Once a beautiful edifice that contributed to the aesthetics and finance of Plateau State, the J.D. Gomwalk building has remained an eyesore for many years. In this report, ISAAC SHOBAYO writes about failure of successive administrations to rehabilitate the building as well as the litigation that presently casts a shadow on its present renovation plans.
THE late police commissioner and first military governor of the defunct Benue-Plateau State, Joseph Dechi Gomwalk, has remained popular in the Middle Belt due to his impressive record of service. His name has remained unforgettable among the people because of his accomplishments and, more importantly, the legacy he left behind.
Indeed, many of his completed projects that are still standing now serve as benchmarks for present-day leaders in Plateau, Benue, and Nasarawa States. More than 40 years after his passing, the JD Gomwalk House, a nine-storey structure located in the West of Mines neighbourhood of Jos, the capital of Plateau State, which he conceived and actualised, is one of the noticeable eye-catching legacies.
The nine-storey building was conceived following the establishment of the Nigeria Standard Newspaper in 1972 to serve as a source of revenue for the newspaper. The foundation for the building was laid in 1977 and commissioned in 1979 by the late first civilian governor of the old Plateau State, Chief Solomon Lar. The edifice was named J.D. Gomwalk House after the man that conceived the idea.
From the late 1979 until the late 1990, checks showed that the building’s uniqueness and strategic location made it attractive to corporate organisations and individual businesses. The fact that it was the first of its sorts in the Middle Belt made it a status symbol.
However, at the start of the current democratic dispensation in 1999, this worthwhile legacy began to suffer official neglect and lack of maintenance. The amenities therein, including elevator, among others, were no longer receiving necessary attention. The building facilities were no longer being maintained. As a result, the tenants, the majority of whom were mainly law, insurance brokerage, and accounting firms, started to vacate the premises.
One of the tenants in the building in the late 90s, who pleaded for anonymity, said he left the building in 2000 because electricity was no longer supplied to the building steadily, adding that other amenities had started collapsing.
“All of the building amenities were operating as intended when I moved in 1994, including the elevators and a regular power supply. However, by the late 90s, most of these facilities had stopped functioning.
“Due to complaints from our clients, several of the tenants were forced to move. In 2011, the situation was made worse when fire broke out and destroyed the offices of Ray Power Radio and African Independent (AIT), which were also tenants in the nine-storey JD Gomwalk building,” the former tenant recalled.
Since then, attempts to rehabilitate the structure by succeeding administrations have failed. The facility has been vacant for a long time.
A source close to the state government disclosed that, before leaving office in 2015, former Governor Jonah Jang made a commitment to undertake significant renovations but was unable to fully complete it before he left office.
The source further revealed that Jang’s successor, Senator Simon Lalong, ordered all the occupants of the building to vacate and also continued the renovation contract much to the delight of many who had been looking forward to the building’s restoration. But before the contractor could mobilise to the site, the agreement between the government and the contractor was said to have broken down, leading to litigation that subsists to this day.
When Lalong’s successor and incumbent governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, a lawyer, visited the building last year on an on-the-spot assessment, the people were hopeful the legacy would revive attention, especially after, like his predecessor, expressing disapproval of the building’s total neglect and pledging to renovate it for the benefit of the state.
During the inspection, Mutfwang declared that: “We cannot allow government assets to keep wasting, particularly legacy assets like the JD Gomwalk House. The history of Plateau is tied to such buildings; we are glad that such buildings were properly constructed and they are still solid.
“They need to be upgraded in view of the times in which we live. It is quite challenging, but by the grace of God, we will be able to restore the integrity of these buildings. It is a part of our programmes. We will evaluate the issues and send in the technical team for assessment so that they can guide us on what to do.”
The governor’s promise notwithstanding, the building has continued to deteriorate and this is also fuelling the concern of Plateau people, especially the elite who understand the historical significance of legacy edifices.
A former occupant of the building and also a former Nigerian Ambassador to Ukraine, Ambassador Ibrahim Kassai, said he had a law firm in the building in the eighties, adding that at that time, the building was a source of pride for every Plateau man and woman and very conducive for businesses because of its facilities and location.
