Plateau State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Philemon Daffi has said that the present administration has paid N673 million to clear off judgement debts against the state government.
He said most of the judgement debts were inherited from the immediate past administration, while others dated as far back as 2002.
During a monthly ministerial press briefing with members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), held at the Secretariat in Jos, the state capital, the commissioner said: “The Ministry of Justice has recorded tremendous achievements from 29 May 2023 to May 2024. Some of these achievements are in the area of settlement of outstanding judgment debts.
“We have paid N297 million judgement debt in the case between Erapon Nigeria Ltd vs Executive Governor of Plateau State & 2 Ors. (Suit No. PLD/J636/2022).
“We have also paid N300 million judgment debt in the case between Matthew Pam Gyang & Ors. vs Plateau State Government & Ors. (Suit No. PLD/J29/2002).
“Others we paid were in the case involving Mrs Siyona Dashigit Vs. The Government of Plateau State & 4 Ors. (Suit No. NICN/JOS/9/2023)- N6,000,000.00; Mercy Kyesdughun Vs. The Government of Plateau State & 4 Ors. (Suit No. NICN/JOS/8/2023), N10,000,000.00; Architect Lawrence Ngbale Vs. Plateau State Government (Suit No. PLD/J375M/2023), N20,000,000.00; Walter Andrews Vs. Plateau State Government & Ors. (Suit No. PLD/J577/2020), N20,000,000.00; Blossom Innovators Ltd. & 1 Or. Vs The Government of Plateau State & 2 Ors (Suit No. PLD/J643/2020), N20,000,000.00”.
The commissioner listed other achievements of his ministry as training of prosecutors and investigators, cash crop farming for commercial purposes to boost internally-generated revenue of the ministry, establishment of the Law Reform Commission, continuous legal education for lawyers in the ministry, construction of table water factory, virtual library and business café as well as hosting of webinars on topical legal issues.
Daffi also said the ministry had introduced a lot of executive bills for onward passage by the state House of Assembly, including an executive bill for the establishment of the Office of the Attorney General of the state.
“We have a lot of bills pending before the state House of Assembly which, when passed into law, will make it impossible for any administration to derail the state development again”, the commissioner said.
