Plateau governor Mutfwang pledges to address demands of coalition of EndBadGovernance
From Tongnaan Bawa, Jos
The Coalition for EndBadGovernance in Plateau state on Saturday met with Governor Caleb Mutfwang and his cabinet on the final day of the national protest in Jos.
The town hall meeting at the Government house Rayfield, Jos marked a significant moment in the protest, as the coalition presented their demands to the governor.
Mutfwang expressed his commitment to making Plateau and Nigeria a better place and acknowledged the frustration of the entire citizens of the state.
He explained that his administration inherited a challenging situation but emphasized that the time for change is now and hope to deal with it.
The governor highlighted his efforts to lay foundation for a better Plateau state and appreciated the coalition for organizing a peaceful protest.
He acknowledged that the curfew imposed by the state government was necessary at the time and appreciated the sacrifices of the people.
Mutfwang emphasized that good governance is a collective responsibility and requires effective communication and also announced plans to establish community markets for citizens and his government’s discussion with private investors to build new markets to harness the interest of all citizens.
Ishaya Inusa, an advocate of peace and justice and Leaders of the coalition, Mildred Bako and Sam Ode, commended the security agencies for their civility during the protest.
They noted that the protest demonstrated that demands can be made without violence and demands for decrease in cost of governance, electricity tariff, adjustment in high fees in state owned tertiary institutions and autonomy for INEC amongst others.
They appreciated the support of the people and highlighted that hunger affects everyone, not just the youth and urged the governor to consider their demands.
Bashir Datti, Commissioner for Youths and Sports, earlier in a welcome address acknowledged the hardships faced by the people.
Datti urged the youth to pursue dialogue and appreciated the coalition’s willingness to engage with the government. He emphasized that this demonstrates the strength of the people of Plateau state.
Our correspondent reports that the youths carried placards desplaying their various demands from the government while singing solidarity songs at any given opportunity.
