State of the StatesState of the States: Plateau State

State of the States: Plateau State

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February 27, (THEWILL) – Located in the North-Central geopolitical zone, Plateau State was created in 1976 out of the old Benue-Plateau State. Its capital and biggest town is Jos. Unlike other states in Nigeria, Plateau is surrounded by boundaries of elevated hills, thus giving it a unique geographical location. It is bounded by Kaduna and Bauchi States in the north; Taraba in the east, and Nasarawa in the south and west.

Weather conditions are warmer during the rainy season (April to October); and colder during the Harmattan season(December to February).The state is named after the picturesque Jos plateau, dubbed home of peace and tourism, a mountainous area in the northern part of the state with captivating rock formations and waterfalls. Bare rocks are scattered across the grasslands which cover the plateau. The area has experienced years of tin and columbite mining activities so much that it is strewn with deep gorges and lakes.

Restaurant and Bar

Glo

Although there are wooded valleys in the southeast, the vegetation is mostly open grassland (formerly wooded, but now with only occasional hedges of cacti and scattered trees), which is used for grazing and farming. The state is best known for its mining production. However, agriculture is the major occupation of the people. Acha (a grain known as ‘hungry rice’) and millet are the chief cash crops; yams, sorghum, corn (maize), potatoes, cowpeas, rice, fruits and vegetables are the staple crops.

Travels and Tourism
Travels and Tourism

Among the major exports of the state are hides and skins and cash crops like Irish potatoes, apples, grapes, wheat, barley and vegetables. The region produces about 200,000 tons of Irish potatoes annually. These crops are grown throughout the year, irrigated during the dry season.

Some traditional trades of the people include cloth dying, calabash carving, leather work, crafting. Fish farming has gradually become a major economic activity in the State. It has an established modern hatchery with a capacity to produce two million fingerlings of tilapia, carp and mudfish for sale to farmers. In addition to commercial fishery activity, there is also a pond fisheries consultancy service unit to stimulate private investment in fish farming to boost the industry.

Many industries have started to take advantage of the abundant raw materials in the state. These include Makeri Smelting Company, Kaolin industry in Barakin Ladi, Gold and Base, Exiands and Kaduna Prospectus and other agro-based types utilising local agricultural materials, such as NASCO Foods, NASCO Packs, Jos International Breweries, Northern Nigeria Fibre Products and Grand Cereal and Oil Mills Limited and a host of others.

Tourist sites

Crater lake

There are many places of tourist attractions. These include Shere Hills, Wase Rocks, Riyom rock formation, Kurra falls, Assop falls, She falls, Jos Wildlife Park, Jos Zoological Garden and Pandam Games Reserve. Others are Kurang volcanic mountain, Naraguta Leather Works, Helena Farm, Museum of Nigeria of traditional architect and the popular Jos Museum. There is also the Solomon Lar Amusement Park, Kwi Conical Hill, Kahwang Basaltic rock formation, Bal Hill Katui, Mining ponds/lakes and the Amuru Bird Sanctuary. The Am-pidong Crater Lake, Foron Sand Dunes, Jal bang Rock and Shendam artworks are places to visit.

Natural resources

The natural resources include ore of niobium associated with tin, tantalite, wolfram (tungsten), kaolin, zircon, and uranium. Others are Lead and iron ore, columbite, arytes, kaolin, zircon, monazite, marble, limestone, sphalerite, quartz, galena, glass sand, clay and gemstones.

Tin Mining and Production
Tin Mining and Production
Assop falls

Agric and Rural Development

The state through the Agric Services Training Centre and Marketing (ASTC&M) Limited train farmers to improve on their farming methods for better yield and profit. The state government has released funds for the repair of tractors and harvesters, including the upgrading of the Milky Way Diary Farm in Bokkos, which has been expanded. A new breed of Fresian cows has been stocked, a new processing line has also been installed and the general environment of the farm and factory has been upgraded. The production of yoghurt and other dairy products are going on to meet market demands.

Mechanised Farming
Mechanised Farming

“We offer training and have already trained over 4,000 farmers. We offer services in all aspects of agriculture both to small and large scale farmers. Our impact includes the number of Green Houses evident on the Plateau. Some of our trainees have gone beyond the state, building Green Houses for interested farmers,” the state government said.

