Hausa Community to Lalong: Complete Abandoned Road Projects or Forget Re-election

By Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

Coalition of Jos Concerned Youths Associations consisting of 19 groups in Hausa Community of Jos North Local Government Area has protested against  Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State over abandoned road projects in the community, threatening to hold back their votes if the governor failed to complete the projects.

The group urged the governor to complete the projects or forget about getting any vote in the local government in the next year election.

Addressing journalists during the protest, Spokesman of the group, Buhari Ibrahim Shehu said that the uncompleted roads projects commenced since two years ago, but were abandoned and were now causing hardship to the people of their local government.

Shehu said, “We urge Lalong to urgently mandate the contractors to return to site so that life can be made bearable to people that are suffering as result of non-completion of the roads.”

 The groups lamented that all the seven uncompleted roads in the local government weren’t up to seven kilometres, adding that it was disappointing for Lalong to abandon them.

He recalled that, “Jos North LG gave Lalong block votes; our votes made him the governor, so we are now begging him to come to our aid, but if his government fails to complete the projects, we would use our PVCs to vote him out in 2019.”

The groups also said that they have written letters to Lalong regarding the uncompleted roads and were received by Director, Protocol. “But up till now there is no response from him.”

When contacted, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Yakubu Dati said that the governor recently had a meeting with the contractors, and assured that money would be made available to them to mobilise them back to work.

Dati said, “The governor did not abandon any road project; the construction works were stopped because of the rains since road construction works are always difficult during rainy season.”

He added that the Commissioner for Works, Pam Bot and Deputy Chief of Staff to Lalong have inspected the road projects in Jos the entire North local government area and work would resume soon.