Plateau council boss moves to address infrastructure deficit

…. Inaugurates committee on palliative

DANIEL DAUDA, Jos

In an effort to address the infrastructure deficit and improve socio-economic wellbeing, the management committee chairman of Bassa Local Government Council in Plateau State, Hon.Fidelis Adara, has embarked on a rehabilitation project of Jebbu Bassa road.

Our correspondent observed that the Jebbu Bassa road which was constructed during Senator Jonah Jang’s administration is in a sorry state.

The situation has placed a serious threat and challenges to people effective means of livelihood as result of deteriorating condition of the road.

Speaking to newsmen after inspection of ongoing Jebbu Bassa road rehabilitation project, Hon.Fidelis Adara acknowledged that the initiative will materialize and bring succors to the people age long suffering.

“I am much satisfy with the company who are helping us to fixed the road because they doing according to specification.

“As you can see every body is happy when we mobilized the company on site because the people understand that at the end of the day their means of livelihood and economic wellbeing would be boosted,” he said.

The management committee chairman further said, “We have already made intervention by initiating clearance of Says market in Pengana chiefdom for marketers to access more space for ease of doing business.

“We also have plans of rehabilitating one of the clinic facility in Miango, Irigwe chiefdom. When we came on board we found out that the budget is not capturing most of this things. So, we are trying to prepare a supplementary budget in which after the approval it can enable us do one or two things,” he added.

He said the emergence of Governor Caleb Mutfwang to pilot the affairs of Plateau is timely, considering the fact that infrastructure is in bad shape and economic activities is gradually picking up.

“I wouldn’t have initiated this project if not because of the governor that found me worthy and appointed me as transition committee chairman of Bassa and gave me mandate to go ahead with the project.

“We paid May and June salaries, and were hoping payment that of July. We also order director of water sanitation to fumigate the council Secretariat and clear the surrounding to enable workers have a conducive environment to work following the unsealing of council Secretariats by the commissioner of Police.

While on inauguration of palliative committee, Hon Fidelis Adara, said the constitution of the committee is in line with the directive from the State Government to cushion the effects of hunger among vulnerable group in the state.Government provide 3,000 bags of rice to shared for poorest of the poor across the 17 Local Government in the state.

He said the constitution of committee consists of Chairman Bassa traditional council, chairmen of Irigwe, Rukuba and Pengana chiefdoms as well as CAN and JNI.Noting that similar committee would be replicated in the 16 wards of the locality.

The site engineer of Ric Rock Construction company handling Jebbu Bassa road rehabilitation project, Oyekanmi Abiola,admits the total distance of the road is 4.7km, “as you can from the point 00, we have started filling potholes and we covered half a kilometer of laying the stone based and upgraded the dilapidated area for people to motorized themselves.

“Though there are challenges doing a project of such magnitude during a rainy season, but we hope to finish the work in good timeframe.”

The National president of Irigwe Development Association,Prince Robert Dodo who spoke on behalf of the palliative committee members,assured to be transparent,faithful and equity, “so that every body would be reached out to the poorest of the poor which items meant for them regardless of sentiment. We will not fail government in this regard.”