Covid-19: Plateau index rise an indictment on security personnel at borders- Hon Manjang

Covid-19: Plateau index rise an indictment on security personnel at borders- Hon Manjang 

By Daniel Kura

The Plateau State Commissioner of Information and Communication, Hon Dan Manjang has attributed the rise of the index case of the dreaded covid-19 on the Plateau to the porous attitudes of the security personnel saddle with the responsibility of enforcing the no movement within and outside the State borders. 

Hon. Manjang who stated this in an interview granted to this medium in his office on his assessment on the government performance in handling the menace of the covid-19, he said, he will not like to be the judge in his own case but will refer the question to the court of public opinion, is the public that can access on what we are doing, Government can not be a judge in its own case at this point. All we can say as a government is if you are talking about the level of compliance, from the begging the compliance is about 90 to 95%. But now for different reason the compliance is reducing is for you to fine out why? 

Our greatest challenge is the porosity of the border and it is an indictment on those people saddle with the responsibility to make sure that nobody come into Plateau State from other states or to go out.

I can confidently tell you that the Plateau State Government under the leadership of H.E Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong has done everything humanly possible as a Government, like placing of CCTV cameras in our borders, placing of security personnel, the vigilantes in our borders and yet you still have people coming inn and out of the State. So the porous nature of the borders is that of enforcement.

Manjang called on those saddle with the responsibility of enforcing the no movement within and outside our borders to step up their game. 

He said "if you look at the train, of all the cases that have had so far been recorded on the Plateau, it always shows that it is the people that come from outside the state. And that have send a signal we have not yet witness any community transmission in Plateau State.

So we still have to intensify our vigilant and surveillant over the borders, which we have isolated about 8 border point legal one and there are so many uncountable illegal borders.

He further disclosed that, " we as human being we have to speak to the conscious of the people to make sure they know that this virus is real whether we like it or not the pandemic is real irrespective of your believe and the virus is transported from where it is, so people have brought it in to Plateau State. And we as a government have to see how we will contain it through contact tracing and to arrest the situation, and so far so good the Governor is doing his best and he will continue to do his best.

Speaking over the issue of non payments of gratuity under the leadership of HE Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong aka Governor alert, Hon Manjang said "well to the best of hiss knowledge and what he know about payment of retires their emolument here on the Plateau is that an amount is been airmark  every months for people that retired, will not get gradueity immediately for different reasons or the other.

One because there are people that retired earlier than them, I don't know is from which year we are now. But all he know is a first come first. But as for pension is as when due, immediately you retire your pension is process and they start paying you. I know there is some percentage of gradueity of about 5% is been paid every month. And like i said I know which year we are now. You may not get gradueity immediately because in view of the situation we have found our self now. I know it is a right, but the government can not pay out of nothing.   It is unfortunate that the past administration made deduction, and the deduction were committed for other uses which is wrong. But as far as this government is concern, if we are not paying any emoluments it is not deliberate. 

You can see even amidst this covid-19 we could have made some excuses not to pay salaries, even with the dropped in IGR and the dropped in moneies that comes from the federation account. And the increase in bills government still have a way round to pay salaries and to pay pension as at when due and to run the government. I can confidently tell you that if not because of the financial prudent mature of HE Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong we could even have money to do that. 

And so we will like to tell the people to be patient government is continued, if the situation improves we step up the payments of gradueity. But now is 5% that is been paid but like I have said it is first come first serve bases for people that have retired for long time ago are the ones been address now and that is the best i know about payments of gradueity.

Also speaking on the issue of the Federal Executive Council, which in its usual weekly meeting of Wednesday 20, May, 2020 approved the sum of over 600m for Plateau State University Bokkos, and what could he say is the reason behind the great gesture to the State own University?

The spokesman of the Plateau State Government said, "well we as a Government have issued a released about that, indeed the Government and people of Plateau State are very happy for that gesture, some people have been asking of what has the Governor's romance with the President yielded to Plateau as a State? Am even you yourself have been hearing some people asking such questions, today i have the privilege to inform them that this is one of the dividend the romance have yielded for the people of Plateau State. 

Over six hundred million (600m) at once to our State University is a very huge amount, and we want to use this opportunity to thank Mr President who supervised the approval of this money. 

There is nothing that you will do more than education, you bequeath a legacy and if that has been channel to the Plateau State University we have to be very grateful and happy. This is one achievement that will be writing in the name of the Governor.