Plateau State Governor Simon  Lalong said his Government will give the  Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) and security agencies all the needed support to ensure that no one threatens the peace and unity of the State under the guise of Local Government Elections.

He made this known in a broadcast to citizens of the state in commemoration of Nigeria’s Democracy Day, June 12, 2021.

In his words ” As for Local Government Elections, the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) has rolled out the timetable and guidelines for the conduct of elections later this year.

“I urge our citizens to be ready to participate in the exercise and also abide by the guidelines to ensure the process is free of violence or irregularities.

Those who choose to resort to violence rather than approach the courts and legitimate structures to express their grievances before, during and after the elections will not be tolerated.

Lalong further said his administration is determined to ensure that it leaves behind a legacy of hope, prosperity and peace for this generation and generations to come.

He further said that Fellow citizens, shortly after re-electing us into office in 2019, we recast the vision of the APC-led Rescue Administration from a 5-pillar mandate to a three-pillar mandate. Our concentration since then has been on Peace, Security and Good Governance; Infrastructural Development; and Sustainable Economic Rebirth.

He also added that “To fine-tune our implementation plan, we engaged the famous Boston Consulting Group to develop a Strategic Development Plan to guide the programmes and projects of the Government. The report submitted reaffirmed the need for us to focus on key areas of comparative advantage such as Agriculture, Tourism and Mining among others for the rapid development of the State.

The Governor further said that Peace and security have remained the key priority of the Rescue Administration for the simple fact that it is the baseline for attaining development in any society.

“Upon assuming office, we inherited a State that was fractured by a litany of crises that led to the loss of lives and properties. To bring this to an end, we adopted a new approach including creating the Plateau Peace Building Agency to foster dialogue; forgiveness; the dismantling of barriers to peaceful coexistence; as well as swift and decisive response to crimes and criminals.

In the past two years, we have taken several measures to consolidate the substantial peace and security that have returned to the State. Apart from strengthening the Plateau Peace Building Agency, we inaugurated the Plateau State Inter-Religious Council, consisting of respected leaders of the two dominant faiths and respected traditional rulers to wade into any area of potential crises for prevention and reconciliation, he further added.

Source: AceNews