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Plateau state government introduces monthly press briefing to highlight achievement

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By Asile Abel,jos

The Plateau State Government has began monthly Ministerial press briefing to inform citizens on government activities in various Ministries, Departments and Agencies, (MDAs)

The monthly briefing start with 4 Ministries held at the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Education Building, JD Gomwalk Secretariat, Jos, Plateau State.

Declaring the briefing open, the State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Musa Ashoms, stated that the event was a core mandate of the Ministry of Information and Communication, expected to bolster its vision for an enlightened, educated and informed populace.

He added that the event also corresponds with the present administrations idea of carrying citizens along in accordance with the first focal point of the Green Cap Policy Thrust, which is “Good Governance and Citizens Participation in Sustainable Development.”

“I therefore make due acknowledgment to the Executive Governor of Plateau State, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang for his enthusiastic support and expedited approval.

“…It is this attitude that drives the vigorous activities across various sectors and across the state, turning it into a huge project site for massive infrastructural development and an incubator for robust public policy initiatives.” He added.

Office of the Head of Civil Service hit the ground running with their report, where they enumerated responsibilities, successes and challenges of the office to members of the media community.

The Plateau State Head of Civil Service, Barrister Rauta Dakok, said the office is the engine room of government and the administrative machinery for implementing the State Government’s Policies and Programmes.

Some of the achievements she captured were the physical verification of staff and pensioners for the offset of Salary/Pension Arrears inherited from immediate past Administration.

She said the office also obtained approval for the release of Three Hundred Million Naira (N300,000,000.00) Monthly to settle arrears of pensions/gratuities and death benefits from 1986 to date, adding that promotions for deserving civil servants is almost up to date.

“The establishment of Information and Public Relation Officer Cadre Structure on SGL 08 – 17 and Executive Officer (Information and Public Relations) Cadre Structured on SGL 06 – 14 in the Schemes of Service.

Barr. Rauta said the implementation of recalled workers into the mainstream civil service whose employments were initially suspended is at about 80% completion

The Head of Service also highlighted some challenges faced by the office to includes Inadequate Office accommodation, shortage of manpower in view of batched retirement and non availability of copies of current Public Service Rules and other relevant Government documents.

Others she said are indiscriminate encroachment on lands adjoining to Government quarters by
unscrupulous persons and how retired civil servants are still holding unto Government quarters by preventing the
serving civil servants from enjoying same.

Also, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Ephraim Usman gave a scorecard of his ministry within the 11 months of the “Time is Now” administration which includes payment of salaries and pension arrears from the previous administration at the LGAs level.

Ephraim said, “The ministry in collaboration with ALGON purchased 35 Hillux vehicles for operation Rainbow to strengthen the security architecture at the grassroots level.”

He said the ministry in conjunction with the 17 LGAs is working on digitalization of indigene forms and marriage certificates with link to NIN.

On Chieftaincy Affairs, the Commissioner said the ministry conducted the selection and coronation of the new Ngolong Ngas on first class status and also the selection of the new Mou Youm of Garkawa on second class status, noting that his coronation will soon take place.

Other ministries who gave their scorecards on the first press briefing were Ministry of Education, (Secondary) and Ministry for Women Affairs and Social Development.

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NUC hikes private university application fees

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The Federal Government has hiked the application fees for new private universities to N25m, a memo issued by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu said on Monday.

The previous processing fee was N5m.

The Commission said the move was part of its efforts at repositioning private universities in Nigeria to better meet the needs of the citizenry and for better coordination of the development of the Private University Education sub-sector of the Nigerian University System.

It also said it has identified the need to review the guidelines for the establishment of private universities.

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Atiku, Tambuwal, Imoke in Strategic Closed-Door Meeting with Obasanjo

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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Monday led a delegation to meet with his former boss, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo at the hilltop residence of the former Nigerian leader in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

The former vice president was accompanied by former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke and Senator Aminu Tambuwal who is a former governor of Sokoto State.

The agenda of the meeting was not known as of press time but it comes amid plans by opposition politicians to map out strategies to trounce the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and win the 2027 presidential election.

 

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Agitation For the Creation Of 31 More States: Politics Or Development?An Exercise in Futility Unless There Is Consensus – renowned Political Scientist.