“We are surprised today to see the building abandoned and in a terrible shape. I know the ins and outs of the building. At a time, my chamber was there. It is a very strategic place for businesses, commercial transactions, and others. Quite a lot of people like us who know the history of the building and what it stands for would want it back. I am appealing to the present administration in the state to take the complete turnaround of the building as a priority,” he said.
A retired civil servant in the state blamed successive governments since the beginning of this dispensation for the state of the structure, adding that they have all been paying lip service to its renovation and revival.
He declared: “The building is just there wasting away. I remember former Governor Jang promised to include the renovation in the budget; hence the occupants were asked to vacate the building. Since then, your guess is as good as mine. But since the mantra of this present administration is ‘the time is now,’ the government should get to work now.”
A former staff member of a courier company that operated from the building in the 90s, Micheal Danjuma, said it is unfortunate that the state government over the years allowed the structure to deteriorate to the level it is presently.
“I remember vividly that students from secondary schools, universities, and other professional associations frequently went on field trips to the building when I was there. But all of a sudden, the building’s splendour started to wane as a result of government’s neglect.
“At a point, the damage was so severe that employees who worked on the fourth to the last floor frequently used torchlights to find their way up and down the building whenever there was power outage. Sometimes they would just stay put until the electricity was restored. The building is no longer visually appealing due to this and other factors.”
Chairman, League of Veteran Journalists, Plateau State, Nde Gideon Barde, who was an editor of Nigerian Standard Newspapers when the foundation of the building was laid and the state commissioner for information when it was commissioned, recalled the good days with nostalgia.
“It saddens my heart whenever I pass and see the building in a deplorable and pathetic state,” he said.
“When I was the Nigerian Standard editor and Mr David Attah was the general manager, the foundation for the building was laid. In 1977, he obtained a loan from the Union Bank and the groundwork was established. In fact, the structure’s concept was conceived by the late J.D. Gomwalk.
“However, the structure was finished and put to use in October, 1979, when I served as the late Chief Solomon Lar’s Commissioner for Information. I distinctly recall that on the day it was commissioned, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, the former governor of Kano State, was the guest of honour. Chief Lar named the edifice after J.D. Gomwalk because the project was his concept.
“I was equally the chairman, Board of Directors of the corporation during the tenure of former Governor Joshua Dariye. The other floors of the building were leased out for business usage and we often had our meetings on the last floor. The building’s only purpose was to raise money for the state government and the Nigerian Standard newspapers. We were actually paying off the loan obtained from the Union Bank at the time. I find it painful that the building has been neglected throughout the years and is now a liability to the state government.”
Regarding the Mutfwang-led administration’s plan to renovate the building, the current Commissioner for Information and Communications, Musa Ashom, stated that the governor had already made four visits to the building as part of his government’s resolve to restore the structure. He also assured that the administration would not permit the building to deteriorate under its control.
On the litigation holding down renovations, Ashom explained that the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Justice and the contractor who dragged the state to court are talking to resolve the matter for work to commence on the structure.
“When we came in, we had litigation surrounding the renovation of the building, and we are using the alternative dispute resolution method to handle all of that, and very soon the matter will be resolved. It is one of the legacies of our founding father, J.D Gomwalk and we cannot, in our own time, allow the legacy of our father to deteriorate to the degree that it would become an eyesore.
“Investigations are underway into the contractual agreement that the government broke prior to the arrival of current administration. A committee was set up to address the issue even before the arrival of this administration. I want to reassure you that the renovation and rehabilitation will start as soon as possible and there won’t be any more lawsuits.
“Last year, shortly before Christmas, Mutfwang had, during a business engagement with the tech community in Sweden, pledged to make the building a tech hub. So the government appreciates the concern of the people and will definitely not allow the legacy to continue to lie prostrate,” Ashom explained.
But the situation today remains that the once beautiful building is now an eyesore. Three successive administrations have failed to bring back the building’s former splendour. Whether or not Governor Mutfwang will fulfil his promise to break the jinx and loosen all knots holding down the renovation and rehabilitation of the building remains in the bowel of time.
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