Plateau State Governor and Chairman of Northern Governors Forum, Simon Lalong, said Nigeria can get out of the current woes only if issues of poverty, corruption, insecurity and inadequate infrastructure are frankly tackled.
He stated this yesterday in Jos at the 2nd National Summit on Peaceful Coexistence and Nation Building with a theme: “Leadership and Good
Governance: Bedrock for Peaceful Coexistence,” organised by Da’awah Coordination Council of Nigeria (DCCN), and held at the Hill Station Hotel, Jos, Plateau State.
“The current challenges of poverty, corruption, insecurity and inadequate infrastructure across our country, certainly call for sincere and frank discourse that will motivate us to action in finding lasting solutions,” he said. “So much of our challenges as a nation have been blamed on poor leadership and bad governance, which increase the tendencies for conflicts, insecurity and unrest, while at the same time exacerbating poverty and desperation among the people.”
He noted that when he assumed office, Plateau was devastated by the crisis that deeply divided the citizens along religious, ethnic and political lines, as well as, brought economic activities to an all-time low.
He added that his administration has set the tone for healing and reconciliation, through confidence building, driven by all-inclusive governance, which has facilitated peace-building that reduced mistrust among the people.
He expressed excitement that the efforts have yielded positive results that have endeared many states to Plateau, to come and learn, seeing that the state is fast regaining its status as the home of peace and tourism.
