To mark the occasion of his 61st birthday, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang presented brand new Exceed VX sport‑utility vehicles to first‑class traditional rulers, amid unheeded calls from some communities for the government to accord priority to basic social infrastructure, such as school buildings.
In a statement given to the governor on Thursday by Gyang Bere, Director of Press and Public Affairs, the state government revealed the vehicle presentation.
According to Mr. Bere, the SUVs were provided to Plateau State Council of Chiefs and Emirs members in order to improve their mobility and highlight the significance of traditional institutions in local government.
The announcement claims that the celebration of the governor’s birthday took place in the Old Government House in Rayfield, Jos.
What was done and why
According to Governor Mutfwang, traditional leaders are an essential component of contemporary society’s leadership structure. The present was developed in cooperation with the 17 local government councils, he said.
The governor was cited as saying, “There is no denying the fact that our traditional rulers have become part of the critical leadership structure of modern society.” He stated that plans were being made to create a special maintenance facility for the vehicles at a mechanical workshop that the government intends to revitalise, and that the gift was the first stage of larger initiatives to enhance the welfare of chiefs.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ephraim Usman, said the gesture reflected the administration’s commitment to repositioning traditional institutions. He pointed to progress in resolving long‑standing chieftaincy matters, filling vacant stools and selecting district and village heads with minimal litigation.
The chairman of the Plateau State Council of Chiefs and Emirs, Jacob Gyang, thanked the governor for the acknowledgement and called for more focus on the well-being of all traditional rulers as well as a speedier filling of vacancies.
Costs and scrutiny
According to Exeed model listings on the automobile price tracker, an Exeed VX would cost roughly N51 million in Nigeria.
17 of these cars cost little over N870 million, using that amount as a rough benchmark.
Meanwhile, Vincent Bulus, a prominent member of the Langtang South community, has made an appeal to build a primary school in Tanbol Sabongida Ward. Mr. Bulus explained how the community tried to construct makeshift classrooms out of mud and how kids were made to trek great distances.
Tanbol Sabongida Ward inhabitants in Langtang South Local Government Area are shown in a photo provided to Premium Times collaborating to increase the amount of space available for learning at Tanbol Sabongida Community Primary School, where students presently use temporary mud classrooms.
In the picture, women are seen fetching and pouring water to mix the mud, a customary building technique in many rural communities, while numerous men are seen shaping and stacking mud to create a circular hut that will function as a classroom. Nearby, children and other people watch the work being done.
This move has raised public concern and scrutiny with many wondering if this is simply a case of misplaced priority on the part of the plateau state governor, or clear cut lack of a sense of leadership and concern of the needs and interests of the people.
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