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Media
Trust Versus Governor Dariye: A Case of Executive Irresponsibility By Jibo
Nura
As
retired honorable sir Lord Roskill had it in his advocacy for peace
accord in 1978 that “so long as human nature is what it is, there will
always be disputes between individuals And those disputes whatever their
nature, must be resolved if a society wants to live as cheaply, as
peacefully and as satisfactorily as possible”. Before
I relate this analysis with the above statement, let me express my grief
over the unprecedented “self- merciless” brutal massacre of Muslim
and Christian brothers in Plateau state. Let me as well express my
dismay and displeasure over what I personally considered to be
“certain unwholesome utterances” of the Plateau state governor,
Joshua Dariye- the brand new and self acclaimed crusader against
“muslim Alqaeda”, who had since spoilt his image with the media
trust people, especially those in Daily Trust. Dariye has not only
disappointed the media trust and people of Jos- Plateau but also the
entire Nigerian populace because of his overt cantankerous posture to
certain Plateau indigenes, whom he tagged as “settlers” in Plateau. When
I saw the caption “I’ll arrest Daily Trust reporter”, says Dariye.
(Weekly Trust, May, 8-14, 2004), I had to swiftly search for the
referred story on page 31(News column). After careful reading and proper
scrutiny of the said story, I got to understand where the main part of
the Plateau crises and problems lies. I therefore feel obliged to draw
certain salient points to Governor Joshua Dariye with the hope that he
may shift ground from his baptized “tribalisation” of Plateau to a
reasonable neutral position so as to bring out a workable framework that
can serve as a basis for curtailing the state’s multidimensional
problems. First,
let me attend to one of the recent statements he made, which I regard to
be the most offensive, before coming to address the other aspects that
are nonetheless secondary. When asked about what he could say pertaining
the so called indigene- settler feud in Plateau state, hear him: “Even
if I spend 150 years in Bukuru, I cannot become an indigene of Du or Jos
south”. To
me, this statement is the least I expected to hear from the man who is
supposedly believed to be the number one chief security in- charge of a
state. Looking carefully at Dariye’s outburst, one can see that it was
highly incisive, divisive and diversionary in all its ramifications. If
for instance, we are to be analytical and if and only if we are to be
logically objective on the basis of the word “Indigene”, we would
find that it simply means something that “belongs naturally” to a
country, state or region. In other words, it is just a natural, simple
and direct identification of certain things- be it person, animal, or
plants etc, with a particular place or area. It therefore implies that
human beings have no rights whatsoever to choose where, what and how
they want to live. The coming together of a particular group of people
to live as a community or single unit and/or entity, is something that
is predetermined by God. That is why different tribes from different
genetic, religious and ideological beliefs and backgrounds inter-marry
and eventually produce generations. And those generations also reproduce
themselves in multiples! What
I am trying to point out to Dariye is that, if for example, one can
spend 150 years in Bukuru, though not ‘indigene’ of Bukuru, there is
every tendency that he can marry a Bukuru woman and produce children who
have no identity other than Bukuru. Likewise, if that same Bukurus
migrated to say, Du or Jos south, he/she can as well get married in
either of these two places, and once children are born via this
matrimonial linkage(s), then automatically the kids are by and large
part and parcel of their immediate place of birth. And this is a natural
belonging, which has superceded mere words of mouth. Constitutionally,
chapter 3 section 25, subsection 1, subsection ‘a’ of 1999
constitution stated clearly how one is qualified to be called a citizen
not to even talk of just an indigene of a particular place. Thus
“every person born in Nigeria before the date of 1st
October 1960, either of whose
parents or any of whose grandparents belongs or belonged to a community
indigenous to Nigeria”, is an automatic citizen by birth
(emphasis mine). Hence a person can only be regarded as a “settler”
or “foreigner”
if neither of his parents or any of whose grandparents was born in a
place. Therefore, as a matter of fact, one should know that the issue is
beyond the banalities and quibbling claims that the settlers
(Hausa/Fulani and Kanuris) should respect the sons of the soil, as
mischievously asserted by Dariye. Indeed, nobody has the mandate to
subject anybody into deprivation merely by reason of the circumstances
of his birth. This is categorical in the Constitution, under chapter 4
section 42 subsection 2 of the fundamental rights of indigenes. Though
if not because people are sometimes naturally selfish, one wonders why
the Marghi’s, Lantang’s, Anaguta’s, Wase’s, Kanuri’s,
Jassawa’s, Hausa- fulani’s, Birom’s and the Dariye’s are
disdainful of this naturally instinctive term called “indigene”.
