Imbibe Peaceful Coexistence, Tolerance, Lalong Commissioner For Information Tells Warring Communities

Yakubu Busari

The commissioner of information and communication in plateau state Hon. Dan Manjang has challenged warring communities in the state to imbibe the spirit of peaceful coexistence and tolerance to promote nation-building.

He reiterated that “You would remember we are the first state in the whole Nigeria that comes up with peace Agency in-country which is incontrovertible”.

He rated governor Bako Lalong led administration high above average with over twenty-two projects scattered all over the state commissioned and some awaiting to be commissioned.

This is a pointer that the Lalong lead administration which is a government of continuity is working for the development of the state.

The Hon. Commissioner of information and communication in plateau state Dan Manjang stated this in an interview with our correspondence during the celebration of Nigeria’s 60th anniversary organized by the NASCO group held at Polo Field in Jos the Plateau state capital.

Hon. Dan Manjang said the Lalong administration in the state, has achieved a lot in the area of infrastructural development which has cut across the whole local government of the state, ranging from road construction, hospital, schools, and agriculture.

“You heard of Governor Lalong legacy projects which scattered across the state, ranging from schools, hospitals and roads oriented.”

Speaking on human capital development, the commissioner of information and communication said over Thirty Thousand youths have been trained to acquire different skills across the state in conjunction with other organizations like the ITF and the State governor.

And the industrial training fund (ITF) has trained no fewer than 5000 youths across the country.

He maintained that so far so good, the Lalong government has been able to perform with the limited financial position the government found itself, the financial position which everybody knows what it was before,  and what it’s now.

He stressed that the slow pace of Nigeria’s development since the country’s independence everybody has to share from the blame, the governance and the governed, this is because the lead determined on how their leaders are going to be elected into power.

He said looking at what the Lalong administration has done in the past five years in the office as the governor of the state, the commissioner said the plateau government policy is been driven by the three policy trust of the government which includes, Security and good governance, infrastructural development and sustainable economic rebirth and all these have scattered across the state.

We have been able to strengthen the state security agency Operation Rain Bow to compliment the activities of vigilantes in the state.

“When you are going to Keran, you will see the presence of Nigeria Airforce and full-fledged mobile barrack in Shandam”.

But however condemned the sporadic breach of peace in some communities in the state, and add that there is a country in the world, even highly Democratic countries that is said to be 100% free from occasional skirmishes, but stressed that the government is not resting on it oars to nip the killing on it bud and bring those behind the killings to justice.

“The best the government we do is to tell ourselves the gospel truth, in plateau state,  we must learn to accommodate one another,  the security is for both individual and the government “.

“We are holding the government in trust,  and the Peace Building Agency will continue to dialogue with the warring communities as what peace cannot give us,  violence cannot do it either. ”

“We are appealing to the sensibility of  the people that God in his mercy that brings us together irrespective of religion,  tribes and political lineage, we must learn to leave above our prejudice and hope for all the money the government  used in peacebuilding issues would have been money provided for the building of infrastructure, health and education for the people, and we end up shooting ourselves on the foot by not accommodating one another.,”

Dan Manjang further added that no nation, the community can ever grow alone like the word of the late siege “Obafemi Awolowo”, said, “you cannot climb a tree with one hand”.

Speaking on the significance of the recent flag-off of flight from Abuja to Jos, he condemned those who did not see the benefit of the flag of the flight en route Jos to Abuja.

” I can assure you that it will beef up the economy of the state, we are going to have the trade fair,  investors will come into the state with the fight from Abuja which is Jos 25 minute journey. ”

“For those with a contrary view, I can assure you that it’s going to beef up the economic activities of the state”, create jobs for our people,  help us as a state, and also a pointer to the fact that the state is peaceful.”