The Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has said he has not awarded any new contracts since taking office because there are many abandoned projects left by past administrations.
Speaking in Jos, on Friday, during a meeting with journalists, as part of activities to mark his first anniversary in office, he condemned the negative impacts uncompleted projects had on the socioeconomic development of the state.
He said his government did not award contracts for new projects in the past year to complete abandoned projects for the benefit of the people.
The governor said his decisions would be hinged on the interest of the state and the people who voted him into office.
Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party took over from ex-Governor Simon Lalong of the All Progressives Congress in 2023.
Lalong, who contested the Senate seat and lost, was appointed the Minister of Labour and Employment by President Bola Tinubu and resigned after the Appeal Court returned him as a validly elected candidate for Plateau South senatorial district.
“In the past year, what we have done is an attempt to stabilise the system. We haven’t gone anywhere in what we want to do.
“Actually, we have not awarded new contracts. All we have tried to do is to revisit existing contracts because we realise that abandoning contracts is penny-wise, pounds foolish to the public treasury.
“We believe that government is a continuum and even if you don’t like the government that left, you have a responsibility to the public to continue with what is of benefit to them.”
The governor, who had rehabilitated over 30 urban roads and completed some abandoned bridges, including the Utonkon-Abattoir bridge, said more of such abandoned projects would soon be completed and inaugurated for use.
He called on the people to continue to support his administration to enable it to take the state to greater heights.
“I want to appreciate the people, especially how they have appreciated our interventions in terms of infrastructure, the road networks that we have tried to improve and we will continue to improve them.
“We will always believe in citizens’ participation. When people give us feedback about the quality of those works, we receive them and make sure that they are properly done so that the people can get the value for their money,” the governor added.