After years of neglect, Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has absorbed over 700 ad-hoc staff of state-owned tertiary institutions, a gesture described as a triumph of justice over years of neglect.

For workers who had served for a decade, on stipends barely enough to keep body and soul together, this was the long-awaited dawn after a very long night.
For too long, Plateau’s tertiary institutions operated like engines running on borrowed fuel.
A crippling employment embargo dating back to 2007 had left a gaping hole in manpower, forcing institutions to rely on temporary, casual, and part-time staff as a stopgap measure.
What was supposed to be a temporary patch became, for many, a permanent burden. It was a case of “water carrying firewood on its head”, a contradiction sustained only by the resilience of those who refused to abandon their posts.
These were men and women who taught, supervised, examined, and supported academic activities while earning between N6,000 and N15,000.

In spite of the paltry sums, they soldiered on decade after decade, hoping that one day, the wind of justice would blow in their favour.
But when Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang took the reins of leadership, the situation changed.
Gyang Bere, Director of Press and Public Affairs to the Executive Governor of Plateau State, said from the moment he assumed office in May 2023, Governor Mutfwang made it clear that Plateau State under his watch would not sweep injustice under the carpet.
He discovered what many had whispered about: hurried, last-minute employments carried out by the previous administration, an exercise riddled with irregularities, where many unqualified individuals found their way into the system through the back door, while the true labourers in the vineyard, for too long, were left out in the cold.

Describing the situation as “immoral, ungodly, and unjust,” Governor Mutfwang suspended the entire exercise in line with the recommendation of a Committee that reviewed the exercise. It was a decision that raised eyebrows, but leadership is not for the faint-hearted. He chose the narrow path of justice over the broad road of political expediency.
The governor instituted a transparent and merit-driven review.
According to Bere, those who were qualified were reinstated, and at long last, those who had given Plateau State their youth, energy, and intellect were absorbed into the mainstream service.
Over 700 long-serving ad-hoc staff now hold in their hands what had eluded them for up to 23 years: formal employment and the dignity that accompanies it.
One of the beneficiaries said, “Where we were ignored, he visited us. Where we were segregated, he embraced us. Where we faced marginalisation, Governor Mutfwang restored us.”

The governor’s gesture goes far beyond correcting employment anomalies; it speaks to the very soul of governance. It says to every Plateau citizen, “If you work hard, your labour will not be in vain. No one will be left behind.” In a nation where many have resigned themselves to fate, this is a breath of fresh air.
And the results are already visible. Plateau Polytechnic has risen from 3,000 to 9,000 student enrollments.
The College of Education now boasts approval for 19 new degree programmes. Accreditation hitches that once crippled tertiary institutions have been tackled head-on, and qualified leadership now sits at the helm of these schools.
In absorbing these 700 staff, Governor Mutfwang has not merely offered employment; he has restored dignity.
He has demonstrated that leadership is, indeed, about listening, about compassion, and about doing the right thing even when it is unpopular. As the saying goes, “The truth may walk slowly, but it always arrives.”

This landmark decision has also rekindled hope across Plateau State.
The beneficiaries have pledged loyalty, gratitude, and renewed commitment. Their symbolic dress in white during their courtesy visit to the Governor said it all, victory over despair, light over darkness.
Plateau State today stands on firmer ground because a leader chose the path of fairness. And as the dust settles, one thing is clear: Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang is not just building institutions; he is building confidence, restoring faith, and planting seeds for a future in which hard work is rewarded, and justice is not a privilege, but a guarantee.

In the end, what has happened is more than an administrative correction; it is a moral triumph. And for the more than 700 families now lifted out of years of uncertainty, the Governor’s intervention will forever remain a symbol of hope.
Indeed, as Plateau State turns this important chapter, it can boldly say: “A new dawn has broken, and the future looks brighter as the promises of God.”