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Tag: Plateau State

  • Plateau NLC re-appoints scribe

    Plateau NLC re-appoints scribe

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Plateau has re-appointed Dr Yohanna Badung as Acting Secretary of the council for another four years.

    The re-appointment was announced in a statement signed by Plateau NLC Chairman, Mr Eugene Manji and made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Jos.

    Manji said that the decision to re-appoint Badung was taken at NLC joint State Administrative Council/State Executive Council meeting held on April 25.

    The chairman congratulated him on his re-appointment, urged him to sustain the high standards that earned him the re-appointment and wished him a successful tenure.

    Meanwhile, the NLC chairman appreciated NLC for the confidence reposed on the leadership of the congress in the state.

    He said that on Feb. 24, prior to the state delegates congress, the NLC State Executive Council unanimously passed a vote of confidence on the leadership to continue in the next tenure.

    “We appreciate all delegates who participated in the election for a successful delegates conference that took place recently.

    “We assure you of our commitment to serve the workers of Plateau,” he stated.

    Manji also appreciated Plateau workers for coming out in their numbers to celebrate this year’s Workers Day.

    He said that the massive turnout was another show of support and belief in the leadership of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress in the state.

    He thanked Gov. Simon Lalong of the state for personally attending the May Day celebration and for promising to address some pending welfare issues before he exits office.

  • Guber Polls: PDP’s Mutwang elected governor of Plateau state

    Guber Polls: PDP’s Mutwang elected governor of Plateau state

    The Peoples Democratic Party  PDP guber candidate in Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang has been declared the winner of the Saturday election.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC made the declaration on Monday.

    The INEC Presiding Officer, Musa Yusuf, after collating the votes scored by parties in the elections, said Mutfwang had the highest votes beating the All Progressives Candidate, Nentawe Yilwatda.

    Details Later….

  • Supreme court upholds the candidacy of Plateau LP guber candidate, Dr Patrick Dakum

    Supreme court upholds the candidacy of Plateau LP guber candidate, Dr Patrick Dakum

    The Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed an appeal brought forward by one of the Labour Party (LP) governorship aspirants in Plateau State, Ambassador Yohanna Margif, challenging the authentication of the party’s gubernatorial candidate Dr Patrick Dakum in the March 18th election.

    The case was dismissed by Justice John Inyang Okoro after the compalinant withdrew the case upon realizing that it has become statute barred.

    Counsel to the appellant, Mr Opeyemi George Ojo, had pleaded in his arguments with the Apex Court to invoke Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act to take over the matter and resolve all disputed issues in the interest of justice to his client.

    His persuasion was however rejected by the 5-man panel of Justices of the Court on the ground that conditions precedents for the Court to invoke section 22 of the Supreme Court Act were not met.

    Confronted with reality on the futility of his request, the appellant withdrew his appeal and was subsequently dismissed by Justice Okoro.

    The appellant had in his brief challenged the emergence of Dr Patrick Dakum as the Labour Party’s Gubernatorial candidate in Plateau State insisting that he won the governorship primary election of the party and never withdrew his nomination.

    Labour Party however in its defence insisted that Ambassador Margif in a letter voluntarily withdrew his candidacy and copied the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, with the same letter.

    The Party claimed that following the withdrawal by Ambassador Margif, a new primary election was conducted in which Dr Patrick Dakum emerged and his name submitted to INEC.

    Margif ignited the first legal battle at a Federal High Court in Jos but lost as the court upheld the position of LP and declared Dr. Patrick Dakum as the legitimate governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Plateau State.

    Justice Dorcas Agishi in her judgment on December 9, 2022 affirmed Dr. Dakum as the authentic candidate of the party, having followed the party’s guideline to emerge as the party’s flag bearer.

    The Judge established that Ambassador Yohanna Margif had signed an affidavit to withdraw voluntarily as the governorship candidate of the party which necessitated the party to conduct fresh primary that produced Dr.Patrick Dakum.

    Not satisfied with the High Court’s decision, Margif had approached the Court of Appeal but lost and subsequently moved to the Supreme Court for final decision.

