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Jayfm Commentary: Governor Lalong’s Call for Justice for the People of Plateau State

Written by on June 29, 2022

Today’s commentary is on Governor Simon Lalong’s call for justice for the people of Plateau state as written by the News and Current Affairs Department of Jay FM

The call by the Plateau state Governor Simon Lalong for judges in the state to ensure justice for the people calls for serious attention .

Lalong was speaking recently at the swear in ceremony of four new judges for the state high court and a Khadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal which took place at the Rayfield new Government House in Jos

Apart from advising the judges to ensure that the people of Plateau state get justice ,Lalong also urged them to consider their duty as a public trust given to them by God to represent him in the affairs of men

The governor equally urged the newly appointed judges to endeavour to stay true to their Oath of Office and discharge their duties with the fear of God and without fear, favour, affection or ill-will.

The importance and expectation of the role of the judges in ensuring that the people of Plateau state get justice , cannot be over -emphasized.

However, the attainment of this laudable objective is to be seen in the wider context of the crucial role of the executive of the government if the desired result is to be achieved .

It has been stated by several experts and Commentators that one of the major factors frustrating justice for the people is the untidy manner in which the executive arm ,most times , implement government policies and programmes including judicial pronouncements .

This has led to a situation where the people increasingly seem to lose faith in government policies and programmes

The executive arm of the government under Governor Simon Lalong must abandon lip service and adopt a more serious approach in matching it’s words with actions .

That way, it can not only ensure justice for the people but also makes it easier to build the confidence and support of the people in the affairs of the government

Not too long ago,Governor Simon Lalong had in October 2020 set up a judicial panel of inquiry to investigate allegations of police brutality and other related killings in the state following the EndSARS protest across the country.

While Submitting the reports at a dinner to mark the June 12 Democracy Day which held at the Rayfield Government House in Jos , the chairman of the panel, Justice Philomena Lot, noted that out of a total of 63 petitions that were tried during their sitting, 11 of them were struck out while 52 were determined.

The report which awarded N152.8m as general damages to victims also indicated that there were established evidences of abuse of human rights of the citizens by security agencies owing to their excesses in the performance of their jobs.

Justice Lot called on the governor to implement the recommendations and ensure that the victims receive adequate compensation for the injustice suffered.

Sadly ,more than one year after the report was submitted ,the recommendations of the panel are yet to be implemented while the victims of the police brutality are yet to get justice .

Global human rights advocacy group, Amnesty International, a few days ago decried the government’s insincerity in its fight against brutality, noting that it had continued to document credible testimonies of torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment by security agencies such as the police, military, and the State Security Services.

Apart from the issue of the victims of the police brutality,there are also the issue of the non-reconstruction of the burnt Jos Main market as well as the non completion of the ultra modern stadium at Zaria Road begging for justice from the governor who had made several promises in the past to complete same without fulfilment .

Also yet to receive justice from the governor is the abandoned Utonkon flyover bridge behind the Plateau state Polytechnic linking the Abbattoir community in Jos and other numerous abandoned bridges in Riyom LGA and other rural communities in the state .

The lists of projects begging for justice from Governor Lalong abound in different parts of the state including the modern primary and secondary schools, and hospitals embarked upon by his administration across the 17 Local government areas of the state tagged Legacy projects as well as the remodelling of NUJ Secretariat Jos,just to mention a few.

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What about the incidences of kidnapping and allegations of land grabbing going on in some communities ?

Justice is the constant and perpetual will to alot to every man his due and Charity ,they say,begins at home.


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