In its efforts to profile most of the key players on the Plateau Gubernatorial race, ViewPointNigeria sat down with Prof Sunny Tyoden the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos. He spoke exclusively about his aspiration, current state of affairs in Plateau amongst other issues. Below are excepts.

VPN: Why have you decided to run for the governorship of Plateau state?

Prof: Thank you for the question! Well, having reached the pinnacle of my profession/career as an academic and been 

In its efforts to profile most of the key players on the Plateau Gubernatorial race, ViewPointNigeria sat down with Prof Sunny Tyoden the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos. He spoke exclusively about his aspiration, current state of affairs in Plateau amongst other issues. Below are excepts.

VPN: Why have you decided to run for the governorship of Plateau state?

Prof: Thank you for the question! Well, having reached the pinnacle of my profession/career as an academic and been responsible for the governance of a very prestigious academic institution –I can say unequivocally that I have garnered enough experience, wisdom and understanding of the intricacies of leadership and governance and it is my desire to apply this know-how and experience to serve my people in the very humble capacity of governor.

I do not for a moment underestimate the enormity of the task of governing a complex state like Plateau. I know for sure that it is very challenging and difficult task, but this is not daunting to me, because I joined politics for these same reasons. I am an individual who craves challenges, I enjoy being confronted by difficult problems or situations, because I am a man of solution and I thrive where there are difficulties. And so I can confidently say that I am looking forward to the challenges of governance.

VPN: In a few words, tell us why Plateau people should vote you and not someone else?

Prof: Unlike a lot of the other names said to be in the race, I have been tried and tested. And to buttress this fact, when I took up the leadership of the University of Jos, the University was in a very desperate state. Academics were not up to standard and the University was rated 10th in the entire nation. Through painstaking work and diligence, I succeeded in turning around the plight of the University until it went to become the 2nd best institution in the nation. Given this humble achievement, I believe I can do even more if given the mandate to lead Plateau state.

Additionally, you should vote me because I am not a career politician, but an academic and a technocrat. I fully understand the theory of politics (being a Professor of Political Science); but I also appreciate the practice of it. So I guess people can trust me with their mandate because I fully understand what they expect from their leaders and I know how to deliver it.

VPN: If elected, what special programmes have you got for the youth of Plateau?

Thanks for this question! I have been a teacher all my life and as such I naturally have a soft spot for the youth. My entire career has revolved around the youth, I taught them, mentored them, counselled them and guided them to lofty heights. So the question you have asked is very close to my heart and is something that I continue to do even today. When elected, that would be one of my main priorities, I shall invest heavily in the youth because there-in lies the future of our nation.

Typically, when you ask politicians this question, you get the usual response about Youth Empowerment, Job Creation and Active Participation in politics etc. But to me, it goes beyond these; it also encompasses trying to increase the global competitiveness and intellectual capacity of the youth. Since the world is becoming a global village, it is imperative that our citizens have all the right skills and aptitudes to compete in the ever-changing world. Investment in our people has to be paramount, because education is the currency of the future and not simply job creation or participation in politics.

If you look at Plateau today, you’d see that education has retarded significantly. Over the years, we have fallen from our high performance in WAEC examinations to a lowly second-from-the-bottom (i.e., only better than Zamfara state). Even states which we used to call educationally backwards like Sokoto, Yobe, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi etc are doing far better than us.

If we do not build our human capacity, we will be unable to compete on the national or global stage. Human resource/capacity building should be most important agenda for any Government and if elected –that would be my utmost priority.

VPN: In a few words, how would you rate the performance of the Jonah Jang administration?

Given the circumstances that the Jang administration has found itself, it has done very well. It was an administration that was born in crisis, but it lived through the crisis and has thrived very well .

Even with the constant attacks, setbacks and bomb blasts, Jos is wearing a new look –new road networks, new overhead bridges, new structures etc. Value has definitely been added to many areas of the economy. And I applaud that, but again, certain areas still need a massive uplift. These areas have not received the requisite attention that they deserve and as such they have lagged behind e.g., education like I mentioned earlier. We may need to re-prioritize our goals and make human capacity building as pivotal as the delivery of infrastructural projects.

Professor Tyoden spoke to ViewPointNigeria on Friday 13th June. The second phase of this interview shall come in the next few weeks.

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Prof Tyoden: Why I am running for Governor (Interview)