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Simon Lalong steps down as Plateau State Governor on May 29, 2023
By Anthony Maliki
Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong said despite his shortcomings, God took him out of his village of Ajikamai to occupy the exalted office.
He made the remarks on Sunday at a Thanksgiving Mass to mark the end of his tenure at St. Monica Catholic Church, Rantya, Jos.
He said “as Governor of Plateau State for the past 8 years, I have every reason to give all the glory and adoration to God for choosing me out of the millions of citizens who are very qualified to make me leader of the State.”
Governor Lalong’s full speech:
Protocols
I begin by giving all the glory and adoration to God who is the beginning and the end. Through his supremacy and sovereignty, he ordained this very day in which we are grateful for to mark the end of our administration. At this time in 2015, we were celebrating the beginning of an era in the governance of Plateau State. Today, it is the opposite.
It is therefore appropriate to come back here after 8 years to thank God, lest we become like the 10 lepers who were healed but only one of them returned to appreciate Jesus. Besides, the Holy Bible in Ecclesiastes 7:8 tells us that “the end of a matter is better than its beginning and patience is better than pride”.
As Governor of Plateau State for the past 8 years, I have every reason to give all the glory and adoration to God for choosing me out of the millions of citizens who are very qualified to make me leader of the State. Like David who was in the bush tending his father’s flock, I was taken out of my village in Ajikamai to occupy this exalted office despite my shortcomings.
Looking back at the journey, we can all testify that it has been challenging, interesting and perhaps eventful. Time will be short for me to begin narrating the experiences of holding this office and the expectations and disappointments one has had to deal with. But in all things, we give the glory to God for not abandoning us in the course of the journey.
I want to thank the citizens of the State for not only voting for us, but also standing with us at difficult and joyful moments. Your support has made the work easier while the prayers of the church and the advice we got from the leadership of the body of Christ enabled us to weather through the storm. I am deeply grateful.
When we came into office, we inherited challenges that looked difficult to address but today we look back and see how far God helped us to tackle them. We inherited a litany of abandoned projects which we carried out and also ensured that they are commissioned. We also initiated many others which we have completed and commissioned while others are still ongoing. Our despondent workforce was also rejuvenated.
Our efforts to restore peace and security to the State saw us taking various steps that made it possible for us to drastically reduce ethno-religious tensions and crises which were very high when we came in. Indeed we worked with security agencies to tackle so-called crises that were sheer criminal activities.
The attacks on our people reduced at a point but sadly, they resurfaced in Mangu, Bokkos and Riyom Local Governments recently.
In all, we did our best to move our State forward and serve with the best of intentions. We are not oblivious of the fact that some expectations may not have been made due to reasons beyond our control or even error of judgment. But because we are human, we cannot run away from mistakes that may have happened. Therefore, on behalf of my team, we apologise for any shortcoming and state clearly that nothing was done to intentionally toy with the people’s expectations.
While I make this statement, I also want to point out that we had to ensure a lot of false accusations, propaganda and even incitement coming from various quarters including those that are highly revered. We understand that such actions are not unexpected in politics, but the propaganda, bitterness and sheer mischief has caused a lot of damage that would take a long time to heal. Even though I do not hold grudge against anyone, I pray that this sort of toxic narrative will end.
As we hand over to a new administration tomorrow, I challenge the citizens and especially the political class to put the interest of the State above personal considerations. There is no government that can do everything. We must rally round and support our leaders with prayers and positive actions. I hope my successor will be accorded the needed cooperation to succeed and also continue from where we stopped.
Once again, I thank the church for praying and supporting us. I also thank my family particularly my wife and children for standing in the gap and upholding me in prayers. Those who worked with us in one position or the other also deserve a lot of commendation as we could not have achieved anything without them. May God reward you all.
Finally, I hope you will continue to pray for us as we look into the future with expectations and hope. We pray that God will give us peace and love as we continue to think and act Plateau.
God bless Plateau State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Rt. Hon. (Dr) Simon Bako Lalong, KSGG, CON, Executive Governor of Plateau State.
28th May 2023.
