LATEAU PDP’S AMNESIA

Sunday Adam

In what appears to be an attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Plateau state to curry the support of workers through its press release on 2nd May, 2022, it rather ended up ridiculing itself in the process.
Nothing can be more misplaced, misfired or misdirected than anybody moreso a party which became the worst enemy of workers to accuse Governor Simon Bako Lalong as being anti workers.
Based on his trajectory of paying workers in the state as and when due, on their own volition, they decided to tag him “Governor Alert”.
The PDP in its futile press release accused the governor of not paying workers for the past two (2) months which is false.
Records available to the APC clearly shows that all February salaries have been paid while March salaries for 69 out of 76 MDAs have been paid while those of the remaining 7 MDAs are being paid along with April salaries which payments commenced yesterday.
Let the PDP which has totally lost its memory be reminded that it left the payment of workers’ pensions and gratuities untouched, in addition to eight months salaries which this government cleared should not blackmail it for any reason.
The workers know very well who their genuine friend is between Lalong and the disgracefully exited PDP administration.
On pension payment, the Lalong administration has captured and placed all retiring workers on pension which has never been the case before the advent of his administration.
The APC administration in the state living to its true billing as a rescue administration has so far paid pensions including backlogs left by the previous administration amounting to N1.826, 734, 335. 34 with the following breakdown.
January 2017 – July 2019 – N332, 754, 122.87
August 2019 – December 2919 N380, 120,453.45.
January 2020 – December 2020 – 552, 843, 907.35
January 2021 – December 2021 -N270, 758, 351.56
January 2022- March 2022 – N22, 499 156. 55 respectively.
With respect to gratuity which was a no go area to the defunct PDP administration in the state, the Lalong administration has so far paid a total of N3, 169, 646, 833.22.
The breakdown is as follows;
January 2017 – July 2019 – N90, 249, 045.66
August 2019 -December 2019 – N364, 400,256.79
January 2020- December 2020 -N1,181,258, 827.87
January 2021 – December 2021 N684, 812, 647.19
January 2022 – March 2022 N89, 026, 655.94.
Death benefits of N202,691,005.49 were also paid.
This brings the total benefits paid by the Rescue Administration to N5, 199, 072, 174.22.
Figures don’t lie. These are available to anyone who cares to crosscheck to do so.
A heartless and uncaring government that was chased out of office due to its unfriendly workers policies should not have the audacity to set the workers and retirees against a performing government that the Lalong administration is.
It also tried to drag the Lalong administration to the mud by calling it all sundry names which has become its pass time. For instance ,the PDP has always referred to the Lalong administration as a failed and non performing administration. This is nothing but laughable.
The government has nurtured and rebuilt confidence amongst the diversed ethnic groups which had been totally eroded by the preceeding administration where the citizenry lived in a cloud of uncertainty.
The former governor could not go to certain areas within the State capital for fear of being stoned due to his very divisive polices.
The fabrics which held the state together were highly fractured and polarised.
Democracy dividends existed only in the imagination of the administration as project flights from the State were unprecedented.
The Lalong administration has attracted from the federal government unimaginable projects especially in the field of education.
The is apart from the unprecedented TETFUND funding of the Plateau State University and the Plateau State Polytechnic, the upgrading of the over 40- year-old Federal College of Education Pankshin to a degree awarding institution.
The establishment of the Federal Polytechnic in Shendam cannot certainly be a pleasing development to the PDP which some of its members referred to its own government as being headed by a Boko Haram based of his alergy to western education.
Time and space would not allow us to mention the federal presence in the state under the Lalong administration.
The PDP also alleged that the Lalong administration has executed no projects for Mr President to come and commission. Certainly this government does not believe in window dressing and the concentration of projects running into billions of naira in one small ward of the former Governor’s Local Government.
Lalong would invite not only Mr President but the people of Plateau state to witness the commissioning of concrete and well spread protects that tough the lives of the generality of our people.
Just to remind the PDP and invite it to see the level of state of the art work going on at the British America flyover construction.
It didn’t believe the project would ever start but construction is on 7/24 .
The destroyed Jos Main Market contract would soon be awarded and completed within the lifespan of this administration which the the PDP hates to listen to or witness.
Funnily the PDP is accusing Governor Lalong of guiding the ongoing sales of the APC nomination forms in the state while it claimed its own are being sold to all eligible members of the party. There is no basis for comparison. Seeing is believing.
We invite the PDP to take a ride to the APC Kalwa House party secretariat to see the flurry of activities at the Secretariat which has become a beehive over the sale of forms at all levels.
The governor, an acknowledged democrat has no business in the sale of forms and who to sell to and who not to sell to as this is purely the business of the prty organs at the State and national levels.
The PDP is advised to mind its business as our process is going on seamlessly ,unhindered and uninhibited as directed by the National Secretariat of our great party unlike the rudderless operation at the sinking secretariat and the questionable and litigation infested party.
The party’s contemplation of it being the option for Plateau state in 2023 is as wishful thinking as it is dead on arrival.
Plateau people cannot be part of the PDP amnesia as they are ever committed to a Plateau that is united and freed from all cleavages of bigotry and self serving.

Signed: