1. My beloved citizens of Plateau, particularly our amiable youth, I am grateful for this opportunity to express my sincere and profound gratitude to all of you for your understanding and dignified conduct over the last couple of days during the ongoing national protest tagged #Endbadgovernance.
2. I have never been more proud than now for the privilege of being your leader. Since the commencement of your constitutionally guaranteed right of protest, you have demonstrated, to the admiration of other Nigerians and even the international community, that the glorious days of the beautiful and peaceful Plateau are back!
3. No one should be surprised because I was and am still fully persuaded that the years of strife were imposed upon us by those who fear our unity of purpose. These painful years of distress and poverty do not reflect who we truly are—a peace-loving and accommodating people.
4. I am more grateful that the message we have been preaching of acceptance and mutual respect towards one another has sunk in! As I have often quoted the great advocate of peace, the legendary Martin Luther King Jr., “We either live together as brothers or we perish as fools.”
5. I am glad we have decided to live as brothers because that is who we are, irrespective of our diversity. This is our moment and opportunity to chart a new course for ourselves as we confront the common enemy of poverty, the bottom line of our collective anger. As you know, I am a man of very humble beginnings without any arrogant human credentials to be your Governor.
6. I know God’s grace and mercy have given me this privileged opportunity to serve you, so I understand your pains and frustrations. From the moment you trusted us to lift our state out of poverty, we knew it would not be easy. While we have taken measures to create a peaceful and prosperous Plateau, we must admit there is still much to be done.
7. Our efforts in public transportation, investments in agriculture – including training 20 youths per local government in modern agribusiness – improvements in the health and education sectors, etc., have all been geared towards laying the foundation for poverty alleviation. You will also recall that we gave out over 200 trucks of fertiliser and other palliatives in conjunction with the federal government. We are very hopeful that we shall reap a bumper harvest this season, which will go a long way in providing food security.
8. Furthermore, we have started the empowerment of several Plateau State citizens with a token of N50,000 through the Plateau State Microfinance Development Agency (PLASMIDA), which is aimed at supporting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The gesture was to ensure measurable improvement to the quality of life of MSMEs in the State by providing business development support to indigent persons. I assure you that we will sustain and improve on this intervention.
9. However, be rest assured that our determination to change our story has never wavered. We have committed ourselves to God, not to rest until we see light at the end of the tunnel. I am passionate about ensuring that no one living on the Plateau goes to bed without food, no child is condemned to illiteracy because their parents cannot afford to pay their school fees, and no one dies prematurely because they cannot afford to pay their medical bills! For these reasons, we have invested in technology to address the orchestrated distractions of insecurity, banditry, and insurgency, distractions which have significantly strengthened our common and major enemy – poverty!
10. As we continue our onslaught against poverty and its attendant consequences, we cannot deceive ourselves into thinking there are quick fixes. We cannot deny that the period between 2015 to 2023 was the season of the locusts. Years in which we were stripped of our dignity as a nation, going from the biggest economy in Africa to becoming the poverty capital of the world! Even at the state level, we inherited a distressing state of affairs, about 400 billion Naira in debt without tangible evidence of progress in any sector.
11. We are fully aware that you did not elect us to complain or pass the buck. In the last year, despite the unnecessary impediments put in our path, we have used every opportunity at our disposal, both locally and internationally, to seek wisdom and partnerships to build a Plateau economy based on the rule of law, equity, justice, and inclusion. We are confident that our agricultural investments will soon yield the desired results and lay the necessary foundation for the Plateau economy of our dreams. That is why we will continue to appeal for more patience and understanding.
12. While focusing on the intermediate and long-term strategies, we know that families are going through difficult times. That is why we have, in conjunction with the Federal Government and Local Governments, made efforts to reduce the suffering by administering some palliatives. We will continue to seek more effective ways of procuring and administering these palliatives to some of the most vulnerable groups, irrespective of political persuasion or involvement. I promise to do all in my power to alleviate your sufferings and make life better for all citizens.
13. I assure you I have heard you clearly, and we are in this together. I, therefore, appeal to you to stay further protests so we can dialogue with your leaders to add value to our thinking and plans for poverty alleviation since we do not possess a monopoly of wisdom. As soon as the protests are over, we shall meet with the leaders of the youth groups across the state for further dialogue.
14. My dear brothers and sisters, the more we continue with the protests, the more the likelihood of being hijacked by sponsored criminals and hoodlums like we began to notice from Sunday evening. Based on the intelligence at our disposal, we know the lawful protests have been infiltrated by criminals who were waiting for an opportunity to loot shops, attack and rob innocent citizens of their hard-earned belongings. We even saw the display of foreign flags by some of these criminally minded intruders. So as a responsible government, we had to take proactive steps to prevent further acts of criminality; thus, the 24-hour curfew we imposed on Jos-Bukuru metropolis starting from Sunday midnight.
15. The resistance by hoodlums in some parts of the Jos North area from Monday morning till late afternoon proves that our action of imposing the curfew is justified. Credible sources have revealed that because of the peace that Plateau is enjoying, merchants of violence invited hoodlums from neighbouring states to disrupt the peace in Jos.
16. Let me particularly appreciate our traditional, community and religious leaders, as well as civil society organisations who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to assuage the justifiable anger and frustrations of the protesters. We urge you not to rest on your oars until normalcy is restored so that we can take more reassuring steps in the right direction. I also extend my gratitude to those observing the curfew and assure you that it will be reviewed as soon as the security situation permits. Let me also specially thank the security agencies for their dedication, professionalism and emotional intelligence in handling the situation.
17. Our administration will not tolerate actions that disrupt our peace and security. I urge all individuals and groups planning to cause unrest to reconsider their actions. The security agencies are on high alert to address any such threats decisively.
18. To all Plateau citizens, I appeal for continued patience, peace, and lawfulness while the government addresses your concerns. Let us remain united in our efforts to build a prosperous and secure state.
19. Thank you, and may God bless Plateau State.
