Call for my sack, clear manifestation of transfer of aggression- Hon Choji

Call for my sack, clear manifestation of transfer of aggression- Hon Choji

By Daniel Kura

The Management Committee Chairman of Jos South Local Government Council of Plateau State, Hon. Dachung Choji Yohana describe the call for his sack by the already sacked Members of his Management Committee (Supervisory Councillors) as transfer of aggression. 

Hon. Choji made the statement in an exclusive interview with News Parrot Newspaper, NewsGate Magazine, NewsCrest Newspaper in other to clear the air on the call for his sack by the outgone supervisory councillors and was earlier published by this same online media.

The Jos South council boss described their call as nothing but transfer of aggression from the former members of the management committee. 

He said as far as the pronouncement of the 9, July, 2020 by the Plateau State House of Assembly dissolving the members of the management committee (Supervisory Councillors) of the four Local Government Councils, namely Jos South, Jos North, Riyom and Barkin Ladi is concern, and by virtue of that as the Management Committee Chairman of Jos South LGC, the word Supervisory Councillors cease to exist except otherwise. 

"I also want them to know that I wasn't the one that dissolved them, but that was the sole decision of the Plateau State House of Assembly. And after the dissolution I called and sat with them, and I told them this is the decision/pronouncement by the Plateau State House of Assembly in case any of them will claim ignorance of the order by the State Assembly. But they are still going to the office demanding for files to work on from my staff which I told them to stay away for a while pending on the next communication we will receive either from the Governor or the Plateau State House of Assembly, immediately there and then some of them said if they must go then we must go all of us so I didn't know what they meant with then we must go all of us until now". 

So they started accusing me that I was the one who instigated for their dissolution and they were busy calling me to tell me to ask the Director Personal Management to give them file to minute on it, but I told them I don't have the power to do so, except otherwise, because for me to give you files to minute on it, is like I have look down on the authority that have placed me there. And pronounced your dissolution. 

So he told them if there is anything let us quietly wait for statement from the State Government or the Plateau State House of Assembly, so it was since after then that this accusations started by writing a lengthy letter to His Excellency which their claims are not true against me.

The Chairman added that in their letter, they wrote about him working with DFS and DPM on financial issues and schedules, well by law it is the Chairman, DFS and the DPM that are the schedule officers of the Local Government and there is no how he will seat with them to make schedule after seating with the Supervisory Councillors in F&GPC meeting to take resolutions on behalf of the Local Government. 

Speaking over the second allegation of him not coming to the office, Hon. Choji disclosed that as the Management Committee Chairman, he has other function to perform even outside the office.

He added that the Governor can decide to call him for a meeting, he can also go outside the state to attend to other functions. So he may not be in the office 24 hours, but the most important thing is that as am talking to you right now their is no file on my table waiting for my attention.

Also on the issue of him not holding meeting at the party level, Hon. Choji stated that with this covid-19 is not the period of gathering people, but he do discuss party issue with the ward excos, and also reiterated his commitment toward giving financial assistance to the party as soon as the financial status of the council improve.

So with all this I don't know why they want to tannish my image, because like I said their is a particular statement one of them made, " that if they must go, then we must go all together. But as a father I don't think am ready to fight anybody because i know all this will come and pass away. 

Speaking over the  allegation on slow in achievement in the council, The Chairman reveals that there is no way they will spend Government money without a budget, so  when they came on board, the Councillors had to sit on the budget because as the Local Government Chairman you can not work outside the budget. He must be giving an approval, you know they are management committee, they are not Executives, so approval come from the ministry of local government or the House of Assembly and this is what they have been waiting for before they will start executing projects of their own. Of which they have good projects and good program for the people. He added. 

Like when he came on board, the last administration he took over from, so many people came to him advising him to abundant all the projects that was started by the former administration but he say no. If you go to the local government Secretariat now, you will see the renovation work which is about 90% completion.

 

The Jamb center at old Secretariat in Bukuru at  90% completion rate, a Bridge  at Tanchol gyel is at 75% completion,  Fertilizer store at  90% at the Secretariat, the Completion of shopping complex at Bukuru with a Police post at the  present shopping Complex off DB Zang road, On going renovation of guest house at kuru

Also in a related development,  a concerned group under the aegis of  All Progressives Congress (APC) Youths for  Lalong has condemned the attempts to involve the Jos  South LGC technocrats in politics by the disgruntled dissolved supervisory councillors of the Council.

Comrade Sylvanus Dagyang, the Coordinator of the Jos South LGA  Concerned All Progressives Congress (APC) Youths for  Lalong has condemned the attempts to involve the Jos  South LGC technocrats in politics by the disgruntled dissolved supervisory councillors of the Council.

The APC Youth Leader made the condemnation while speaking in Jos recently over the call by the dissolved Supervisory Councillors of Jos South Local Government Council by the Plateau State House of Assembly in July, 2020 for the removal of the Transition Committee Chairman, Hon. Dachung Yohanna Choji.

Comrade Dagyang while speaking on the issue of not being carried along in the governance of the council when they were there,he debunked the insinuation and posited that all the dissolved Supervisory Councillors were members of the Finance and General Purpose Committee(F&GPC) including the Council Chairman, Council Secretary, the Director of Personnel Management (DPM), the Director of Finance and Supplies (DFS) and the Zonal Inspector of the LGC from the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. The F&GPC is the body that is responsible for approving all expenditures of the council that are above the Council Chairman's approval limit of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N250,000.00).This is a legal and a constitutional provision.

The Concerned APC Youths Coordinator also asked pertinent questions and queried why the sacked Councillors could not send any complaints for the removal of the council Chairman when they were holding sway in the Council but are now calling for his sack ? Is it a case of "bad belle"? Is it because the House of Assembly has removed them that they are hell bent on the removal of the chairman to join them as boasted by one of the removed councillors? Why are they desperate to involve the DPM and DFS in their political shananighan? Are civil servants not supposed to be a apolitical? Is it not "pull him down syndrome" to involve the innocent DPM and the DFS in a matter that does not concern them? Has the financial memorandum guiding the financial transactions of the Local Government Councils not allowed the DPM, DFS and Chairman to prepare the payment schedule legally?These are questions begging for answers from the dissolved Supervisory Councillors.

On the issue of loyalty or lack of it, Comrade Dagyang posited that loyalty to any government in power is the minimum requirement for DFS, DPM and all civil servants of Jos South Local Government,who are to be seen to be working together for a harmonious, rapid socio-economic development of the Council.

He described the comments by the sacked Supervisory Councillors as uncalled for, malicious and aimed at causing division and mistrust in the APC as he wondered why technocrats were dragged into political matters in the guise to cause divisions along ethnic lines.He went on"For record purposes it was not only supervisory councillors of Jos South LGC that were sacked by the Plateau State House of Assembly, but why is Jos South the only LGC causing confusion and unnecessarily overheating the system in a COVID-19 Pandemic? Why are their counterparts in Riyom, Jos North and Barkin Ladi that were also dissolved not behaving the way that of Jos South are behaving?He said.

"Why didn't the supervisory Councillors call for the sack of the Management Committee Chairman when they were in office but are only suggesting such after the House of Assembly dissolved them,he queried.

He concluded by calling on the dissolved Councillors to honour the position of the Plateau State House of Assembly and stop parading themselves as supervisory councillors of Jos South Local Government Council as that translates to impersonation which is a criminal offence and may lead to prosecution.