The newly-appointed Minister of Women Affairs and former Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Dame Pauline Tallen, has said she will never be at loggerheads with the Governor of the state, Barr. Simon Lalong, saying both of them have their separate roles to play.
She also said her appointment as a minister in the federal cabinet is like being an ambassador of the state at the federal level, saying instead, she should be pampered being the messenger of the state.
Tallen disclosed this in a chat with journalists in Jos, the Plateau State Capital.
She said, “By the grace of Almighty God, what use to happen as loggerheads between a minister and a governor is a thing of the past as far as I’m concern.
“It will never happened during my time by the grace of God, you know how I managed it very well during my first term as minister, I never had issues with my governor, because each of knows our roles.
“I’m assuring you and by the grace of God, there won’t be any problem; it takes two to quarrel, but I will never quarrel with my governor.
“You saw the reception he gave me on the day of my inauguration, so I’m appealing to all of you to give him the necessary support, the progress of Plateau is paramount to all of us.
“Our functions will not clash in anyway. I as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I’m the number one ambassador of Plateau at the federal level.
“I’m like the house girl to run around and get the federal cake and send it to Plateau, and if I send it to Plateau, it will be a credit to Mr President and my governor, so there is no reason being at loggerhead.
“Instead the governor should pamper me as his messenger, the governor should embrace me and I too will embrace me as my governor, so that we can work together with all his team.
“Because there can only be problem when there is no unity amongst us, and there will be development when there is peace and unity.
Tallen maintained that, for all those that know her, she has no business with tribe or religion, “I see all of you as my brothers and sisters, because you are all children of God, created in God’s image”.
The former Deputy Governor maintained that, “I must embrace every son and daughter of Plateau as my own, even in the appointment of my aides in all the offices I have held, all of them cut across the state, even my security; I pick those I trust and can work with me. Wherever they come from I don’t care”, she stressed.
DAILY POST recalls that, the immediate past minister from the state, Barrister Solomon Dalung, who was in charge of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, had a running battle with Governor Simon Lalong, as he had frequently criticised the governor’s policies.
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Women Affairs Minister said, “We are going to do more of mentoring of women to participate actively and we want to start now.
“We will mentor and prepare them for the future offices.
“If a woman wants to contest election in 2023, she has to start now, for example by identifying with her constituency, through identifying their needs, share in their problems among others.
She said the womenfolk make of 51 percent of the nation’s population, urging men to also support women to rise to the top.
The former Deputy Governor, added that her Ministry will work assiduously to ensure that violence against women and children is stemmed.
“Violence against women is violence against the society”, she stressed.
