Lalong: Accidental governor, now turned Plateau hero

The emergence of Governor Simon Lalong, as the governor of Plateau State took most people by surprise, but not as much of a surprise to the people who live in Plateau, because of the pre-election antecedent that fingered the former governor, Jonah Jang, as one who was bent on imposing his kinsman to succeed him, against the wishes of the Plateau people.

Before the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held their primary elections, the All Progressives Congress (APC), only hoped to participate in the elections at the state level just to fill the political space as Plateau State is known to be PDP state.

The former governor Jonah Jang, who used his influence as the then incumbent, structured the primaries and made sure he teleguided the entire process to ensure the emergence of his kinsman who was also from the same senatorial zone with him, the late, Gyang Nyam Shum Pwajok, popularly known as GNS Pwajok

The emergence of the late GNS who was from Plateau North as same with Jonah Jang, was frowned at by the Plateau people who felt there was a need to obey the unwritten agreement, which was the zoning principle.

Their grievance had reasons in the fact that Plateau State has produced, Ambassador Fidelis Tapgun and the late Solomon Lar as governors from the Southern zone, while at the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999, Joshua Dariye was produced as governor from the Central zone.

However, if Jang is allowed to prevail, after ruling for eight years, it will then mean that the zoning arrangement is broken as the seat of power is meant to return to the southern Plateau.

It will likely ignite enmity, crisis and disharmony which will lead to unhealthy political atmosphere in the state, hence Plateau vowed to vote against its own party, the PDP.

Plateau argued that, Jang who benefited from the zoning formula, emerged governor from the Northern zone and exiting office, wanted to impose a successor (his relative) from the same Northern zone, a move they vehemently rejected.

The outcome of the PDP primary elections that produced the late GNS became the game changer for the APC in the state as all the aggrieved PDP governorship candidates jostling for the party’s ticket collapsed their structure for the then opposition (APC), who’s governorship candidate hailed from the Plateau South, a zone that was rotationally suppose to produced the governor.

This premise gave rise to Hon. Simon Bako Lalong, who hails from the zone and who was the governorship flag bearer of the APC, leaving Jang with no choice other than to refer to him as ‘Accidental Governor’.

Lalong came to power as a result of the protest, despite all the resources and structures PDP has put in place, before the election.

The structure and resources Jang and the PDP displayed meant nothing to the people of Plateau whom have made up their minds to vote Lalong and the APC, which by calculation has a better arrangement of the zoning principle.

Jang’s quest to retain the governorship seat in the northern zone translated to quest for power according to political observers whom have hitherto frowned at Jang’s outburst when he referred to Lalong as ‘Accidental’, saying he has no justification to address him as such, as Governor Lalong remain the choice of the Plateau people whom God has sent to rescue the state.

Pundits posited that Lalong’s strides can be seen in the up to date payment of Civil Servants salaries which has earned him the name, ‘Bank Alert Governor’.

It is generally believed among citizens of the state that for a governor to be adjudged to have performed well during his tenure, welfare of civil servants must be topmost, aside providing other basic social amenities.

On assumption of office, despite the dwindling resources of the state, Governor Lalong vowed to better the lots of people of the state and accord the welfare of civil servants topmost priority.

He had promised that his administration will reduce the human sufferings by uplifting the quality of life of civil servants and a vast majority of the people.

“Ours is a promise to create opportunities not just for those with the money and influence, but for every Plateau citizen who desires to have a meaningful and productive life,” Lalong said.

It could be recalled that Lalong had inherited backlog of salaries and pension running into billions of naira and a huge debt profile from the immediate past administration in the state.

Civil servants, who were then owed up to seven months salaries, suspended their strike and resumed work.

The entire state however erupted in jubilation, when he cleared the backlog of outstanding salaries and pensioners up to December 2016, few days to last Christmas, following the receipt of the Paris Refund.

There was heavy traffic as workers who received alert of up to four months salaries trooped out to make Christmas purchases.

Pensioners too were not left out, those who were on the sick bed received seven to nine months alert on their phones. It is not an exaggeration to say that the sick became healed as a result of the governor’s unprecedented gesture.

A civil servant said the bank alerts were coming so frequently to the extent that it has killed the battery of his cell phone.

Other achievements credited to Governor Lalong by political observers in the state which has earned him the hero of the people in the past two years of his administration also include internal security, which they posited that the state government successfully mediated in the crisis between Fulani herdsmen and Berom farmers, particularly in Barkin Ladi and Riyom Local Government Councils of the state.

Pundits also observed that the states’ economy came alive as government successfully hosted a trade fair after 10 years suspension by successive administrations due to civil unrest.

Ghost workers elimination is also viewed as major achievement by the current administration as the Direct Data capture exercise, Bank Verification Number (BVN) and physical verification of staff were introduced to tackle the problem of wastage, thereby saving the state a huge sum of money.

Looted funds have also been recovered to the tune of N2.7 billion from the state UBEC