By Golok Nanmwa ,Jos 


Court bailiffs on Thursday 7th January, 2021 carted away the properties of Plateau Club 1921 following an Arbitration Panel decision in favor of the former President of the Club and now the Plateau State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party Mr Chris Hassan. 


Mr Chris Hassan while being the the Commissioner for Works during the Jonah Jang Administration as well as the President of Plateau Club 1921 was said to have lend the Club the sum of N10 million  on the understanding that the sum would be recovered from a supposed  N20 million which according to Mr Hassan was being approved by the then Governor Jonah Jang for each of the Sporting Clubs in Jos. 


While most of the Sporting Clubs were said to have received the approved N20 million, Plateau Club was said to have been conspicuously excluded from the list of beneficiaries. A situation which members of the Club were curious about considering the good working relationship between the President of the Club and the Governor. 


Problem was said to have started when Mr Chris Hassan in a bid to seek a second term as President of the Club was defeated by the immediate past President Barr Festus Fuanter. Mr Hassan was said to have thereafter filled a suit against the Club for the recovery of the sun of N6 million having been paid the sum of N4million during the pendency of his tenure.


 The case was said to have been decided in favor of the Club on the grounds that the provisions of the Club’s dispute resolution procedure between members were not duly followed. 


Mr Chris Hassan thereafter took the Club before an arbitration panel where it was agreed and decided that the Club should come to an agreement on how to pay the debt in installments. 

When the Lawyer of the Club Barr Chesil Drenkat of Panwal and Partners was contacted at the scene of the attachment of the Club properties, he said they were not served any further process after the decision of the Arbitration Panel. 


Plateau 1921 which is preparing for its 100th anniversary is said to have been polarized and sharply divided along political lines which has hindered the progress of the once prestigious Club which had the likes of the former British Prime Minister Mr John Major as member.