Member of the Plateau State Diaspora Development Association (PSDDA) United States of America has berated the reported position of stakeholders for the rebuilding of the Jos main market. This position was contained in a Communiqué issues by the group and signed by her Secretary Moses Dachen and made available to this medium on Thursday 11th August 2022.
According to the group, they commended any effort towards such a venture and appreciate every step taken to actualize the goal of reconstruction of the burnt down Jos Main Market. Adding that they also recognize that a public venture such as this requires the buy-in of the public, believing that it is with this desire that the PLSG initiated stakeholders consultations to gather opinion and suggestions from the good people of Plateau.
According to the, it is common knowledge that the majority of Plateau people disagree with the terms of reference as contained in the MoU for the reconstruction of the JMM. In their own words “As major stakeholders in
the Plateau project, they also had the opportunity of voicing our strong opposition during a virtual town hall meeting we had with PLSG as to the terms of contract contained in the MoU”.
Stressing thus that “We flatly rejected several aspects of the contract and offered an alternative solution to our state government. We proposed to PLSG to work with its sons and daughters in Diaspora to generate the funds needed for this project. We assured our government that we are willing to crowd fund the needed resources amongst ourselves and we hoped this gesture would be allowed to be tested”.
The group noted that they ended their meeting with assurances from the officials of PLSG that they would look into all the concerns we raised and our position as well as the position of many well meaning Plateau citizens. They stressed that they were assured that consultations are ongoing and concerns raised would be considered before any decision would be taken.
They however expressed displeasure in the events that followed. In their own words “…it is with great dismay that we are reading in print media a position put forward by the PLSG claiming that “Stakeholders endorse the rebuilding of JMM.” They wondered if all the concerns raised were already addressed, while also inquiring who the stakeholders that endorsed the project were. They further questioned if their position as stakeholders did not matter and why did the officials of PLSG consulted their opinion in the first place.
The group wondered why the Plateau State Government would refuse the offer from Plateau Indigenes in Diaspora
without any cogent reason, wondering if there is any hidden motive why the state government is ramming
through throats a project Plateau people are clearly not in support of.
They asked if the PLSG is indebted to an
unknown benefactor and are using the JMM project as a ploy to pay back its debts, while also questioning what the
State Government was hiding from the good people of Plateau state.
Stressing that these and many more questions deserve answers and it will behoove on the Plateau State Government to honestly address these concerns first before pushing through with an unpopular project. They
warned that any attempt by the handlers of the State Government to ignore their concerns, would be at its own peril. They also warned any contractor that would deliberately accept to work on a contentious project such as this to have a rethink, stressing that there will be consequences if the concerns of Plateau people are thrown to the wind.
In their own words “Lastly, we want to warn any government official or individuals against pushing this project as is with no modification to accommodate the concerns of our people. Any attempt to ignore our
concerns and the general outcry of our people would be met with stiff resistance. It would be in
the interest of those in government to continue to explore dialogue on this subject.”
In conclusion, the group called on Plateau people to continue to support meaningful and people oriented projects and government policies but never be cowed into submission to agendas clearly designed to continue to subjugate our collective interest.
Nigeria Star News 