The Commissioner of Housing and Urban Development in Plateau State, Hon. Joshua Ubandoma Laven, has stated that Governor Caleb Muftwang is disturbed about infrastructural decay in the state and distortion of the master plan of the state capital.
Laven, who stated this while taking over at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, JD Gomwalk Secretariat, Jos said one of the mandates given to him was to restore the lost glory of the state capital as one of the clean capitals in Nigeria.
According to him, the present administration cannot afford to fold its arms going by the rate at which the state capital is being defaced through unauthorized structures in every nook and cranny of Jos and other major cities within the state.
Laven, who assured that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development would hit the ground running to actualize the mandate given to him by the governor, added that the ministry will equally ensure that it secures befitting accommodation for the number of citizens of the state.
“Governor Muftwang is the number one citizen of the state, and therefore we should not hold him to ransom.” We should ensure that his accommodation is our priority so that we can get the best from him”.
The Commissioner challenged the people of the state to obey the laid-down procedures for erecting structures, stressing that nobody should erect buildings anyhow just because he or she owned land.
According to him, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) must give approval before erection of any structures. He said the responsibility of the Ministry is to beautify the state capital, adding that they do not want the state capital to be clumsy with shanties.
Laven further pointed out that the Ministry has been redundant for a very long time. He argued that the development is not healthy for the state, stressing that that is one of the main reasons why government structures are in a delipidated stage in the state.
According to him, Governor Caleb Mutfwang is poised to see that he leaves the state better than he found it and to improve the city infrastructure, which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
“We are going to bring back the old glory of Jos and beautify it as a modern city that people will admire. They will come and enjoy the ambience of the good climate.”
“So I want us to be committed to giving our best. We are behind schedule now. We want to start immediately so that the state will regain its lost glory in at least His Excellency’s 100 days in office.” Laven said.
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