Lalong Misused The Opportunity Given To Him, Useni Lack Ideas To Govern Plateau -Dr Godfrey’s Miri 

Godfrey Miri a former Resident Commissioner of Gombe State, who is now running for the Governorship position of Plateau under the Social Democratic Party, SDP, said he wants to give back to the society what the missionary gave to him. He speaks to Universal Reporters’s Yakubu Busari.

The Excerpt:

We understand you are contesting for Governorship, what prompted you to contest for the office of Governor Plateau State.

I had no intention what so ever to contest any election. A group of both Christian and Muslim youths came and met me and said to me, sir, we have been listening to you on the radio in the last three and half years. We see you as an honest man who is not afraid to say his mind and you have challenged us to be the architect of our destiny. We have listened to you. But we want you to lead us for the next four years so that we can be under somebody who we can trust and we would be able to take off from there, which is the next generation.

I told them I don’t have money, because politics on the Plateau is about money. They asked me, do you have faith? I said yes, I have faith. They told me if I have faith that is all. They asked me again, how much did Dariye, Jang, and Lalong have when they contested the governorship? Sir, come out, we believe God Almighty will listen to us and somewhere somehow, we would handle this election. So, I said fine, if you are talking of faith and that the youth are committed to taking you destines into your hands, so for God’s sake I am ready to lead you in the next four years otherwise, I am happy in my retirement. This is how I was dragged into this.

Again, they told me that theirs is not politics but a movement for total change on the Plateau and they wanted a different party that they can be able to move in to be able to contest the election to effect the desired change. So I asked of the party and they said SDP and that I should go and see Jerry Gana. To my biggest surprise, when I went to see Jerry Gana, you know what he told me? They wanted to suppress PDP on the Plateau. And I asked him why? He said because they want my friend, Jerry Useni to be the governorship candidate of the PDP. That is six months before the party primaries, they had taken that decision. So, I asked him who and who on the Plateau? He said to me, professor Lombin, Danjuma Maina and Bulus Dareng. That they were the ones they handed SDP to on the Plateau so they can allow PDP’s Jerry Useni wins the governorship of Plateau. Professor Jerry Gana said this to me this. I was not alone; I was with three other, people. And I said to him, you must be dreaming prof for any one of you to think General Useni could win the governorship of Plateau because the youth of Plateau would say no to it. He said well, he would allow us to go into the race but he would not come to Plateau because he wouldn’t want to be seen as destroying the ambition of his friend.

So, I said to him, he doesn’t need to be on the Plateau, it is settled and the youths are prepared to fight. That is how, I got myself into the current situation, and I am not afraid because, for the first time, I am going to challenge the people of Plateau. We have all along been saying we are Christians. We pray more than any other state in this country. And I have always told people, why is that God has not listened to us with all the prayers going on? It’s because the prayers are not based on the truth but on lies. We know what our problems are. I believe looking for the governorship position is like going for an interview. You go with your CV, your experience; what you have done in life as a person.

So, do you think you have what it takes to challenge General Useni?

If it is in terms of my contribution to Plateau, Jerry Useni doesn’t come near me. Let’s all bring out what we have contributed to the growth of Plateau and let the people judge. What has Jerry Useni ever created or done? I worked under him when I was the MD of Abuja investment. He gave me only one hundred are fifty million naira to start. With that one hundred million naira, I turned the Abuja investment, and today, it is multi-billion naira business. He can’t deny it. Aso savings and loan which is quoted on the stock exchange; started it in 1995 with only twenty-five million naira. Today, it employs hundreds of people; its involvement in the mortgage industry in the country is well known. Literally, every civil servant in Abuja who got a loan to buy his house, Aso savings and loan gave them. I created that company. The Garki Model Market you see is my handwork. I created the company that built the Garki Model Market. So, I have been tested. As a manager, I know how to create wealth. Creations of wealth give you employment. Let Jerry tells me where he has created wealth for employment.

Let Lalong tell me what he has also done in that direction. When it comes to economics none of them understands how the economy of the state is and how to grow it, how to come out with policies that would touch the lives of every individual living on the Plateau, then tribe and religion would be a secondary issue, because both religion and tribe doesn’t contribute to how you live your life. So, why are we bringing issues that have nothing to do with how we live our lives? Let’s talk economy. How do we grow the economy of Plateau so that the poor man in the village would be able to meet his basic needs of at least two meals a day, carter for his children’s needs just like it was before? My father was a carpenter but he was able to carter for a medical doctor. My twin brother is a medical doctor, my younger sister is a professor, and I am an accountant, all children of a carpenter. But because then, the system created the enabling environment and gave people the opportunity to develop themselves, to achieve their ambitions. Today, that’s not what our kids are having. I went to secondary school where I was given pocket money. When I am coming home, I was given transport fare. Today, the children of the poor in the university are given five thousand naira as scholarship. Is that right? Meanwhile, Senator Useni collects twenty-five million every month. Out of this amount, how much does he gives to the poor? Does he even need that twenty-five million with all the positions he has held in life? His children are all grown up. What does he need that money for? I respect Useni as an elder statesman and he should remain there. His time has passed. This is the 21st century and you don’t expect an 80-year-old man to take you into the 21st century.

The issue of money is key as for as politics is a concern. How do you intend to overcome that factor taking into account that you are contesting against the incumbent, that is Gov. Lalong and Senator Useni which you too just confirmed that he has so much money?

The issue or many factors has already been taken care of in 2015 selections that brought Lalong, Jang spent over 7 billion naira to install the late GNS. Did they succeed? Did he win? How much did Lalong have? Did he win? Yes. That is to tell you that people are beginning to say no to money politics. Ask yourself, whether you are a Christian or Muslim, why someone should give you money to vote for him. if a politician knows what your pains are and claim to have the solutions and ability to change your lifestyle why should he give you money to help you? If you are truly in politics to serve, then you have no business giving people money. You actually need money in politics; for rallies for transportation, for entertainment. That’s what you need money, money, money but the money is not for individuals. The money is to mobilize people, for rallies, to make souvenir, for transportation and for entertainment that’s all you need money. If you ever give somebody money to vote you, that is bribery and bribery is corruption. And once you get yourself in corruption it’s a circle. I believe well-meaning people of Plateau State would help us. We don’t need this money but souvenirs, a vehicle for transportation, that’s all we need. But we would not give anybody money because we are not corrupt, ours is a movement.

Sir, it’s on record that those that contested elections in the 70s and 80s, have but were sponsored by those who believed that they can deliver and they actually delivered what happened thereafter that money suddenly became a factor that a contestant has to have so much money before he gets the votes of electorates?

I don’t believe that. We have proved in Plateau that money meant nothing to the electorates. But politics changed. I was the campaign chairman of Bagudu Hirse campaign organization in NRC. I tell you from the primaries to the main election, we contributed money to run that election. Tapgun was in the civil service, so, the civil servants rigged that election for Tapgun because then the electoral umpire used civil servants to manned elections and if the civil servants are with you, then you are sure of winning the election.

I believe that this time around, people have suffered and learnt their lessons the hard way because Lalong missed it when the people of Plateau State came together to elect him, he should govern with the people as a team. We all know that ordinarily, APC as a party couldn’t have gone anywhere but because we rebelled, we told Jang that you can’t impose your will on the people of Plateau and Lalong won the election. Consequently, we are also going to prove this time around that money would play a part but what you know, what your past has been, what your history has been, is what will determine who wins the next election.