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Abbas Yushau Yusuf

Last week the Nigerian House of Representatives during its plenary session told the nation that it received the proposal for the creation of more states numbering thirty-one.

Currently, Nigeria has a 36-state structure and if the proposed thirty-one are added the states will be 67. Nigeria started with three regions and has been restructured by the military and for over 64 years the agitation did not die down.

On February 5th, 2025 the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution announced on Thursday, that it has received 31 proposals for the creation of new states across the six geopolitical zones.

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Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu read a letter from the committee during plenary, outlining the conditions that must be met before any state creation requests can be approved.

According to the letter, the proposals include five from the North Central, four from the North East, five from the North West, five from the South East, four from the South-South, and seven from the South West.

Among the states being considered are Okun, Okura, and Confluence (Kogi); Benue Ala and Apa (Benue); FCT State; Amana (Adamawa); Katagum (Bauchi); Savannah (Borno); and Muri (Taraba).

The states also include New Kaduna state and Gujarat states from Kaduna state; Tiga and Ari from Kano, and Kainji from Kebbi state; Etiti and Orashi as the 6th state in the South East, Adada from Enugu, Orlu, and Aba from the South East.

They also include Ogoja from Cross River, Warri from Delta, Ori and Obolo from Rivers; Torumbe from Ondo, Ibadan from Oyo, Lagoon from Lagos, and Ogun, Ijebu from Ogun, Oke Ogun/Ijesha from Oyo/Ogun/Osun states.

According to the letter, Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution as amended outlines specific requirements that must be fulfilled to initiate the process of state creation.

The letter said “a request to the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new state shall only be passed if a request supported by at least the third majority of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly in respect of the area, and the Local Government Council in respect of the area, is received by the National Assembly.

But in an exclusive interview with a renowned Nigerian Political Scientist with Kano state college of Arts and Science, CAS Kano
Dr. Kabiru Saidu Sufi and a traditional title holder of Marafan Dambatta said unless there is consensus it will be an exercise in futility.

“I think like you rightly said states have become a recurring issue in Nigerian politics overtime there have been this agitation, the more states you create the more agitation, you are likely going to have from all quarters and this one is not a new one, and there have been the debate of whether the creation of states will be beneficial or not. The proponents in practice and in theory believe if you create more states, you are creating more avenues to which you will bring government closer to the people, because as it is the size of some of the states is so large and they believe that if some of these states are broken down they will bring government closer to the people, and there is also the issue of administrative efficiency and you know some people that believe if you create more states these states are more viable and you will have more administrative efficiency and thirdly there are those who believe these states are serving as a future training ground for national leaders, so they will go to the federal level and they say most of them start from the states, so some people believe that the more states you have the more training ground you are creating, for future leaders so, then on the other hand there are those people who believe the creator of states is detrimental to political development, for example they believe you are further disuniting people than uniting them, the more states you have the more divided Nigerians are, so there are those who believe we should have few states and they say let’s even go back to the regions, so that Nigerians will have more sense of unity, and some see the states as an avenue where money is being spent, rather than saving which they say we are creating avenues for spending more money than saving, and when you spend more money is not, and there are those that see the more you create the states the more you are bringing further agitations, and there is even this debate whether it’s possible to even create states under civilian dispensation especially taking into consideration the fact that in the past all states were created during the military regime and so there is this issue of constitutional procedure of creating more states, which is not an easy exercise in which Section 19 has laid down procedures which you can amend the constitution for which you can create states and amend borders and this is a very conversant process ranging from getting the two third majority in the two federal chambers of the Senate and House of Representatives and then the two third majority of the 36 states houses of assembly and in some cases there are serious issues, and there is also involvement of getting the four fifth of the states Houses of Assembly and no matter one will look at it and see that it is not an easy exercise and is something that requires a very rigorous procedure and that may not necessarily be easy to satisfy and in that regard one can say is an exercise in futility and no matter the agitation at the end of the day it does not become a reality and the only way we can make it a reality is to have a lead consensus and when the leadership of the country agree to the desirability of the creation of the states then probably they will find a way of making it easier and when there is no lead consensus you find it to be an exercise in futility.”

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