Open letter from Jasawa to PMB

Sir, while congratulating you once more as you emerged victorious at the just concluded elections, I will like to inform you that the Jasawa Community (a community that consist mostly of Muslims living in the heart of Jos city centre following the segregation of Jos along religious line as a result of the incessant crisis […]

Sir, while congratulating you once more as you emerged victorious at the just concluded elections, I will like to inform you that the Jasawa Community (a community that consist mostly of Muslims living in the heart of Jos city centre following the segregation of Jos along religious line as a result of the incessant crisis in the past)  are among the first degree of your supporters.

Members of this community have been persistent in giving you bloc votes from the time you started contesting for the presidency of this country to date.  The records are there for you and everyone to see.

However, when you came to power in 2015, members of this community had high expectations from your administration hoping you will pay special attention to it. This is because, this community last benefitted from government presence in terms of infrastructural development when you were the head of the PTF.

Before the PTF, all the roads in this community were dilapidated. Apart from lack of good road networks, this community lacks portable drinking water as most of the water pipe networks are either dry or vandalized due to over age. The community that boast of over 300,000 voters with close to one million population of male, female and children has only few public primary and secondary schools.  The large percentage of members of the community rely on privately own educational institutions for their children.

The proximity of the community to the University of Jos has been of less or no use to it as it members rarely get admission into the University.

The community also rely on private hospitals and clinics for their health care due to absence of health facilities for it teeming inhabitants.  The few Primary Health Care center are understaffed and lacks basic drugs.

The past state governments that should provide some of these social amenities regard members of this community as ‘SETTLERS’ and feel under no obligation to cater for them.

Youths from the community that managed to acquire higher education into various categories of certificates are not considered into any employment in the state as they are not ‘indigenes’ of Plateau state.  Few manage to secure Federal government jobs using other states.

The woes of this community are uncountable and unprintable.  The neglect is so daring that the members of this community live in abject poverty,  disease,  increased crime and hopelessness.

Since the advent of this 4th Republic in 1999, the road networks initiated and completed in this vast community are less than five! One new primary school was established by the government.  No new hospital has been set up in the community.  It’s members have to go to the state own hospital after taking a minimum of two drops of taxi and on reaching the hospital,  they have to bear with all sorts of insults from the hospital staff who always see them as parasites. Attending the Jos University Teaching Hospital which is much further in distance to the community gives no respite as they still meet with the same apathy and segregation from the JUTH staff as well.

Once more we humbly rejoice with you in your victory and will continue to pray for your wellbeing and success.

Muhammad Lawal Ishaq, Layin Zana, Jos, Plateau State