FACT-FILE:

lalong caricature

LGA: 17

Land Area: 11,936sqmi

Registered businesses: 665

Public primary schools: 1,985 circa

Public secondary schools: 1,145 circa

University (3): Federal – 1, state – 1, private -1

Polytechnic: State – 1

College of Education (2): Federal -1, state – 1

College of Agriculture: Federal – 3

Nursing School (6): Federal – 5, private -1

School of Health Technology: State – 2

Technical school: State- 1

NTA TV College, 1

Film Institute 1

Airport: 1

Total Revenue: N54.76bn @ 2020

Total Tax: N17.11bn

IGR: N119.12bn @ 2020 (34.92% of total revenue)

FAAC: N35.64bn @ 2020 (65.08% of total revenue)

Domestic Debt: N137.77bn @ 2020

External Debt: $37.923m @ 2020

Unemployment rate: 26.15% @ 2020

Transportation
Transportation

Imperatives of Rethinking Development of Plateau

1. Rethinking Leadership: Plateau State requires an alternative leadership at this time in national history. The need of the hour is for a value based no excuse ethical visionary servant/father leadership with requisite competencies to engage the emerging context and possible futures that has the capacity to make or sink the state deeper into misery depending on the capacity of the leader and his or her team to reposition the state and steer it to safe harbor.

2. Rethinking Economic dependency on financing Economic growth: The convergence of triple waves- COVID-19, Climate Change and Recession in 2020 triggered a global economic crisis with attendant pressure on Nigeria’s oil dependent economy as global oil prices crashed resulting in low demand, low earnings from oil and shrinking of the national economy by 1.8 per cent in 2020. We note that Plateau State is dependent on oil revenues from the Federation Account to the tune of 73 per cent (Boston Consulting Group, Plateau state Development Strategy, 2019-2023). Plateau state is 33/36 in terms of state sustainability when compared with other states in the federation. Added to this is that Plateau State’s debt profile is unsustainable. The conclusion here is that without monthly Federal allocations Plateau state cannot survive. The emerging team of leadership needs to roll up their sleeves to begin the hard work.

3. Rethinking Development assumptions and growth path: The current oil-based economic development path, which Plateau State and indeed, all the states in Nigeria have followed historically, is unsustainable given the frequent changes in international oil prices and its effects on the economies of not only the Federal Government but also the economies of State governments. Additionally given the current transition to alternative energies, the implication is that Plateau state must develop and adopt an alternative logic to drive economic development. Plateau State needs to set forth a clear path for transitioning from an oil based economy in order to prepare the state to withstand the adverse winds which would emerge as global transitions are made from a linear fossil driven economy to a sustainable circular economic pathway. This it can do by developing and adopting a new Plateau State Green growth strategy.

4. Rethinking Plateau’s brand Assets: In 2013, a Finnish-American visited Plateau state and was so captivated by the Tomatoes produced in Jos given that its premium quality, fresh and clean. She became inspired to set up Tomato Jos An agro-processing venture in Kaduna. In 2020 the firm attracted $4.2 million investments while as at September 8th 2021 the firm received an additional N494 million grant from USAID-funded. What this says to us is that if Plateau state puts its act together the required financing can be secured. Beyond this is that the state has more than twenty five brand assets that can shift it from an oil dependent state. Tomato is just one. What about Jos eggs, Jos vegetables etc? The new team in Plateau State needs to arise early enough to being putting coherent plans in place there is a lot of work to do.

Food Processing
Food Processing

5. Rethinking Security: People often argue that the crisis in Jos scares investors. While business needs a secure environment, the assumption about the insecurity in Plateau state and investments is not completely true. From 2016-2021 Kaduna state with the more challenging security environment attracted $2.6billion Local and Foreign investment into the state. If investments can pour into Kaduna state in spite of the fact that the state is daily in the news for the wrong reasons, it implies that Plateau state’s emerging leadership needs to prepare to engage differently.

Hotels and Guest House
Hotels and Guest House

6. Rethinking Unity and diversity: Plateau State ethnic nationalities need to jettison the ‘small minded approach’ to managing the indigenous ethnicities and diversity. Tragically the past government through actions essentially was perceived as a ‘Berom government’, the current government is perceived as that of the ‘Ankwes (Shendam) and the Afizeres. This perception of sends a message that excludes rather than includes. The implication is that it becomes difficult to get the consensus needed to drive development.

7. Rethinking Faith: Plateau is a ‘religious’ capital of some sort to the extent that Christians and Muslims are ready to shed human blood for the sake of their religion. Tragically, this level of commitment and piety does not support development through providing the required ethical infrastructure to drive development. True faith cannot co-exist with the scandalous level of misery, poverty, pain and injustice manifest in the state.

8. Rethinking innovation and development: Plateau state has a vibrant, creative and innovative youth population. The state should leverage on its innovative youth population to seed a culture of innovation driven by a knowledge economy.

• Courtesy: Samuel DanAuta Kyarshik

Challenging Factors: Insecurity, communal clashes, closed businesses, poor road networks, multiple taxes.

*** BY SAM DIALA & OLAYEMI SHABA

About the Author

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Sam Diala is a Bloomberg Certified Financial Journalist with over a decade of experience in reporting Business and Economy. He is Business Editor at THEWILL Newspaper, and believes that work, not wishes, creates wealth.

Sam Diala, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Sam Diala is a Bloomberg Certified Financial Journalist with over a decade of experience in reporting Business and Economy. He is Business Editor at THEWILL Newspaper, and believes that work, not wishes, creates wealth.

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