‘Forgiveness is key to lasting peace in Plateau’

The crises in Plateau State has persisted. What do you think is the way out? The crises have different dimensions but I think the way out is for us to forgive and accept each other because the major problem is lack of trust between christians and muslims. For instance, when my Muslim friend brought me […]

The crises in Plateau State has persisted. What do you think is the way out?

The crises have different dimensions but I think the way out is for us to forgive and accept each other because the major problem is lack of trust between christians and muslims. For instance, when my Muslim friend brought me a gift, my family were jittery and asked what kind of gift should come from a Muslim. So I can see the lack of trust among us and that is why there are attacks here and there.

I also see another dimension of the Fulani man; it is better for you to kill his wife than to kill his cow. The way out is for government and communities to sit with the Fulani elders and dialogue the way of forgiveness and if need be, a little compensation should be given to those who are affected. Cattle rearing is the only means of Fulani livelihood so if you kill their cow they feel they are finished.

Some have suggested carving out more local government areas in Plateau State. Some say more troops should be deployed to curb the menace.

Creation of more local government areas is not the issue, neither is it use of more force on people. Peace cannot be forced on the people. Peace must come from the people willingly. Respect for one another will produce peace, not the military because, when they bring their guns people go back quietly and sit in their houses and when they are no longer there, trouble returns.

It is said that both Christian and Muslim clerics have been preaching instigating sermons that serve to fuel the crises.

Each time people say religious leaders are the ones inflaming crises I always ask the question, do you have evidence that a pastor is preaching against Muslims in church or Imam preaching against Christians in mosque? Definitely, when you kill a follower of particular religion, followers of that religion will rise against the other religion’s followers even without anybody asking them to go out and fight.

For us in JNI [Jamatul Nasirul Islam] and CAN, we had a very wonderful programme before it was stopped by the state government. Last December, we met at the Central Mosque and dialogued as imams and pastors where we resolved to talk to our youths. Ordinarily, after the two bomb explosions in Jos, there would have been reprisal attacks but there was none.

What is your reaction to the state of emergency on four local government areas in the state?

Forced peace is never a lasting peace but it may be a temporary solution. I remember, when Mr. President came, nearly all stakeholders from Plateau went to meet him and that was what brought about Solomon Lar’s committee. Stakeholders were called together and asked what is the solution to the crises. At the moment, there is no state that is as peaceful as Plateau State. In other places, people were killed as a result of the protests staged against the removal of fuel subsidy, but there was no protest in Plateau state.

Apart from few attacks in some villages, there is no serious crisis in Plateau State. Any time there is state of emergency, there wouldn’t be progress and development and the people suffer because soldiers and police will be every where and the people will be intimidated. But what will happen when they go?

Now, with the emergency in four local government areas, what if there are attacks in other local government areas? So if the emergency is on the four local government areas, we still have 13. Therefore, attackers may attack. But I think the president knows what he is doing and for us as religious leaders, it is to pray to God.

Some say there are states that have more security challenges than Plateau yet were not affected by the state of emergency.

There were more crises in Gombe directed at Christians yet the president did not declare state of emergency in that state. There are cases of prison break where inmates were released. That is a challenge to government because ours is a crisis of ethnicity. What about Abuja? Were there no bomb blasts in Abuja – where the police and the UN headquarters were bomb?

It appears that some people wanted to achieve something with the state of emergency which may be at the expense of Plateau State and few other states. If you declare state of emergency on a local government area that is Christian dominated and you take a Muslim to go and head the place, then there will be problem so let the president do what will bring peace. Like my president [Ayo Oritsejafor] said, if care is not taken, another civil war may occur in Nigeria  -we must guard against it.

Recently the CAN President said Christians may be forced to take arms and defend themselves if government cannot defend them. Do you share the same view?

When a goat is pushed to the wall, the goat will use its teeth to bite. So I feel if the federal government cannot protect our lives and property as citizens of Nigeria, everybody will be forced to defend themselves. The President of CAN mentioned this because most of the attacks have been on churches. If Boko Haram, as the name implies, “western education is a taboo”, they should attack the educational system of the country rather than fight the church. I don’t the Minister of Education is a Christian. Are churches schools? Most of the attacks are on churches and Christian families except in Brono State where Muslims who condems the Boko Haram are also attacked.

When I took over as the Plateau State CAN Chairman, there were major attacks in Dogo Nahawa and Mazah villages. Then I said we are beginning to lose confidence in security and we should not be pushed to the wall because we have capacity to fight back; we have the brain too that can make bombs but we will not do it because the Bible did not teach us to take life. But if we are pushed to the wall and government cannot protect the church then the church will be left with no option other than to defend itself.

What is your call on Christians in Plateau in view of the security challenges in the state and other parts of the country?

I call on all Christians in Plateau to be law abiding and go about their normal duties without of any fear of intimidation because the country belongs to us all and I assure them that God who is God will protect us. We should live in peace with one another. That doesn’t mean that we should be taken for a ride because if you slap me and the spirit asks me slap to stop back, don’t blame me.