Plateau State Governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, has installed Miskagam Jerome Goewam Leklat II as the new Long Pan of Pan Chiefdom, restoring the traditional stool to its First-Class status.
Mutfwang performed the installation and presented the Staff of Office to the monarch on Wednesday at the Ba’ap Mini Stadium in Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area of the state.
The governor described the occasion as more than the installation of a traditional ruler, saying it marked the restoration of a “cherished institution, a common identity and a revered symbol of unity” for the people of Pan.
Mutfwang said his administration remained committed to strengthening traditional institutions across Plateau State, describing them as important partners in governance, peacebuilding, cultural preservation and community development.
According to him, the government would continue to fill vacant traditional stools through processes that respect the law, customs and peculiarities of the affected communities.
The governor commended the people of Pan Chiefdom and the Qua’an-Pan Traditional Council for what he described as their peaceful conduct following the death of the former Long Pan, Miskagam Emmanuel Dabang, on May 8, 2025.
Addressing the new monarch, Mutfwang urged him to lead with wisdom, humility, fairness and courage, stressing the need to unite all sons and daughters of Pan.
He charged the traditional ruler to use his reign to promote reconciliation and bridge differences within the chiefdom.
Mutfwang also urged traditional rulers across the state to strengthen community relations, provide credible local intelligence and collaborate with security agencies to tackle insecurity.
“Security, therefore, must be treated as a collective responsibility,” the governor said.
He further warned against drug abuse and the indiscriminate leasing of community and ancestral lands for mining, saying the state government was developing mechanisms to ensure that the Federal Government, state, host communities and legitimate landowners benefit appropriately from mineral resources while protecting the environment.
The governor also pledged to complete the 61-kilometre Dokan Tofa–Ba’ap–Kurgwi and Jibam–Dokan Kasuwa roads, while promising to ensure that the Southern Zone gains access to reliable electricity.
Mutfwang said the projects would help unlock the economic potential of the area, stimulate commerce and enterprise, create opportunities and improve the living standards of residents.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ephraim Gar, said the administration had remained committed to repositioning the traditional institution to effectively perform its role as custodian of the people’s culture, norms and traditions.
Gar commended the Pan stakeholders, kingmakers and royal family for the process that produced the new monarch.
Representing the Gbong Gwom Jos and Chairman of the Plateau State Traditional Council of Chiefs and Emirs, Da. Jacob Gyang Buba, Mishkaham Mwaghavul, Da. John Putmang Hirse, congratulated the new Long Pan.
Hirse described the monarch’s emergence as a call to service anchored on character, experience and familiarity with the people, urging him to deploy his experience towards strengthening unity among the diverse communities in Pan Chiefdom.
Receiving the Staff of Office through the Miskagam Doemak, Cosmos Dakyap, the new Long Pan expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve the people of Pan and pledged his support for the Mutfwang administration.
The monarch, however, called for increased security in the area, citing the vulnerability of communities along the Qua’an-Pan–Mangu–Nasarawa corridor to banditry and terrorism.
He appealed for the establishment of an operational security command along the corridor to check the infiltration of criminal elements into the state.
The Executive Chairman of Qua’an-Pan Local Government Council, Christopher Audu Manship, congratulated the new monarch and commended Governor Mutfwang for creating an enabling environment for the selection and installation of the Long Pan.
Manship also commended the governor’s road projects in the area and appealed for the speedy completion of the Jibam–Qua’an-Pan road.