‘It’s Unbelievable That Buhari Gave No sympathetic Word To A Grieving, Bloodied Plateau State’ – PDP
The Oasis Reporters
March 11, 2018
From Moses Gbande, Jos
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP says it has not felt any impact from the recent visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Plateau State, rather it says “Nigeria’s President came to Plateau, saw – and left a state in it’s trauma”.
In a statement issued Sunday by the Plateau state Publicity Secretary, of the PDP, Sir John T Akans, KSM, said the President got the hospitality of the people, but he did not in anyway acknowledge their bloody encounters in the hands of determined and unstoppable killers.
“Mr President and Commander In-Chief even got a road named after him, but in an unbelievable fashion, he gave not a single word of sympathy to a grieving state, bloodied by unprovoked attacks on communities by herdsmen in Bokkos and Bassa Local government Areas for the two days of his visit.
“But if the visitor chose to ignore the agony of Plateau in the hands of marauding herdsmen, should Governor Lalong have failed to comfort the very people who elected him?
“We are disappointed at this nonchalance by both Mr President and Governor Lalong. Out of the depths of pain and sorrow, our hearts cry out for peace and justice on the Plateau.
“This is also one visit that will be remembered by Plateau people because their governor chose to elevate lies and half truths to statecraft.
Governor Lalong boldly told his visitor,
“A remarkable achievement of this administration also is the construction and resurfacing of the Mararaban Jama’a to British America Junction on the Yakubu Gowon Road”.
“Is our governor for real?
“Has anyone in Plateau seen any construction work going on between the Secretariat Junction to Dogon Karfe and down to British- America junction?
“Shameful bare-faced lie!
“And here are two more claims by Governor Lalong, “Mr. President, you may wish to know that most projects abandoned at great cost are today, either nearing completion or have been completed. A case in point is the Interchange flyover or overhead bridge at the State Secretariat Junction, with slip roads and underpass awarded at a cost of about N4.7 billion, which we inherited at about 30% work stage but made it motorable within the first 100 days of the administration and it is now completed.”
“Very bad lies!
“PDP maintains that this project and all other projects by the previous administration were never abandoned – they were ongoing or continuing projects right up to the handing over on May 29, 2015.
“The next bad lie is that the project was inherited at 30% completion. The governor’s gleeful claim before Mr President is a complete delusion and a desperate attempt to appear as an achiever. For this he even got the president’s commendation. . .and a repeat of the lie.
“We maintain that over 87% of the job had been done by the PDP administration.
“Another high of Governor Lalong’s misstep was the naming of the Plateau gateway after Mr President.
“To what benefit, if we may ask? To speak well of the Governor in Aso Villa or to promote his ‘peace plan’ which has brought only a harvest of deaths, destruction and defiance by the attackers?
“The negative atmosphere was not helped by elders and statesmen who floundered at a crucial opportunity to speak truthfully and passionately about the state. They could not even empathise with their own people who at the time of the Town Hall meeting were bereaved, wounded and displaced. These elders were more concerned about a future of relevance for themselves rather than the security of their people.
“On the whole, Mr President missed the opportunity to warm his way into the hearts of the people of Plateau as a caring and decisive leader.
“And Governor Lalong also missed a glorious opportunity to project himself as a leader with a heart for his people and not merely as a stand-alone leader whose only major concern is looking good away from home”.
