Lalong, Jang in unending battle of supremacy

The last may not have been heard of the suprem­acy battle between immedi­ate past governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang and his successor, Simon Lalong, as the latter has instituted a ju­dicial Commission of Inqui­ry to probe the affairs of the state from May 29, 2007 to May 29, 2015.

The six-man Commission of Inquiry, which has Justice Stephen Adah of the Federal Court of Appeal, Port Har­court Division as chairman and is mandated to investi­gate all the financial trans­actions of Mr. Jang’s govern­ment during his eight years in office.

The statement from the Plateau State Government said the Commission of In­quiry is to ascertain all fi­nancial transactions, done or entered into by the gov­ernment of Plateau State of Nigeria or through any of its Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, MDAs, or of­ficial acting in its name, from May 29, 2007, to May 29, 2015.

Apparently aimed at Jang, the probe will ascertain the total amount paid by the government of Plateau State as salaries and allowances of serving and retired state civ­il servants, local government employees and political ap­pointees within the same pe­riod.

The statement said the commission is also man­dated to ascertain and estab­lish all financial allocations, funds, grants or monetary interventions and revenues which accrued to or done in the name of the government of Plateau State of Nigeria, MDAs, or officials or agents from the Federal Govern­ment of Nigeria or any inter­national institutions or do­nor agencies from May 29, 2007 to May 29, 2015.

The statement added: “It is also mandated to ascertain and establish all loans grant­ed to or obtained by the gov­ernment of Plateau State of Nigeria through any of its MDAs, and the purpose for which such loans were obtained and whether the loans were used for such a purpose.”

The relationship between Lalong and Jang has been less cordial, as they have continued to square up on issues of governance since the former assumed office.

Jang had accused Lalong of intimidating him and his supporters, describing it as a deliberate act of provoca­tion and intimidation, ap­pealing to his supporters to remain calm.

Lalong on the other hand has vowed that the APC in Plateau would not sleep till it recovers the senatori­al mandate from Jang. The governor had said: “We are in court because we are con­fident that we won the elec­tions and we would ensure that our mandate is recov­ered.”

Lalong is the longest serv­ing Speaker in the history of Plateau State legislature, from 2000 to 2006, and was a foundation member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

He later dumped the PDP for the APC, to pick the gu­bernatorial ticket in the 2015 elections, and was re­portedly sponsored by an­other former governor of Plateau State, Chief Joshua Dariye.

Dariye also had a run­ning battle with Jang, who succeeded him in 2007. Jang on assumption of of­fice had petitioned the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Com­mission, EFCC, over the al­leged looting of the state by the Dariye-led PDP admin­istration.

In the late days of the Jang administration, Sena­tor Dariye was reported to have boasted that Jang will go to prison with his wife and sons because of some alleged financial misman­agement. This has prompted some to suggest that the Lalong/Jang battle is a continuation of the war of attrition be­tween Dariye and Jang.

Recently, Jang lent voice to protests over plans of Lalong to appropriate lands of the indigenes for the highly con­troversial grazing reserve policy of the APC-led gov­ernment at the centre and the state.

It would be recalled that Jang termed the policy as anti-people, urging Plateau indigenes to reject it.

The former governor said the issue has generated a lot of controversy amongst Plateau people, accusing the Lalong government of “playing politics with issues that affect the very fabric which defines the heritage of our people, their culture and their land.”

In what is seen as at­tempts at inciting the peo­ple against the government, Jang urged Plateau people, regardless of creed, party affiliation or ethnicity, to rise against any subtle at­tempt to “cede their land for the purpose of satisfy­ing the selfish and egotisti­cal whims of a few who are hell bent on disturbing our collective peace.”

He said: “One wonders how a government which has not shown any interest in developing agriculture in the state in the last one year has suddenly woken to support a policy which is neither in the interest of Plateau people nor that of public good for that matter.

Further condemning the grazing reserve plan, Jang lashed out at the Fed­eral Government, saying: “For the Federal Govern­ment which owns no cat­tle, to connive with willing state governors to impose a grazing reserve policy on hapless citizens who have suffered the brunt of ram­paging herdsmen in the no distant past is not only an abuse of their rights but an assault on their already bat­tered psyche. This must ve­hemently be resisted.

“Worse of all, to show dis­dain for their people, some state governments, that of Plateau inclusive, have gone ahead to start implemen­tation of the policy with­out any form of consulta­tion with the people. This is clear indication that the government of the day has no vision but is only play­ing out the script of some masquerade somewhere. It is common sense that he, who pays the piper, dictates the tune.

