Jos Crisis: Buhari urged to redeem N10bn pledges to Plateau

Member representing Riyom/Barkin Ladi Federal Constituency, Hon Simon Mwadkwon made the call in Jos yesterday in a chat with reporters at his residence.

Nwadkwon recalled that President Buhari made the pledge during his 2-day state visit to Plateau State in March 2018.

“During the state visit, President Buhari pledged to avail the sum of N10 billion for the resettlement and rehabilitation of victims of attacks by gunmen in the state.

Mr. President also promised to establish a Mobile Police Barrack in Gashish village in Barkin Ladi Local Government as a measure to bring security closer to the vulnerable people of my constituency.

“The Federal Government also promised to return lands forcefully confiscated by some cattle breeders to their original Berom owners.

“It has been over two years now and none of these pledges has been redeemed by Mr President.”

According to the lawmaker, “the call to remind Mr. President of these pledges has become necessary, as the victims of crises in whose interest the pledges were made have waited for two years for Mr. President relief package.

“While still waiting for Mr. President on these promises, the people remained unsecured as evident in the recent murder of a monarch in my constituency.

“It is an irony that while victims of insurgency in my constituency are allowed to bear the agony of insurgency, the insurgents themselves are being treated as kings by the Federal Government who have trained and rehabilitated the killers and enrolled them into the army, police and federal civil service of their choice.

“I hereby use this opportunity to call on Mr. President to find a way of redeeming the pledges he made to these people as they are also citizens of Nigeria who deserved the same measure been given to those attacked them.

“The Mobile Police Barrack in Gashish should be constructed with the urgency it deserved so as to give my people a sense of belonging considering that protection of lives and properties of citizens is one of the primary responsibilities of government.”