Tight security as Tinubu visits Jos for APC presidential rally

By Golok Nanmwa, Jos Security has been beefed up in Jos, the Plateau State capital, ahead of the expected arrival of President Bola Tinubu on Saturday for the All Progressives Congress (APC) North-Central presidential campaign rally. Our correspondent, who visited several parts of the city, observed a heavy deployment of security personnel at strategic locations, including Hill Station Junction, Zaria Road, Polo Roundabout and parts of Yakubu Gowon Way, as security agencies intensified surveillance ahead of the President’s visit.

Tinubu is expected to attend the APC presidential rally scheduled to hold at the Zaria Road Stadium, Jos, where he is also expected to commission three major development projects executed by the Plateau State Government. The projects are the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Centre in Jos, the Plateau Special Activity Centre (P-SAC) and 50 hybrid Jet Mover buses for inter-local government transportation.

Ahead of the President’s visit, Governor Caleb Mutfwang, APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, and former Deputy Governor, Dame Pauline Tallen, inspected the facilities. Speaking on the BPO Centre, Mutfwang described it as a strategic investment in human capital development, job creation and economic empowerment. According to a statement signed by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere, the governor said the facility, established through a partnership between the Plateau State Government, Outsource Global and MTN Nigeria, has an operational capacity of 800 seats and is projected to generate up to 2,400 direct full-time jobs when fully deployed across three shifts.

He said the centre would connect Plateau youths to the global digital economy through customer experience management, technical support and back-office services. Mutfwang added that young people would be able to work for international organisations from Jos and earn in foreign currencies. On the Plateau Special Activity Centre, the governor said the facility was established to strengthen intelligence-driven security operations, stressing that security remained fundamental to sustainable development.

The centre comprises a Fusion and Analytical Centre, Geo-Intelligence/GIS Unit, Drone Unit, Training Centre and Profiling Room to enhance intelligence gathering, threat detection, analysis and coordinated security responses. He also said the 50 hybrid buses would improve public transportation, reduce travel costs and enhance connectivity across the state’s 17 local government areas.

Meanwhile, during an inspection of the Zaria Road Stadium, venue of the rally, Mutfwang expressed confidence that the event would attract massive participation from APC supporters and stakeholders across the North-Central region. He urged residents to turn out in large numbers to welcome Tinubu, whom he described as a statesman committed to the development and security of Plateau State.

The APC National Chairman, Yilwatda, commended the governor and the Presidential Campaign Council for coordinating preparations for the rally. He expressed satisfaction with arrangements covering the rally venue, security, airport logistics and traffic management. “The preparation is top-notch, and I’m impressed with what I’ve seen in terms of the venue preparation, security, airport, street mapping and everything.

It is excellent. I expect that tomorrow will be a wow on the Plateau,” he said. Yilwatda expressed confidence that the APC would mobilise massive support for Tinubu, citing the party’s growing political structure and the involvement of former governors, deputy governors, speakers and other prominent political stakeholders.