Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong and former Governor Jonah David Jang have engaged on war of words over their stewardship in Plateau during their reigns as Executive Governors in the state.

Jang, who spoke during a Radio programme in Jos said it was because of the under performance of Governor Lalong that Plateau South voted against AOC and his ambition of becoming Senator during the 25 February, 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

He accused Lalong of conniving with enemies of progress and clueless individuals who do not meant well for Plateau that misled him for eight years with no tangible and visible projects to his credit.

But Lalong in a swift reaction through his Commissioner of Information and Communication, Hon. Dan Manjang said Jang was the architect of ethnic division and religious sentiment in the state.

Manjang said the objective of Jang’s programme was just to push out lies and propaganda to carry out maximum damage to the APC Governorship Candidate, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda by downgrading the Lalong’s administration to generate high sympathy for the PDP’s Governorship candidate, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang.

He said, “For the record and in the interest of right thinking Plateau citizens and Nigerians, we wish to respond to some of his lies. We may pardon Baba Jang for this big lie on the basis that he may perhaps been away from the State since 2015 when he was defeated.

“We can remind him that it is Governor Lalong that completed the Mararaban Jama’a-British America Road and the Secretariat flyover which he left abandoned. What about the Old Airport-Rayfield- Yelwa Club- Bukuru road as well as the Kugiya-Zawan roads?

“Lalong completed so many other projects which were abandoned even when huge sums were paid without commensurate work. Lalong completed and equipped General Hospitals in Riyom, Kanke and Mabudi and has just finished construction of the longest bridge in Plateau State (Kalong-Angwan Dadi Bridge) in Shendam as well as the British-American Flyover and Dualisation to Lamingo Junction Roundabout.”

Meanwhile, Jang in a statement through his Media Consultant, Clinton Garuba described Mangjang and his paymaster as primitive individuals who are battling with poverty of ideas and claimed that the projects that Lalong is parading, were projects initiated and executed by the Jang administration that were near to completion.

“At least the claimed abandoned projects dot the landscape of the Plateau, where are Lalong’s projects? Is it the overinflated British American Junction flyover built with a N13bn debt from Access Bank or the yet-to-be-seen 400 tractors inaugurated by the President?

” Again, where are the “Legacy Projects” and at what financial cost to the people of Plateau? Need we remind the Commissioner that the Secretariat to Marraraban Jama’a road which was initiated by Jang is not completed up till today but the Federal Government has refunded billions of naira with the recent refund of N6bn. He should tell the Plateau people as the Commissioner of Information what the Government has done with the Federal allocation for 8 years and the recent refunds or ask his principal to come out and apologize to the Plateau people.”

He explained that based on the available record, the debt burden of Plateau state has hit N200 billion without commensurate development which has left the people in despair and despondency.

“Put in a simple language, it means everyone on the Plateau today has a debt of N34,000 each including children. Presently we are 36 out of 36 states in the country in terms of debt sustainability. When you realize that not even a dollar has come into Plateau State as direct capital investment in addition to the over 200b debt, the IGR for almost eight years of about 13b, non-debt capital received in form of VAT and others which stand at over 42bn , allocation from the federal government which is also over 80bn , it will be very safe to conclude that Lalong has really done NOTHING.” He stated. (Sunday Sun)

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