    With the Supreme Court’s final judgment, the long drawn legal action on Labour Party’s Gubernatorial candidate tussle for Plateau State has been laid to rest.

  • Lalong approves extension of tenure of Plateau Head of Civil Service

    Lalong approves extension of tenure of Plateau Head of Civil Service

    Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau has approved the extension of the tenure of the state Head of Civil service, Mr Sunday Hyat by four months.

    Lalong announced the approval in a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Makut Macham , on Thursday in Jos.

    The Secretary to the Government of Plateau, Prof. Danladi Abok Atu, the approval was to enable Hyat conclude some sensitive labour and ad-hoc responsibilities

    “The extension which is from Feb.ruary to May 2023 will be on contract basis,” the state government said.

    Lalong congratulated Hyat and urged him to continue doing his best to facilitate total reforms in the state civil service.

    He said that the action would facilitate his administration hand over a virile, motivated and capacitated civil service, for the progress of the state.

    He implored employees of the state civil service to give Hyat the needed support and cooperation during the extension.

  • Gov Lalong begs for forgiveness as Plateau marks Forgiveness Day

    Gov Lalong begs for forgiveness as Plateau marks Forgiveness Day

    Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau State pleaded with residents of the State on Sunday to forgive government over the current hardships being experienced by the cashless policy and fuel scarcity.

    The governor made the plea at an interdenominational service at St. Monica Catholic Church, Jos, to mark the 2023 Plateau Forgiveness Day.

    He said that the situation had been of concern to governors who were having series of meetings with the president to address the situation.

    “On behalf of all of us, we apologise for the pain being inflicted on the society and we ask for forgiveness,’’ the governor said.

    Lalong prayed that the Federal Government would look into the hardships and review the policy.

    He said the Plateau Forgiveness Day celebrated annually on Feb. 7 was conceived as part of efforts to continue the restoration of peace.

    It was also conceived to remind the younger generation that the state is home of peace, hospitality and tourism, he added.

    The governor explained that the day was marked to strengthen peace processes, using the Plateau Peace Building Agency to coordinate its initiatives.

    “The Day of Forgiveness which was unveiled and launched by Mr President in 2018 has since then been implemented by the Plateau Peace Building Agency.

    “We established it as the first in the country with the sole responsibility of coordinating and implementing all our efforts towards removing toxic narratives, crisis merchandising, violence and tackling root causes of disharmony and intolerance.

    “The day is to appeal to our conscience and take us to the path of forgiving the past, and looking ahead to the future that will be devoid of ugly experiences,’’ Lalong said.

    He thanked the Church for supporting him in the discharge of his duties and for preaching forgiveness which is one of its pillars, stressing that forgiveness is not a sign of weakness but of strength.

    He dispelled rumours that many villages had been taken over by herdsmen.

    “I can say authoritatively that there is no report on my table that any village has been taken over,’’ he said.

    The governor added that the Anti-Land Grabbing Law of 2020 was enacted to prevent such situation and urged communities to report such attempts instead of going to social media to politicise it.

    In his remarks, the Catholic Archbishop of Jos Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Audu, thanked the governor for conceiving the Forgiveness Day and urged him to legislate it for continuity.

    He advised the involvement of stakeholders, especially those in the rural areas affected by insecurity, to achieve the objectives of the Forgiveness Day.

    The archbishop urged Plateau people to vote for credible persons irrespective of their parties, saying that only the action would ensure good governance.

    Audu in his homily also urged Christians to be the light of the world, and to make positive difference wherever they found themselves.

  • Gov. Simon Lalong appoints 10 new Permanent Secretaries

    Gov. Simon Lalong appoints 10 new Permanent Secretaries

    Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau has approved the appointment of 10 new Permanent Secretaries.

    The governor made the announcement in a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Makut Macham, on Monday in Jos.

    According to the statement, the new officials are to fill the vacancies created following the retirement/resignations of some Permanent Secretaries in the service of the state government.

    “The new Permanent Secretaries are expected to be sworn in on Tuesday 24th January 2023.

