Abandoned project: When will the ‘remodeling’ of Plateau NUJ Secretariat be completed?

In November 2019 when the Plateau State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of the State and Chairman Northern State Governors Forum, Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong approved the sum of N33 million for the renovation of the old Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Plateau Chapter, Journalists in the state received the news of the historic development with joy.

The Plateau NUJ Secretariat, also known as the Press Centre Jos, is one of the oldest building that was neglected over the years by the past governments in the state, while other states like neighbouring Bauchi and Nasarawa enjoys new structures and intervention of their respective governments.

Governor Lalong must be commended for his timely intervention towards giving the old structure a face lift, by remodeling it into a modern edifice. Lalong, is the first elected governor of the state to have visited the NUJ Secretariat several times before and even now that he is still in office.

Lalong has on several occasions commended the professional conduct of Journalists in the state and lauded the efforts of the men of the pen in promoting Peace and peaceful co-existence in the state through their objective and balanced reportage.

During the visit of the NUJ National President Mr Chris Isiguzo to the State Lalong noted that the partnership that exists between his administration and journalists in the state and the nation at large has contributed significantly to the restoration of peace on the Plateau and facilitated the needed cooperation and support from citizens towards government programmes and projects.

He also described journalists as key partners in democracy, adding that his administration has enjoyed a cordial working relationship with the NUJ in the State

“I have received the cooperation of journalists in Plateau State since assuming office as they have freely reported us without any confrontation. We always take their criticism in good faith and explain to them why we take certain decisions. We believe that the people have the right to contribute to governance,”

However, In spite the accolades recieved by the Captain of the Rescue administration, Journalists in the state are worried that the NUJ Secretariat projects which is almost 90% completion has been abandoned by the contractor for lack of payment.

Majority, if not all, have expressed deep concern and fear that another raining season will displaced them out of the building.

Governor Lalong had in April last year, during an on-the-spot assessment of the abandoned project promised to commission same by last year June.

It is a known fact that the remodelling of the Press Centre, if completed and commissioned would become the envy of journalists all over the country. However, only a little more work needs to be done to render it whole.

Our findings show that what is outstanding is majorly the finishing and furnishing of the structure, which would not cost much.

Having completed 90% of the work, Plateau journalists are optimistic that this bit of it would be completed within the shortest time possible. As they hopefully look forward to its completion, they believe that this would finally release to them those major revenue streams which had dried up since the commencement of the project in 2019.

The completion of this project will no doubt unleash the huge potentials of the Press Centre which had laid untapped in the past decades. And the credit for this would go, in great measure, to Governor Simon Bako Lalong.