A prominent Jos-based civil society practitioner and community advocate, Jacob Choji Pwakim, has issued a scathing assessment of Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s administration, accusing the state government of financial secrecy, policy failure, and a disregard for the rule of law.
Marking three years since the administration took office, Pwakim characterized the anniversary of Democracy Day as a period of reflection on “deteriorated” democratic values, suggesting that many citizens now view the transition with regret.
The core of Pwakim’s critique centers on the administration’s management of public funds. He alleged that the Mutfwang-led government has handled state finances with a lack of transparency, specifically pointing out the failure to properly constitute key oversight bodies.
“Three years down the line, [Governor Mutfwang] has not set up the Plateau State Public Procurement Board, nor appointed the Director-General of the Plateau State Bureau for Public Procurement in line with an Act of the Plateau State House of Assembly,” Pwakim stated.
He questioned the legality of current government spending, asking whether the administration is operating under outdated procurement thresholds or improvising outside established legal guidelines.
While acknowledging visible projects within the Jos metropolis, the civil society practitioner dismissed them as low-impact or poorly executed initiatives funded primarily by loans. Key projects criticized in the review include:
- Security Drones: A P-SAC security drone intervention that Pwakim claims has failed to result in the direct arrest of attackers perpetrating violence against Plateau citizens.
3. Water and Rail Projects: Heavy investments in water projects that have reportedly left communities without water supply, alongside train station rehabilitations that currently provide no active service.
4. Economic Alternatives: Pwakim argued that funds utilized for the rail project would have been better spent providing subsidized weekend bus services for rural areas to boost agricultural trade and economic prosperity.
The critique further extended to the administration’s social and legal policies. Pwakim drew comparisons between the current administration and the harsh biblical rule of Rehoboam, highlighting the forced displacement of peasant traders within the Jos metropolis without providing alternative trading sites. He also criticized the temporary suspension of local mining activities, stating the government missed vital opportunities to enforce responsible mining and community development frameworks.
Furthermore, serious concerns were raised regarding the state’s justice system. Pwakim questioned a decision by the State Attorney-General to withdraw charges against a defendant accused of defiling a four-year-old child, calling the move a dangerous precedent for child protection in the state. He also alleged that citizens have faced arrest simply for speaking out against government spending.
Concluding his assessment, Pwakim challenged the Plateau State Government to publish full disclosures of its financial inflows including Federal Allocation (FAAC), Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), grants, and donor support counterbalanced against tangible benchmarks of citizen safety and economic well-being.
The state government has yet to issue an official response to the specific allegations raised in Pwakim’s review as of the time of this report.
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