    “The new Permanent Secretaries are: Keziah Dung (Barkin Ladi); Yusuf Ayuba Gimba ( Bassa); Gongden Micah Sunday (Mangu); Lamu Michael Dennis (Mangu).

    “Peter Wuyep (Kanke); Bapman Naankin Emmanuel (Mikang); Boniface Gwotbit Bankshuet (Mikang); Gotan Benjamin James (Pankshin); Salamatu Ritmwa Parlong (Pankshin); and Wuyep Zitta (Langtang South)”.

  • Methodist Church enthrones first female Bishop in Nigeria

    Methodist Church enthrones first female Bishop in Nigeria

    The Methodist Church Nigeria, on Sunday, enthroned Rt Rev. Nkechi  Nwosu as the first female bishop of the Church in the country.

    Nwosu was enthroned by  His Grace, Most Rev Dr Joseph Nnonah, Archbishop of Kaduna at the Christ Methodist Cathedral, Jos.

    The new bishop in a brief interaction with newsmen, revealed that “God is using what has happened in the Methodist Church, Nigeria to tell the whole world that the time to release women to fulfill their destiny has come.

    She said that women and men needed to join their hands to achieve the mandate of God.

    “God knew that creating only Adam, He will not be able to bring his heart’s desire, so He had to make the woman to complement him.

    “So, for the word of God to reach to the end of the world, “man must put their hands together to serve God”, irrespective of gender, because God is a spirit.

    “He is not a flesh, the flesh we are seeing is just for our comfort, as He said that everybody who believes in Him and is led by the spirit of God is the son of God.

    “And so every child of God who is born again and dwell in the Holy Spirit is a son of God.

    “And when men or women of God in charge of denominations understand this, I believe we will conquer more for the Lord than what we have done,” she said.

    On 2023 general elections, Nwosu called on Nigerians to listen to the voice of God who knows the best leader for the country at this moment.

    She said that God gave Nigerians  conscience and power, and that the power is in the Permanent Voters Card (PVC).

    “We must all go out there and agree with God, listen to the spirit of God and do what God said we should do.

    “Do that so that God will use us and anybody He wants to put on that seat to restore Nigeria to a place of pride in Africa, and the world,” she added.

    His Eminence, Dr Samuel Uche, Prelate Emeritus, Methodist Church Nigeria, during whose tenure Nwosu was elected bishop, said that God made all humans equal.

    Uche said that Jesus Christ elevated the position of women by being born of a woman.

    “So I believe there is no difference between a man and woman, after all, in Hebrew language, a man is a he man and a woman is she man, so we are all men.

    “And moreover, in Methodist Church, we taught that people who have reached menopause, who are no longer childbearing can hold responsible office in the church, because they have the capacity.

    “They have the ability, they are meticulous, resourceful and spiritual.

    “So we decided that we should have in Methodist Bishop a woman and I know that some time ago, the President of the British Church was a woman from Ireland,” he said.

    Nwosu will serve as Bishop of Jos Diocese.

  • Update: 16 dead, 83 injured as truck conveying PDP supporters crashes

    Update: 16 dead, 83 injured as truck conveying PDP supporters crashes

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said 16 persons died and 83 sustained various degrees of injury in the truck accident involving PDP supporters in Plateau.

    The FRSC said that the truck was conveying 99 supporters of the Poeples Democratic Party (PDP) when it crashed on Saturday evening at Jwak, Panyam District of Mangu Local Government Area of the state.

    Mr Peter Longsan, the FRSC Public Enlightenment Officer in Plateau, disclosed this in statement on Sunday in Jos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PDP supporters were returning from the party’s zonal rally held in Pankshin.

    ”It was a lone crash involving a truck conveying people from a political campaign rally of the PDP.

    ”99 people were involved, 16 people, mainly adult males were killed in the crash, while 83 sustained various degrees of injury.

    ”The unfortunate incident occurred as a result of excessive speeding and overloading, which led to loss of control that resulted to the crash,” he said.

