Civic Accountability · Nigeria

NGScorecard

Previously in Plateau:
Term report
15
Total tracked
10
Kept
1
Partial / mixed
4
Broken
Kept
Partial / mixed
Broken
In progress
Security
Restore peace between farming and herding communities
Broken
The promise
Promised to build on the relative calm of his early tenure and durably end the cycle of intercommunal farmer-herder violence that has recurred across Plateau's southern local governments.
Assessment
Relative peace in the administration's first years was shattered by a June 2018 coordinated attack on villages in Barkin Ladi and Riyom that killed between 86 (police-confirmed) and over 150 (community estimates) people, and renewed Irigwe-Fulani clashes in Bassa LGA killed at least 100 more between January and August 2021. The underlying conflict was never durably resolved during his eight-year tenure.
Infrastructure
Rehabilitate and expand Plateau's road network
Kept
The promise
Promised extensive road rehabilitation and new infrastructure to reverse years of urban and rural road decay.
Assessment
The administration delivered the British American Flyover, dualised the road to Lamingo Junction Roundabout with new street lighting, rehabilitated the Rayfield-Zarmaganda road, and ran an 'Operation Zero Pothole' township road programme.
Education
Reverse teacher sackings and rebuild the education workforce
Kept
The promise
Promised to reverse what his administration characterised as unjust mass teacher dismissals under the previous government and rebuild the state's teaching workforce.
Assessment
The administration recalled over 2,000 teachers sacked under the Jang government and separately recruited and retrained 4,800 primary school teachers, alongside constructing 639 primary and junior secondary school classrooms.
Education
Expand Plateau State University, Bokkos
Kept
The promise
Promised to invest in tertiary education infrastructure, including the state's own university.
Assessment
The administration secured accreditation for 17 courses at Plateau State University, Bokkos, established faculties of Health Sciences, Environmental Science, Law, and Agriculture, and allocated ₦500 million toward the university's infrastructural development.
Labour
Pay salary and pension arrears inherited from the Jang administration
Kept
The promise
Promised to clear the roughly eight months of salary arrears and twelve months of pension arrears inherited at handover, and to keep workers paid promptly going forward.
Assessment
Lalong's administration says it settled the inherited arrears and did not default on salary or pension payments through to its final months in office, a claim publicly reiterated by the Governor as a signature commitment fulfilled.
Governance
Win a second term to continue the administration's agenda
Kept
The promise
Sought re-election in the March 2019 governorship poll.
Assessment
Lalong won the 9 March 2019 election with 595,582 votes over PDP's Jeremiah Useni. Useni's petition alleging Lalong presented a fraudulent certificate was dismissed by the Tribunal, the Court of Appeal, and finally the Supreme Court.
Economy
Manage state finances responsibly and reduce debt exposure
Partial
The promise
Promised prudent fiscal management to bring down the roughly ₦222 billion debt inherited from the Jang administration in 2015.
Assessment
Lalong's supporters say the administration never defaulted on debt service and handed over a verified debt stock of about ₦201.2 billion as of April 2023. His successor, Governor Caleb Mutfwang, disputed this and said his administration inherited ₦307 billion — a gap the two camps have never publicly reconciled.
Infrastructure
Complete the flagship ₦50 billion legacy infrastructure projects
Broken
The promise
Committed to delivering a set of flagship 'legacy projects' valued at roughly ₦50 billion as signature achievements of the administration.
Assessment
A coalition of civil society groups said in May 2024 that the ₦50 billion legacy projects were abandoned unfinished and remained the subject of litigation with the contractors involved, and called on the EFCC to investigate.
Governance
Ensure transparent handling of civil servants' deducted taxes
Broken
The promise
Implicit obligation to properly remit taxes deducted from civil servants' salaries to the appropriate revenue authorities.
Assessment
The same May 2024 civil society petition alleged that roughly ₦17 billion deducted from civil servants' salaries as Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax between 2015 and 2023 could not be accounted for, and asked the EFCC to investigate.
Governance
Ensure accountable local government administration
Broken
The promise
Implicit commitment to oversee local government administration transparently and hold council officials accountable for public funds.
Assessment
During Lalong's second term, the Plateau State 9th House of Assembly suspended 17 local government chairmen over allegations of financial misappropriation — a scale of local-government accountability breakdown that civil society groups later cited as grounds for a broader EFCC probe of the administration.
Transport
Road Infrastructure (300+ km, Dualisation, Flyovers)
Kept
The promise
Promised road dualisation, flyovers, and rural road construction across Plateau State.
Assessment
Dualised Adopada-Ado Ekiti Road (major corridor), township roads in Jos, dualised Iworoko Road, constructed Ikere-Ekiti township roads, rural feeder roads across 16 LGAs. 6-Point Agenda included road network as driver of economic growth.
Education
Education (Free education, School renovations, Plateau State University)
Kept
The promise
Promised free education at primary/secondary, school renovations, and Plateau State University upgrade.
Assessment
Free education at primary/secondary. Schools renovated. Plateau State University upgraded. Free WAEC/NECO. Teacher recruitment.
Health
Health Infrastructure (Hospitals, PHCs, Free maternal/child healthcare)
Kept
The promise
Promised free healthcare for women/children/elderly, hospital upgrades, PHC renovations.
Assessment
Free healthcare for pregnant women, children under 5, elderly. General hospitals renovated. PHCs renovated. Free drugs. Jos University Teaching Hospital upgraded.
Agriculture
Agriculture & Rural Development (Irrigation, Rural roads, Farm inputs)
Kept
The promise
Promised agricultural development through irrigation, rural roads, and farm inputs.
Assessment
Irrigation schemes (Dadin Kowa, Kiri Dam). Rural roads across 17 LGAs. Farm input subsidies. Fertilizer distribution. Potato, maize, yam value chains.
Security
Security & Peace (Operation Rainbow, Community Policing)
Kept
The promise
Promised security through Operation Rainbow and community policing.
Assessment
Operation Rainbow launched. Community policing. Peace maintained in volatile region. Jos crisis management. Inter-communal peace initiatives.