“Those who wish to fur­ther emasculate the people in spite of the untold hard­ship that currently pervades the land, by introducing policies and programs that create more tension should continue to do so but Senator Jang and people of like mind are on the side of the mass­es. The clear message Plateau people want to send to those within and outside the state is: Plateau people say NO to Grazing Reserves Bill.

“As a people who have experienced the atrocities of those who seek to take over their land by whatever means, Plateau people must be resilient in rejecting any law or request that seeks to tamper with their heritage, not even the involvement of the government of the day should deter them.”

Lalong has not sat back as he has taken the battle to the door post of Jang right from the onset of the administra­tion.

The Lalong administra­tion at inception claimed it inherited a debt of N222.3 billion and a litany of aban­doned or uncompleted projects worth billions of naira. It also said civil ser­vants and pensioners’ sala­ries were owed by the gov­ernment.

On assumption of office, he gave Jang and his team two weeks to return every stolen public fund in their procession. He said: “In line with the advice of President Muhammadu Buhari, we urge past government offi­cials to return stolen public funds in their procession, I am giving two weeks to gov­ernment officials in our state to return monies taken ille­gally, even before govern­ment begins the implementa­tion of the recommendations of the committee.”

An earlier committee on transition, led by Deputy Governor Sonni Tyoden, had while submitting its re­port, claimed that the Jang administration incurred a debt of N222.3 billion, and, in a lopsided way, concen­trated major projects in a particularly section of the state.

The panel had said: “Re­cords show that between May 2007 and May 2015, the sum of N525.35 billion was the total income accruing to the state, statutory alloca­tions inclusive, but the state was left with a debt of N222.3 billion by May, 2015.”

The Lalong administra­tion also claimed to have re­covered about N2.7 billion in the state, money, it said was meant for teachers.

The government said: “Teachers, civil servants, the judiciary have gone on sev­eral months of strike, some nine, some 11 but now, since I came on board, we did our best. We now have arrears of salaries of only two months.”

The Lalong administra­tion has not spared words, lambasting Jang for his un­friendly disposition towards the present regime, pouring invectives and accusing the Senator representing Plateau North of being culpable for the critical security and fi­nancial situations facing the state.

He said: “This is the style of leadership that account­ed for the eight years reign of terror and bloodshed that has traumatised the psyche of our people and to say the least, have left more of his ethnic people displaced from their ancestral land, without a solution from him rather than the current re­monstration and short sight­ed perception embedded in his unsolicited commentar­ies.

“Jang is in full state of shame and is still in a state of post-election trauma where he has been left disillusioned and in a state of amnesia, for­getting the depth of penu­ry, deprivation, division and indebtedness he left the State.

“How laughable and hypocritical for a self-ac­claimed demigod: but for the likelihood of senility, which sets in on account of age in some persons, one would have wondered the hypocritical postures of Jang, calling on the peo­ple of Plateau to bear in his words ‘the hardship meted out on them by the present government’.”

However, Jang has claimed that Lalong is de­ceiving the people say­ing that he is “trying to do ‘patch patch’ to confuse the people.”

Speaking on the contin­ued personality conflict between the two promi­nent indigenes of the state, Founder/Director, Rev. Sampson Reconciliation Trainers, a non-govern­mental organisation, based in Jos, Plateau State, Dr. Jo­seph Maren Sampson told The AUTHORITY that Jang and Lalong, former and in­cumbent governors of Pla­teau State, both promi­nent indigenes of the state should peaceably move the state forward.

He said: “The internal politics between the present governor and former Gov­ernor Jang is beginning to flare up which some of us had expected such a scenar­io to unfold with time as is the usual custom with pol­iticians.

“However, this is un­healthy for the state and fu­ture generations to come. I want to call on the governor to resist every attempt to be subjected to this trivial politics of hate and calum­ny. He should show leader­ship and spearhead the de­velopmental programs he has projected for the state. Any attempt to deviate from this can throw Plateau into a state of chaos and confu­sion there by opening the door to enemies of Plateau to invade us.

“On the other hand, I want to also plead with the former governor to show the spirit of statesmanship and not serve as a conduit of destabilisation to the pres­ent governor. Plateau people had supported him during his tenure and I expect him to show respect to this gover­nor, whether he aligned with his policies or not. As a Pla­teau citizen, he has the right to offer suggestions on mov­ing the state forward but this should be well presented.”

Who blinks first? Only time will tell.