    Longsan explained that the Pankshin Unit Command of the FRSC swiftly responded to the incident, and with the support of passersby and volunteers, moved the injured to hospitals at Panyam and Mangu town, where they are currently receiving treatment.

    He added the bodies of the deceased persons were deposited at Mangu General Hospital, Panyam General Hospital, and Nissi Private Hospital, all in Mangu local government area.

    Longsan advised motorists in the state to desist from speeding, overloading, dangerous overtaking and ensure that vehicles are used for the purpose it was designed for.

    He also called on motorists, particularly commercial drivers, to install speed limit device on their vehicles to avert similar accident.

  • Plateau Govt. urges workers to shelve warning strike

    Plateau Govt. urges workers to shelve warning strike

    The Plateau state Government has urged the organised labour in the state to shelve its proposed warning strike scheduled to commence on Monday.

    The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) on Thursday issued a notice of five-day sit-at-home strike to workers in the state.

    The JNPSNC said that some issues agitating the minds of workers in the state include irregularities in the computation of salaries and payment of same to workers.

    Plateau Head of Civil Service, Mr Sunday Hyat, in a statement on Monday, said that the state government was making efforts to settle the outstanding salary arrears.

    “The state government has remained committed to the welfare of civil servants as demonstrated in the prompt payment of salaries over the years.

    “In view of the recent shortfall in the federal allocation experienced across the country, which resulted in the recent delay of payment of salaries, the state government has been engaging labour and making efforts to settle the outstanding arrears.

    “Government therefore is seeking the understanding of labour to avoid the proposed sit at home strike as it will worsen our economic condition and deny citizens access to basic amenities.

    “Following discussions with the office of the Accountant General, payment of August third party deductions and continuation of payment of September Salaries will commence Monday (Dec. 12),” he added.

    Hyat reiterated government’s unequivocal commitment and solicited workers understanding to fully resume work.

  • Court upholds Dakum as Plateau Labour Party guber candidate

    Court upholds Dakum as Plateau Labour Party guber candidate

    The Federal High Court in Jos on Friday affirmed the candidacy of Dr Patrick Dakum as the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Plateau.

    Recalls that the party had been in crisis following the emergence of two governorship candidates – Yohanna Margif and Dr Patrick Dakum.

    Dakum, who had earlier contested and lost the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket, emerged the LP candidate in an Aug. 6 primaries.

    The fresh primary election, conducted through affirmation, was expected to effectively void the earlier primary election that produced Yohanna Margif as candidate.

    That election was conducted on June 9, but the winner, Margif, reportedly withdrew from the race.

    But Margif, who rejected claims that he had withdrawn from the race,  approached the court to discountenance Dakum’s emergence as LP candidate.

    He told the court that the said withdrawal letter was “fabricated by some mischief makers to cause havoc and mislead loyal members of the party”.

    Justice Dorcas Agishi, while delivering the judgement, stated that the court was convinced, based on evidence before it, that the plaintiff actually signed the letter of withdrawal.

    Agishi said that evidence before the court also showed that Margif voluntarily withdrew from the race and was subsequently expelled from the party, following petitions against him.

    She said that based on evidence, the plaintiff also agreed that a new primary was conducted though he was not an aspirant in that contest.

    She declared that since the plaintiff did not approach the court to stop the second primaries, he did not have the right to challenge its outcome.

    “The law states that for anyone to challenge the outcome of a primary election, he or she must be an aspirant in the contest,” she stated.

    She, therefore, upheld the candidacy of Dakum.

    Counsel to the defendant, Edward Pwajok, SAN, after appreciating the court for the judgement, prayed the court to order the plaintiff to pay N3 million each, to first and second defendants, as cost of appearance.

    Mr E. I. Atoh, counsel to Margif, prayed the court to discountenance Pwajok’s prayers as his client was “exercising his fundamental rights by dragging the defendants to court”.

    The Judge, in her ruling, ordered the plaintiff to pay the sum of N200,000 each, as cost to the first and second defendants.

    Pwajok, while reacting to the judgement, appreciated the court for upholding justice by declaring Dakum as the legitimate candidate of the party.