They provocatively manipulated it to mean anarchy and intolerance. Here,
the cardinal questions that one need to ask people like Dariye are: what
moral justification has he to say, “ I will advice the Kanuris, the
Hausas and Fulanis to join hands with the authentic indigenes of Plateau
to bring peace and progress”? Does he deliberately ignored the long
inter- marital relationships among these tribes, or is he trying to show
us a clear cut between the authentic indigenes of Plateau and the fake
ones? It
is therefore a gross misconduct on Dariye’s part to champion his cause
along religious, tribal and ethnic jingoisms by subjectively siding with
certain religious or tribal groups. Instead of him to assume the role of
a neutral arbiter, he preferred to issue a jungle justice. What a pity!
What he did clearly contravenes chapter 1 part 2 section 11 subsection 1
of the national assembly clause that is shouldered with the
responsibility of ensuring “maintenance and securing of public
security, safety and order”, because he has failed to provide such
services as designated. His crime is not even punishable by suspension
but also unconditional impeachment. As
regards to the issue of News reportings, I do not think Daily/Weekly
Trusts, are only meant for one section of the North, not to talk of
siding with it at the expense of the other. The duo (Daily and Weekly
Trusts) are not only entirely northern but also national in outlook, as
such, it is too self centered, indeed very embarrassing for Gov. Dariye
to accuse the Daily Trust reporter of being “biased, sentimental and
unfair”. As a keen observer and follower of happenings in Plateau
state, I believe that the media trust is trying its best in objective
analysis and coverage of the crises in Jos- Plateau. Only that it is
always natural to sometime encounter hatred because of the general
conflict between government interest on one part and public interest on
the other, which the media trust is hell bent to protect. For the media
trust to reach its zenith, however, it should not allow itself to be
used as tools for manipulation. The government, whether civilian or
military, should know that in any objective journalism, there is no room
whatsoever to use the media as morass for committing the most heinous
political and social crimes against humanity. Media
Trust should continue to criticize Plateau state government’s
irrational policies and give unbiased solutions to problems. On the
other hand, it should critically observe and study the problems of the
entire Plateau crises and proffer clear solutions to them. No amount of
intimidation or mere scold should deter its reporters from constructive
analysis. It should also see that the entire Plateau state public’s
opinions, rights and duties on matters of national concern are brought
to the attention of Governor Joshua Dariye. As
a word of encouragement for the warring factions in Plateau, I would
like to assure them that for any peaceful resolution of crisis there
must be a “consensus
ad idem”, for instance, coming together of two minds to agree
on certain things. I therefore beg them to please bury their hatchets
and tolerate one another. For
the Governor of Plateau- the new baptized crusader against “Plateau
Muslim Alqaeda network”, I would like him to wake up from his slumber
and share the words of the Nigerian journalist, honorable chief Dr.
Nmandi Azikwe as food for thought, that “by twisting facts, by telling
half truths or untruths, the Nigerian press can mislead a great number
of innocent people and thus distorts our national image”. Because
of media trust people’s high regard for this gentleman’s remark, I
do not think it’s going to be possible just to succumb to Dariye’s
hullabaloo. Jibo
Nura is a legal analyst. He can be reached at jibonura@yahoo.com |