December 16, (THEWILL) – Former Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang has been accused of trying to pull the wool over the citizenry using a religious act....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
This is in relation to Jang’s recent commissioning of 10 Commandment Prayer Altars in the state.
According to Yakubu Dati, the Plateau state commissioner for lands, survey and town planning, the former governor wants to use the altar commissioning to divert public attention away from the N6.3 billion he allegedly mismanaged while in office.
In a statement he released to journalists on Thursday, Dati said the embezzlement case, which had been on for some time now, is aimed at recovering the money from the governor, adding that many witnesses have testified and given evidence that would facilitate justice and hopefully, repatriation of stolen funds.
Dati stated that Plateau has never lacked a place of worship, stressing that the state is headquarters to many religious organisations with an ample number of sites to pray in.
Dati insisted that rather than trying to hoodwink the people, Jang should clear himself of the N6.3 billion charges, adding that the lacked the moral standing to offer a spiritual lift.
He said: “It is also a decoy to take the minds of the people off the current attempt by the Governor Simon Lalong-led administration to recover monies allegedly stolen during the tenure of Jang and for which the latter is standing trial.
“But, as the people are astonished with these testimonies, Jang tries to play on their emotions by playing the religious card. The offer of a place of prayer is particularly interesting because the people of Plateau have never lacked a place to pray. Plateau State is headquarters to many religious organisations with ample number of sites to pray in.
“It is therefore surprising that someone will try to make an issue out of building a business enterprise with a small cubicle for prayer. What however is not surprising is that Jang would again be playing the religious card as that has been his stock in trade- to use religion to deceive the people.
“When he was governor, he relied on this gimmick to deceive the people and now, instead of making restitution, he is at it again. The most unfortunate aspect is inviting unsuspecting leaders like former president Goodluck Jonathan to grace the occasion. Not a single Governor showed up. Even his former colleagues avoided the event like a plague.”
He explained that the invitation to former President Jonathan was to give credibility to the event. He alleged that when Jang was the governor, the state witnessed one of the worst spates of bloodshed in its history, with many lives and property worth billions of naira destroyed.
Besides, Dati queried where the former governor got the resources to build the facility.
“The people of Plateau deserve a better place to worship, where they can do so with a free and they would not have to look over their shoulders to see whether officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are hanging around to confiscate or seal the property while they’re praying.
“Part of the monies allegedly diverted by the former governor includes the N2 billion meant for the setting up of small and medium scale businesses on the Plateau.
“While he had done nothing to improve the economy of the state, but had rather impoverished the people through his harsh policies and lack of economic plan, it is difficult to reconcile how he can now offer a spiritual lift as a panacea,” he added.
He pointed out that the Simon Lalong administration has done much to correct these anomalies with sound economic programmes, an upgraded security infrastructure, and people-oriented policies.
