Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has promised to give N500,000 each to families of nine journalists, including a driver, who died in a ghastly motor accident in 2007 while on duty.
Lalong made the promise on Monday at the NUJ Press Centre in Jos during an interactive session with newsmen to mark the 2018 Democracy Day and third anniversary of his administration.
It will be recalled that the newsmen died while on the convoy of the former governor of Plateau, Joshua Dariye, on May 16, 2007 on their way to Shendam.
Eleven years after the sad incident, Lalong thought it wise to assist the families of the deceased men of the pen profession.
“As part of activities to mark Democracy Day, I will give N500, 000 to each of the nine families amounting to N4.5million.
“The money will get to them before the end of next week,” he said.
The governor appreciated journalists for their invaluable contributions to the development of Plateau in particular and Nigeria in general.
He also thanked newsmen for what he described as ‘wonderful cooperation’ given to his administration.
Lalong said that without information, government efforts of properly governing the people would be a mirage.
The governor, who spoke on many issues, said that the state would soon conduct the local government election and once the security situation improved.
“I will soon meet with security agencies in the state to brief me, if they say that the situation is conducive, we will go ahead and conduct the elections.
“It is not because we don’t want to conduct local government election but we don’t want to do it at the expense of lives,” he said.
Lalong also restated his administration’s commitment to the completion of all the projects he inherited from his predecessors.
According to him, the projects are for the people of Plateau and not for those that initiated.
