Riyom LGA: Part-time councilors regretting petition against Council Management

By Pam Moses

It is obvious that the Management Committee Chairman of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, Hon. Emmanuel Danboyi Jugul, has not deviated from the tasks of ensuring the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) receive overwhelming support at the grass root ahead of the Local Government Election in the state as directed by Governor Simon Boko Lalong.

Hon. Jugul, who was sworn-in in July, 2017 along 16 Management Committee Chairmen that made up the 17 Local Government Areas in the state at Government House, Little Rayfield, Jos, was given the mandate to enthroned sustainable peace in the volatile Local Government Council, initiate innovations that will make APC acceptable by all people and provide dividend of democracy that will better the living condition of the people.

On assumption of office, the Chairman swung into action with the tour of all the Districts that made up the Local Government Area, in company of the part-term appointed councilors to ascertained the needs of the communities for urgent attention.

It was uncovered that most of the people who are peasants farmers are wallowing in hardship, pains and unending agony due to the prevailing security challenges that bedevilled the beleaguered Council Area for decades and compounded economic recession that overwhelmed the entire country.

So far, he has assisted people ravaged by abject poverty and paid medical bills of many people who were affected by unfortunate midnight attacks in several communities carried out by suspected gunmen which consumed many lives and properties.

Since then, Hon. Jugul has held several meetings with party Executives in the hamlets, wards and the local government level with the view to intimate them with current developmental programmes the party has initiated to boost acceptability and impact positively on the people.

These among several meetings with communities leaders, traditional and religious leaders which have endeared the people to APC in Riyom Local Government Area, where the party have been accorded adequate support and the developmental strides of the rescue administration of Governor Simon Lalong is currently celebrated.

It was observed that these activities which have strengthened peace currently enjoy by the citizens as a result of the well thought initiative of Governor Simon Lalong, received a twist recently by unguided activities of some part-term councilors who accused the Chairman of not releasing funds outside their approved take home pay for selfish reason.

Despite the magnanimity of the Chairman, who has initiated several meetings with the councilors and approved them appreciable transportation fare to ensure that their impact is felt at the grassroot, recently wrote a petition to Governor Simon Lalong, tagged “Dysfunctional Management Committee in Riyom Local Government Council” and copied key Government and party functionaries in the state to threaten the chairman to released them funds for personal use.

The councilors, who are ignorant of their job’s schedule made the said document available to the opposition PDP to campaign against the ruling party ahead of the Local Government Election.The document, which is full of concocted lies, prepared by some councilors who are eying the seat of the chairman has swelled the image of the party.

Investigation revealed that the councilors at a point put intense pressure on the chairman to release to them the finances of the Local Government Area with a view to divert parts for personal consumption since their tenure was going to elapse as soon as the Local Government Election hold on the 17 February, 2018.

But the Chairman, Hon. Jugul who is intelligent, resisted their evil intention and remained steady on delivering the mandate entrusted into his hand by the captain of the rescue administration, Governor Simon Lalong.

The Councilors further accused the Chairman of refusing to released N3 million to each Councilor which they claimed agreed to do so during one of their meeting. But findings revealed that there has never been a meeting which the chairman made such promise.

He has made effort to execute projects in some wards which has become inevitable. Few weeks after his appointment, the chairman completed the abandoned rural electrification in Wereng ward and was commission for use by the inhabitants.

Hon. Jugul has also constructed a pedestrian bridge where several persons has been wash away and killed in Riyom ward. The bridge will be commission soon and handed over to the community for usage.

Investigation revealed that when youths in the Local Government Area got wing of the alleged petition, they started mobilizing themselves from various wards to protest the action of the part-time councilors which has compelled some to revealed how they were initiated into the unholy exercise without vivid explanation.

But Hon. Jugul is not resting on campaigning and consulting stakeholders and the masses in the grass root on how to deliver APC during the February 17, 2018 Local Government Election as fixed by Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC).

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Riyom LGA: Part-time councilors regretting petition against Council Management