Mark Amaza

Now that there is a change of government in Plateau State, and more importantly, a change in the party that will produce the government in the state – for the first time since 1999, this traditional PDP stronghold will be in the hands of another party.

This Middle-Belt state has seen a lot of improvement in governance from the first government of 1999-2007 to this outgoing administration, which has delivered a fair amount of infrastructure and stability in the state capital, Jos, although it seemed distracted by the politics of succession in the past one year.

However, from 29^th May, the problems of Plateau State will be for Governor-elect Simon Bako Lalong and his running mate, Professor Sonni Tyoden to solve. Where will they be expected to start from?

For the past decade and half, Jos and Plateau State has largely been in the news for all the wrong reasons – the site of intense sectarian violence, whether it is ethn0-religious, indigene-settler or attacks on farming communities by nomadic herdsmen. Although Jos itself has been enjoying a respite from the ethno-religious crises that has rocked the idyllic city in the past, clashes between cattle herdsmen and farming communities have been recurring.

This has created an atmosphere of fear in the state and heavy mistrust in the state, and even peaceful Jos seems to be sitting on a powder keg, with its Christian and Muslim communities always at daggers drawn, waiting for the slightest opportunities to unleash their pent-up resentment at each other.

The incoming state government has to start by going to every length to make Plateau a peaceful state again; a peaceful state where it is not just erupting in violence, but where the propensity of it erupting in violence. Peace is not just the absence of war – it is also the absence of the factors that could lead to war. This means that an atmosphere of mutual distrust is not peace; it is merely the postponement of hostilities.

The Lalong administration must make efforts to bring together all stakeholders in the state to seek wholesome solutions to the various crises bedeviling the state, and to also seek the advice of conflict resolution experts. A good place to begin will be to study reports of past panels of inquiry into crises in the state.

Considering the fact that states are not in control of any security agencies in Nigeria, it means that cooperation between the state and the Federal Government is very necessary to ensure that the state is peaceful and devoid of violence. The Lalong administration must ensure that it cooperates maximally with the government in Abuja so that together, Plateau State is rid of all violence and factors leading to it.

On the economic front, the state government also needs to pay attention to its civil service, which is the largest employer of labour in the state. For years, the wage bill of the state has gulped a large chunk of the funding available to it, especially after the last increase in minimum wage in the country. This has led to a periods where salaries are not paid promptly, as well as a few strikes by civil servants over the inability of the government to pay these salaries.

The Lalong administration will have to reorder its spending priorities in order to make sure that at the minimum, it meets its wage obligations to its workers, especially considering the multiplier effect this has on the economy of the state when it does not do so. But beyond that, the government will have to explore ideas on streamlining the civil service and possibly reducing it at places where it is bloated in order for the state to have more money to spend on social services and capital projects.

The incoming administration will also have to explore ways to make the state less dependent on allocations from the federal government. Two excellent ways to start from come to mind: agriculture and tourism.

The state has been endowed with fertile land and a favorable climate for the growth of a variety of crops such as rice, maize and other grains. It is also a leading producer of vegetables and fruits of both tropical and semi-tropical origins. Sadly, the state is not maximizing this potential money-spinner, as farming is still small-scale, with food producers, especially of vegetables and fruits forced to sell their produce cheaply in order to avoid incurring losses due to food spoilage.

The state government has to make agriculture a priority, particularly how to build market linkages to bridge supply centres in the state and areas of demand within the state, and especially the rest of the country and how to help the farmers reduce their losses post-harvest. Doing so will put more money in the pockets of the farmers and will also be a boost for more people to go into farming, thus increasing food production.

The state should also seek to encourage processing of crops produced in the state through the establishment of small and medium-scale food processing industries. Doing so will not only create more value for the state, but will also create more jobs and value chains around the crops.

Plateau State is also the one of the most endowed states in Nigeria in terms of natural beauty; sadly, tourism in the state is practically at a standstill. This can easily be attributed to the restiveness in the state; but it is also because tourism attractions in the state have not been sufficiently developed to attract people especially from outside the state.

The Lalong administration should as a matter of urgency develop potential tourist attractions, whether natural landmarks such as the Kurra and Assop Falls or to create events that will draw people to the state. The advantage of a booming tourism sector is that it encourages visitors to spend, which impacts heavily on local businesses.

But to make tourism work too, all other factors must be in place, especially an atmosphere of peace and security and working infrastructure. There must be efforts to sell the state as a tourist destination in order to lure visitors.

If there is any state that can be an excellent model for Plateau State to understudy, it is Cross River State which in eight years has become the premier destination for tourists in the country.

The Lalong administration is coming into government with a lot of goodwill. Hopefully, it will channel this goodwill to excellent use and change Plateau State for the better in the course of its tenure.

By Mark Amaza

Twitter: @amasonic

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The next 4 years in Plateau – by Mark Amaza