Lalong charges citizens not to de-market Plateau

Receives biker, promises to kick out polio
Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, has urged citizens and business organisations in the state to be good ambassadors and avoid carelessly de-marketing the state on account of a minor unpleasant incident.

Speaking at the inauguration of a new production plant of Nasco Foods Limited in Jos, Lalong said that social media news, which creates fear and anxiety, discourages prospective investors from doing business in the state.

“Fortunately, we are glad that Nasco resisted this temptation over the years and, today, it is the leading manufacturing company not only in Plateau but in the country,” the governor said.

According to him, the government has, in the past seven years, demonstrated its belief in skill-based empowerment that stimulates entrepreneurship.

He added: “That is why we have spared no effort in strengthening agencies such as Plateau Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (PLASMEDA) to teach our youths entrepreneurship, to reduce unemployment and crime on our streets.

“We have partnered with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to ensure that more people are captured and given a new lease of life. The Rescue Administration also embarked on reinvigorating moribund technical and vocational schools as well as building new ones.”

In his welcome remarks, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nasco Group of Nigeria, Dr. Attia Nasreddin, described the occasion as a genuine movement, which the firm worked hard for.

MEANWHILE, the governor has received Diaspora Biker, Kunle Adeyanju, who rode from London to Nigeria.

Adeyanju, who was in Jos at the weekend as part of his advocacy for the fight against polio, met the governor at the oldest Golf Course in Nigeria, Rayfield 1913.

He said that he was still going around the country to encourage Nigerians to keep doing what they were doing to fight against polio and exterminate it.

The biker stressed that, recently, polio was recorded in the United Kingdom.

“Therefore, it is very important for the country to sustain its efforts to permanently kick polio out of Nigeria, never to return,” Adeyanju pointed out.

Lalong congratulated him on a successful trip from London and welcomed him to Plateau, describing him as a hero and worthy ambassador of the nation.

The governor also appreciated his efforts in fighting against polio, a disease, he said, did a lot of damage to Nigeria and took a very long time to be brought under control.

He disclosed that, as a Rotarian, he is a major donor in the fight against polio.