Plateau State Governor-elect, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, has outlined the strategies and plans he has to tackle insecurity, killings and other security challenges in the state.
Mutfwang who revealed his action plans in an interview with Channels Television on Saturday ahead of the May 29 handover ceremony, admitted that though the task ahead of his administration is a herculean one, he is determined to nip insecurity and mindless killings in the bud.
“Unfortunately, sadly enough it is my local government,” Mutfwang said, alluding to last week attacks on some communities in Mangu where more than 100 people were killed.
“The people that have been killed are my people even though everybody on the Plateau are my people.
“Certainly, we knew all along that this was not going to be a walk in the park, this was not going to be an easy task and by the grace of God we are determined.
“One of the things we promised our people when we were campaigning was that we are going to demonstrate leadership and by that we are going to take some very tough decisions.
“We are going to look into the issues very dispassionately and we are going to confront the issues and come up with solutions.
“Of course, I do not have the magic wand and by the grace of God, together with the people, we are going to think through our issues and come up with home grown solutions that confront us.
“We are going to give leadership, we are going to show the people that we have the political will to take the decisions that are necessary to take the state forward,” Mutfwang who was a one-time Chairman of Mangu council said.
“It would be an injustice to the people who were killed to call the killings a clash or a reprisal. I want to address it from the criminal angle of it.
“One of the things we promised our people is that we are going to be strong on the rule of law. It doesn’t matter who commits crime irrespective of where you belong, we will have to deal with it headlong.
“Like they say, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Since the declaration, we have been thinking, strategizing and putting our plans together. The weight of the assignment is beginning to dawn.
“I come in with empathy. My trajectory has been one that has prepared me for service.
“I have been a people-oriented person all my life and I have been in a position to bear the burden of people, therefore, nothing prepares you in life than to know that people know they can trust you and that you will be there for them,” he said.
