State, you need to pay adequate attention to education, which is considered to be the foundation for development. Your administration as a matter of fact facilitated the accreditation of courses at the Plateau State University, Bokkos and also the development of infrastructure in the University which I believe this can also be done at all levels of educational institutions in the state by making the state a research center and a good breeding ground for future champions.

The level of training and retraining of the state’s current work force at all sectors are poor. This leaves the state behind and at a particular disadvantage in competing with the committee of states in the country.

The youths and the general public in the three senatorial zones cannot boast of a fair number of individuals properly trained and established by this administration, if we are to compete with other states.

As the “Home of Peace and Tourism” youths that have the ability to promote and attract investors and foreigners with their skills in Art and Entertainment, Media, Education, Business, Politics, Religion and Family orientation; special attention should be given to them and the state should partner with them through sponsoring them abroad, investing in them and helping them establish platform of expression in order to properly equip them to bring the Plateau of our dream to a reality.

1. AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

In line with the Federal government’s drive to diversify the nation’s economy which agriculture is a major centre stage, you took the bull by the horns to make agriculture the mainstay of Plateau State economy, going forward by reviving the Plateau Fertilizer Blending Plant in Bokkos, the resuscitation of Panyam fish farm and the distribution of about 400 tractors in the state. But these measures have barely scratched the surface.

Plateau State is an agrarian zone blessed with abundance of varieties of cash crops, plants and hard working farming population, but with little government assistance in the practice of agriculture in areas of farm inputs, a chain of value added products and services, marketing boards etc.

ASTC and PADP are operating far below 50% achieving any meaningful agricultural growth will remain distant and a mirage.
On my tour to some of the local government areas in the state, I can comfortably say that; agriculture is one area that has the capacity to settle the issue of unemployment and job creation in the state.

Sir, your government should place a high premium on mechanised agriculture, especially under state’s tractorization scheme. The reinvigorating and fast track of the potato value chain programme should be a priority, which the African Development Bank availed the state government a whopping facility of about 3.8 billion naira because the state has a huge comparative advantage.

If positive efforts are put in place, the rural areas will be a flash point for development and urbanisation.

1. ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INDUSTRIALISATION:

As alluded to point two above, we don’t see how we will favourably compete with states that have devoted considerable resources to capacity building and empowerment of their people. As the economy of the world continues to change into a digital economy, we are ill prepared to sign up into such.

In areas of our comparative advantage, this administration has not identified sectors were we can easily lead and dominate and accordingly deploy resources to prepare our people to excel.

There can be no meaningful industrialisation without power and the power situation of the three Senatorial District and especially southern zone is pathetic to say the least, I went to Shendam for a function “Shendam” as the defacto capital of the southern zone cannot boast of five (hours) of electricity daily. With this situation if nothing is done towards the stability of power in the state, then we are not even ready for growth and development.

To forester entrepreneurship and industrialization the state needs to look inward by branding what we have to attract investors.

Jos as the state capital is a brand on its own, its weather and climate, soil fertility, nature, the people, history, languages, culture and traditions are they things the state should utilise to attract investors and the environs around Jos will be force to development because of human activities and inflow of finance.

1. PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENVIRONMENT:

Sir, your administration so much believes in one of the tenets of leadership which sees governance as a continuum. You clearly demonstrated this by continuing with virtually all the projects inherited, if more attention is paid to this as you have publicly declared; this will culminate the state in massive transformation of physical infrastructure and the environmental outlooks of the state.

Mitt Romney once said, “leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses.”

The state of infrastructure is in a truly deplorable state, you just need to go on a tour just as you did during the electioneering period to see for yourself. The declaration of “OPERATION ZERO POTHOLES” in Plateau State is a welcome idea and the work need to be extended to other local government area, The roads in other senatorial zone are death trap. For instance, Shendam-Yelwa, Mabudi-Yelwa,… roads etc.

The primary health care centers need urgent intervention in infrastructure and man power, I want to use the Shendam General hospital as a point of contact to all other general hospitals in the state; the Shendam general hospital is in a pitiable state as it suffers from acute shortage of medical and support staff (with only two resident doctors) for a hospital that serves the entire southern zone, the perimeter fence of the hospital is largely absent, the physical structure is in urgent need of a face-lift and needs the government urgent intervention as well as other general hospital.

The rebuilding of the burnt Jos terminus market should also be a priority in this last lap of your administration, following the huge amount that was channelled to the project of blasting the burnt structure.

The rebuilding of the money-spinning ultra-modern market will reduce the dependency on monthly federal allocation, as the market is considered to be a potential major revenue earner capable of boosting the IGR of the state; by causing human empowerment, development and attracting the international investors into the state, which will force infrastructural development because of it’s capacity in exchange of goods and services, employments and global recognition. Hotels, organisation, companies and industries will come to the state. It will not only benefit the government alone but the common man in the society which your administration will be comfortable in developing the state in infrastructures and execute the 5 point policy.

Sir, with the capacity of the state in terms of agriculture, cultural heritage, nature, resources, we should look towards the direction of giving the state an international airport to promote tourism.

The face of the Zaira Road stadium is not speaking well of the state which you are the head figure of and it is not a good score to your style of leadership and contradict your five point policy on physical infrastructure and environment.

It is indeed an understatement to say that your administration has in the last four years substantially addressed some of the challenges it inherited and charted a new course for the state. Let’s rise to the occasion. Do away with sycophants, greedy and selfish appointees.

God bless Plateau State.

God bless Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Yours in Kingdom Advancement;

Sam Odeh.

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LOVE LETTER TO GOVERNOR SIMON BAKO LALONG ON THE STATE OF AFFAIRS OF PLATEAU STATE