President’s sympathy visit to Plateau State

Once more Riyom township and some adjourning areas have come to lime light but for the wrong reasons. In response to Mr. President’s speech, according to the report at page 4 of the Daily Trust Newspaper of Wednesday, 27th June, 2018, the amiable Governor of Plateau State, Mr. Simon Lalong, warned his people “that the […]

Once more Riyom township and some adjourning areas have come to lime light but for the wrong reasons. In response to Mr. President’s speech, according to the report at page 4 of the Daily Trust Newspaper of Wednesday, 27th June, 2018, the amiable Governor of Plateau State, Mr. Simon Lalong, warned his people “that the blocking of roads and killings of innocent commuters will not be tolerated and that security operatives have taken drastic measures to ensure they apprehend any youth involved in such dastardly act.”  

We may recall for several years in the past, the then Governments of Plateau State allegedly turned a blind eye to the unfortunate loss of precious lives of innocent  Nigerian travellers passing through apparently the most dangerous Federal road and the most dangerous landscape in the country whenever social disturbances unexpectedly  break out.  

I refer readers of this piece to page 23 of a book titled “THE NIGERIAN CIVIL SERVICE AND FALLEN STANDARDS OF DISCIPLINE” released in 2015 where the author stated among others “Blocking of Federal roads by uninformed and unrepentant armed groups in the Northern parts of the country with attendant loss of lives and property.  These dastardly acts continue to occur whenever these groups had their own internal disagreements.   They spill over to the roads and transfer their aggression on unsuspecting peaceful Nigerian commuters.”  

What the current administration of Plateau State under the able and purposeful leadership of Governor Simon Lalong may consider as possible panacea is to task the traditional rulers through whose areas the state and federal roads pass, to maintain peace and the safety of commuters.   With an addendum that henceforth any slightest civil disturbance that affects any commuter or his property in the fluid area, such traditional authorities must not only be dethroned but be prosecuted for negligence and banished.   

This may serve as a lesson and reduce to the barest minimum the unacceptable tendency.  The flimsy excuse that some of them have on several occasions  warned the irresponsible youth to desist from attacking commuters but fell on deaf ears may make them accessories before the fact since the doors of Government are not shut to wise counsel especially coming from the respected traditional  institutions.   

Government should make examples of the civil leaderships in the affected areas who were likely treated with kid gloves by past administrations in the State.  It is really unfortunate that such violence only erupts in the Northern parts of the country.  This should change because the Plateau was known for peaceful coexistence before independence and years after the creation of the State.  Many people have attested to the fact that the indigenous people of Plateau are peace loving and charismatic individuals. They have never in history been dubbed “war-like” but very enterprising, hardworking, open and accommodating people. 

The youth should be fully engaged in various vocations and not allowed to tarnish the goodwill their forefathers built over the last century.  What has gone wrong economically or politically in recent years that could not be resolved by the people, guided by their government, beats our imagination.  

Abubakar Usman, Bauchi, [email protected]