Plateau Liaison Complex: Between Jang and Dariye

Jona Jang, left and Joshua Dariye

Isaac Shobayo writes on the controversy among associates of former Governor Joshua Dariye and Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State over who should take credit for the completion of the state’s liaison office in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The assertion that government is a continuous process is yet to be embraced by the political class, especially those in positions of authority in Nigeria. This gives credence to why those at the helm of affairs at the local, state and federal level often rush to complete projects embarked upon towards the end of their tenure. They engage in this primarily to prevent those coming behind from claiming the glory of projects they initiated.

Apart from this, it is a common practice among newly-elected political office holders to discredit their predecessors on frivolous grounds for cheap political score. Some, in the past, had gone to the extent of demolishing projects or abandon works initiated by their predecessors, forgetting that the act of governance is a continuous process. In the past two weeks, aides of former Governor Joshua Dariye of Plateau State and those of the present governor, Jonah Jang, have been engaging one another in a war of altercation over completed Plateau Liaison Complex in Abuja. The state government, in an advertorial recently, ranged the project among those completed by the Jang-led administration, while some political associates of the former governor claimed that it was on the verge of inauguration before they left office in May last year.

Nigerian Tribune’s findings revealed that the idea of the project was conceived in 2002 by the Dariye-led administration and the contract was awarded the same year to Eagle Construction Company to execute the work within one year.

Commissioner for Information under Dariye, Yakubu Dati, who is currently media consultant to the former governor, in his position over who constructed the liaison complex, declared that the contract for the work was awarded at N1,191, 872,258:05 and that over N1 billion was released to the construction company before Dariye left office. He said the job was about 90 per cent completed and at the stage of painting before the administration left in May 2007.

But the bone of contention between the former administration and the present one is the stage at which the Jang-led administration met the project and the amount sunk into it by both administrations. The present administration, through its Commissioner for Works, Mr. Solomon Zang, said all the claims of the previous administration on the project were fraught with mischief and calculated attempt to discredit the Jang-led administration in the state.

Though he admitted that the project was initiated by Dariye, he debunked the assertion that it was at painting stage when the present administration came to power. Zang said at the time the government waded in to complete the work, it was about 45 per cent completed and that it was abandoned by the contractor. According to him, because of the interest the government has in the project and in line with the policy of Jang-led administration to complete all the abandoned projects inherited, the administration picked the liaison house as one of those to be completed as soon as possible.

He said the government ordered Eagle Construction Company back to site, paid it the money the former administration was owing it and further injected a total sum of N800 million in the project for it to be completed. He added that based on available, record on the work, the contract was awarded at a cost of N1.2 billion.

The commissioner said the administration had never claimed to be the originator of the project, but he added that in a situation whereby the government took over the project and completed it within a reasonable period of time, it should be commended for a job well done.

“We are not competing with the Dariye-led administration and there is even no basis for comparison. The project was awarded by it, but later abandoned. When we came in, it was about 45 per cent completed and because of its viability to the state and in line with the policy of this administration to complete all the projects inherited, Governor Jang took up the project and completed with a lot of modifications to meet required standard,” he said.

The Former Commissioner for Information, Dati, who equally admitted that government is a continuous process, however, added that it was wrong for any administration to claim a project it inherited at about 98 per cent completion as part of its achievement within one year in office.

“The belief of this administration in Plateau State is that Dariye did not do anything while in office. We have the picture and the video clips of various stages of the construction of the project. At the time we left office, the building was at the stage of painting. One wonders how such a colossal amount of money was further injected into the project. The people of Plateau State need to ask questions on the project.

“Before he left office, Dariye gave the project its deserved attention. He built it without taking a loan, “ he declared. But Zang insisted that there was no iota of truth in the claim of Dariye’s aide, saying that the project had been lingering for over six years before the administration of Jang came to power. He added that the truth of the matter was known to the people of Plateau State and beyond. He said Jang’s critics were just ridiculing themselves because “the facts are there for everybody to asses and judge.”

Oppion is, however, divided, especially among the political class, on who actually completed the project. But what is of paramount importance to average Plateau State man is the completion of the edifice and not who completed it. A human rights activist, who is also the Assistance Secretary, Plateau Professionals, Dr. Ibrahim Musa, told the Nigerian Tribune that the controversy over who completed the Abuja Liaison Complex was nothing but an ego war between Dariye’s and Jang‘s political associates.

Musa added that there was a similar controversy in 2002 when the former governor invited the former governor of Nasarawa State, Abdulahi Adamu, to inaugurate Azi Nyako Youth Centre and Paul Gindiri overhead bridge in Dadin Kowa area of Jos. He said the assumption and belief of many people in the state then was that Chief Dariye did nothing on the youth centre, but simply renovated it for inauguration, while the overhead bridge he claimed to have constructed was a public relations project from a construction company.

According to him, what would be of interest to Plateau State people is the usefulness of the edifice to the state. He implored both the state government and its predecessor to lay their cards on the table to clear all the grey areas, “more so that there are conflicting figures over the money paid for the project.” It is gratifying to know, however, according to the Nigerian Tribune’s finding, that the controversial project is billed for inauguration by the end of this Month in Abuja by President Umaru Yar’Adua.