Bigotry on the plateau
Owing to the brazen model of religious bigotry on the plateau where only “indigenes” and non-Muslims must live, it is pertinent to educate the “indigenes” about what obtains of tolerance in other parts of the country. For instance, Mr. Solomon Makantari who retired in 2008 from the Federal Civil Service was a permanent secretary and […]
Owing to the brazen model of religious bigotry on the plateau where only “indigenes” and non-Muslims must live, it is pertinent to educate the “indigenes” about what obtains of tolerance in other parts of the country. For instance, Mr. Solomon Makantari who retired in 2008 from the Federal Civil Service was a permanent secretary and a Christian representing Sokoto state, the seat of caliphate. Similarly, I come from a local government in Niger state that has a Muslim population of 99.5%. Yet, a female Christian is the commissioner representing my local government in the current executive council under Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu-led administration in Niger state. Non-indigene Christians who live in the same ward with me have never been discriminated against in any matters. Their children have not only enjoyed scholarships but have also acquired indigene certificates of our place because they were born there. It would require miracle for Muslims to represent Jos Christians at any level. Every baby delivered in America gets citizenship of the country without regard to race, color or religion.
The manner in which the recent crisis was orchestrated indicates that Gov David Jang’s agenda is as clear as daylight. The crisis, in the fashion it unfolded, only confirmed Jang’s vow to send “settlers” packing. He once told the council of Ulama in Jos that “But we need to understand that from Barkin Ladi to Mister Ali (the northern tip of Jos North) belongs to the Beroms”. No wonder, the massacre of Hausa Muslims this time around was so colossal that perpetrators of Rwanda genocide may look for heroes from the ‘indigenes” of plateau. Jang’s intentions are out at last. I lost some of my kinsmen in the recent crisis including Alhaji Kasimu from Kutigi and Alhaji Ba-Tako (from Malam Nasiru’s compound) in Bida, Niger state. The former was maimed and his corpse was thrown in to his house and burnt altogether. The latter had lived in Jos for over fifty years. He was cut like a tree with machetes and his corpse thrown in to his house that had already been set ablaze while his children watched (from their hiding place) their father’s house and his corpse burn in flames. A colleague of mine in my place of work who was also part of the team that went to Kuru-Gada under military escort to retrieve corpses from wells told me that his family narrowly escaped being lynched. However, he had his residence, which was situated at Dutse Uku (center of the crisis) burnt in to ashes. Media reports on the extent of the catastrophe are just a tip of the iceberg.
Conspiracy cannot be ruled out of the whole crisis. Utterances of the then police commissioner in Plateau state shortly after the crisis erupted constitute an exceptionally plausible theory. If, as the commissioner of police claimed, Muslim youths triggered the crisis by attacking Christian worshippers in a catholic church in Nasarawa Gwong, why was the Vice President Goodluck Jonathan on his visit to Jos not shown the church even though he was taken to the house in the heart of the crisis? If no conspiracies exist, why were the residents of angwan kare in Ali Kazaure (mainly dominated by Jang’s kinsmen) the only beneficiaries of relief materials from the Plateau state government in the crises that took place from 2001 to date? It is troubling that the Gbon Gwom Jos has so far not made comments on the tragedy. His fatherly intervention from the outset of the crisis could have had some moderating influence of what followed.
Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria must be proactive in the protection of lives and property in every part of the country. The non implementation of previous white papers and non-declaration of the state of emergency in the wake of the latest crisis uncovers government unwillingness to find a lasting solution to the problem. Anyway, if Governor David Jang is considered superior, in the eyes of the federal government, to the provisions of the Nigerian constitution, we suggest that the Hausa/Fulani part of Plateau be merged to any of the neighboring states, at least for peace to prevail. The International Criminal Court at the Hague should arrest and prosecute Jang and other perpetrators of the genocide. May Allah (SWT) guide the “indigenes” of Jos to understand the universal truth that the world has not been created to accommodate one tribe or religion but others including Hausa/Fulani and Islam respectively, amin.