MY GOVERNOR MUST REMAIN MY GOVERNOR

MY GOVERNOR MUST REMAIN MY GOVERNOR....

*6th Edition:*

*GOV. LALONG AND THE PRAXIS OF EXPANSIONARY POLICY.*

*Dear You.....*

Often times, what is construed as a state's policy, is a derivative of the leader's philosophy and often times what shapes a leader's philosophy are a combination of favourable/unfavourable political and economic circumstances. Governor Simon Lalong assumed the leadership of Plateau State at a time when the state's economy was grappling for survival in the turbulent waters of recession; a time the National Debt Management Regime, officially, declared Plateau State an insolvent state and our revenue posture by national index, was the worst ever, in history.

Plateau People started preparing their minds for the worst: fiscal consolidation and welfare retrenchment, as cost containment alternatives, were already being considered at different quarters. These are two extreme cyclical policies considered as the worst night mares to citizens, which some started asking if at all MY GOVERNOR can equally PAY SALARIES because their harsh distributional impacts are expressed through economic hardship with tortuous survival.

Plateau State citizens who were aware of the circumstances expected Governor Lalong to even carry out retrenchment of workers to keep the state running. If Gov. Lalong had opted for this, he could have attracted what's called *"down-sizing"*.

On the contrary, Governor Lalong saw no sense in shrinking a State's Civil Service which has been aging for the past 10 years without general employment to overhaul it; he saw that further obnoxious policies like increased levies/taxes and retrenchment will finally cripple a people that were already made weary by the economic harshness occasioned by the trending recession in his time; he saw no sense in shifting the burden of recession upon the shoulders of citizens when the state's shoulders as government is large and strong enough to bear the weight of recession.

He saw that when too much burden is placed upon the people, the unbearable economic condition would likely result in systemic distress with social tension and vices as symptoms. The Governor later merged some ministries together E.g merger of ministries of *Housing, Urban development and Town Planning etc.*

The engagement of more than 1000 people in the process of government expansion E.g *New Employment & Reabsorption of some Sacked Teachers across the State, Reabsorption of sacked PRTV staffs, Appointment of more than 200 Plateau youths into various offices of Government.* and many more to reduced the burden of dependants in many families across the State and increased the volume of cash in circulation which shielded the state from the prevalent revenue shocks because, unlike before, businesses started recording high yields of profits from rapid turnovers. *Even Churches gave testimonies of how their offerings and tithes have tripled within this period of government expansion which had made many churches proceed into executing prioritized projects without going through the rigours of fund raising.*

Consequently, *Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong {My Governor} brought in the concept of government revitalizing some companies in the state such as the *FERTILIZER BLENDING COMPANY IN BOKKOS, with our state owned fertilizer now one of the best fertilizer in Nigeria. And then the HIGHLAND BOTTLING COMPANY at BARKIN/LADI now producing {GOV.WATER} which is now in circulation everywhere within and outside Nigeria* & other numerous projects, with many youths on the Plateau now employed.

Now tell me, *WHY CANT MY GOVERNOR REMAIN MY GOVERNOR TILL 2023??*

The spill over's of Rt. Hon. Simon Lalong's expansionary policies are numerous:

No wonder, So many people keep asking, *"how has Gov. Simon Bako Lalong sustained Plateau State thus far?" I then say to them... *"MY GOVERNOR IS CAPABLE, AND WILL STILL REMAIN MY GOVERNOR TILL-2023.*

*I'M S.S-MANI*
*An Eligible Voter*