Mutfwang installs new Long Pan, restores first-class status

By Golok Nanmwa, JOS

Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has installed His Royal Highness, Miskagam Jerome Goewam Leklat II, as the new Long Pan of Pan Chiefdom, restoring the traditional stool to First-Class status.

Mutfwang performed the installation and presented the Staff of Office to the monarch on Wednesday at Ba’ap Mini Stadium in Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area, describing the occasion as the restoration of a cherished institution and a symbol of unity for the people of Pan.

The governor said the restoration was more than the installation of a traditional ruler, describing the stool as a common identity and a revered symbol of unity that had bound the people of Pan together for generations.

“From the outset of our administration, we have made the restoration, strengthening and repositioning of the Traditional Institution a key priority,” he said.

Mutfwang said vacant traditional stools would continue to be filled through processes that respected the law, customs and peculiarities of each community.

He commended the people of Pan Chiefdom and the Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area Traditional Council for what he described as their maturity and peaceful conduct during the transition following the death of the late Long Pan, His Royal Highness Miskagam Emmanuel Dabang, on May 8, 2025.

Addressing the new monarch, the governor urged him to use his reign to promote unity, healing and reconciliation.

“Let your reign be defined by the ability to unite rather than divide, to heal rather than reopen old wounds, and to build bridges where differences exist,” he said.

He urged the new Long Pan to lead with wisdom, humility, fairness and courage, stressing that his position carried the responsibility of carrying all sons and daughters of Pan along.

Mutfwang also charged traditional rulers across Plateau State to strengthen community relations, provide credible local intelligence and work closely with security agencies.

“Security, therefore, must be treated as a collective responsibility,” he said.

The governor cautioned against drug abuse and the indiscriminate leasing of community and ancestral lands for mining.

He said the state government was developing modalities to ensure that the Federal Government, the state, host communities and legitimate landowners derived appropriate benefits from mineral resources while protecting the environment.

On infrastructure, Mutfwang said the government would complete the 61-kilometre Dokan Tofa-Ba’ap-Kurgwi and Jibam-Dokan Kasuwa roads and ensure that the Southern Zone was connected to reliable electricity.

“These investments will help unlock the economic potential of the area, stimulate commerce and enterprise, create opportunities and improve the standard of living of the people,” he said.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ephraim Gar, said the Mutfwang administration had demonstrated its commitment to repositioning the traditional institution to effectively perform its role as custodian of the people’s culture, norms and traditions.

Gar said the traditional institution remained highly revered because of its role in preserving the values and heritage of the people.

He also commended Pan stakeholders, kingmakers and the royal family for ensuring that a successor to the throne emerged after the death of the former monarch.

The Gbong Gwom Jos and Chairman of the Jos Traditional Council of Chiefs, President of the Plateau State Traditional Council of Chiefs and Emir, His Majesty Da Jacob Gyang Buba, represented by Mishkaham Mwaghavul, His Royal Highness Da John Putmang Hirse, congratulated the new Long Pan.

Hirse said the monarch’s ascension to the throne was “a call to service anchored on proven record, character and deep familiarity.”

He urged the new traditional ruler to deploy his experience towards fostering enduring unity among the people of Pan Chiefdom.

Receiving the Staff of Office through Miskagam Doemak, Cosmos Dakyap, the new Long Pan said he was “delighted and privileged to serve the people of Pan.”

He pledged his “unflinching support” for the Mutfwang administration.

The monarch also raised concerns over insecurity in the area, saying the people of Pan remained vulnerable to banditry and terrorism.

He appealed for the establishment of an operational command as a buffer along the Qua’an-Pan-Mangu-Nasarawa corridor, which he said could be used by assailants to infiltrate the state.

The Executive Chairman of Qua’an-Pan Local Government Council, Christopher Audu Manship, congratulated the new monarch and commended Mutfwang for creating what he described as an enabling environment for the selection and presentation of the Staff of Office.

Manship also appreciated the governor for initiating road projects and his determination to complete ongoing projects in the area, while appealing for the completion of the Jibam-Qua’an-Pan road to be fast-tracked.

Mutfwang later commissioned the remodelled Long Pan’s Palace at Doemak and the newly constructed Snakebite Treatment Centre in Doemak, Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area.

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