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Relocation Of Jos North Local Government and the Local Government Polls By Muhammad Lawal Ishaq
The recent move by the Plateau State Government to expand the Berom paramount ruler’s palace, the Gbong Gwon Jos, is no doubt one of the most absurd and unpopular decision taken by the Jang Administration since it came to power. The decision was revealed in a letter from the state government addressed to the Jos North Local Government and the Jos Metropolitan Development Board, JMDB directing the former to relocate to the latter’s premises to give way for the planned expansion. The Plateau State Government initially gave the duo 14 days to comply with the directive, which expired on 17th October 2007.
No doubt this directive raised a lot of controversies. Several meanings were read into the move. The Plateau State Government tried to justify the action as one of its expansion programme of both the Jos North Local Government secretariat and that of the Gbong Gwom Jos’ palace. The State government contends that the present Jos North LG secretariat is chocked up leaving no room for expansion. And that the Gbong Gwom’s Palace is also too chocked up and below the standard of a first class traditional ruler who is also the Chairman of the Plateau State Traditional Council.
On the other hand, some people are saying that ulterior personal motive is behind the move. Some are of the believe that the move is in furtherance of the Gbong Gwom’s ambition to erect a Christian worship centre commensurate with the imposing Jos Central Mosque. The Fund Rising for the Gbong Gwom Jos Palace Unity Chapel/Conference Centre took place on February 24 2007. The Foundation Laying Ceremony for the place of worship was to be conducted that same day but was cancelled, for what many believed were security reasons, as many people were seriously against the move as uncalled for and unnecessary provocation of the peace in Jos. Such people include the Jos North Local Government care-taker Chairman who was on seat then.
Yet, others are of the believe that the State Government are looking for an excuse not to conduct the forthcoming election in Jos North LGA in line with the past administration’s tactics of hiding behind lack of peace to install their cronies into the leadership position of the Local Government Council.
Both reasons could be true. There is no doubt that Jos North has been the only local government in the country that has remained without a democratically elected Chairman and Councilors since 2002. The former Plateau State Governor, Chief Joshua Dariye hid behind the 2001 crises which extended to 2002 and refused to conduct an election into the Jos North Council. This, was largely believed, was a ploy to prevent the Hausa-Fulani majority of the Local Government Area from producing a Chairman using their unprecedented voter population. Dariye unilaterally installed Dr. Danladi Atu who ruled the Local Government until 2007 when the present Governor took over the rein of the State. The present governor also followed suit by appointing an administrator for the Local Government as well as stuffing it councilors from his tribesmen. This trend is to continue if an election cannot be conducted into the Jos North Council due to whatever reason. This will ultimately shut out the Hausa Fulani from leading the Council, which they could have done through electoral processes.
These two reasons are wholesome to the present administration in the State as such it embraced the relocation move wholeheartedly. Otherwise, if the Plateau State is to be taken seriously on its excuse as stated by its Information Commissioner (Sunday Trust of November 4 2007), that the present Gbong Gwom’s palace is not conducive for a traditional ruler of the Gbong Gwom’s status, is the expansion of the palace to phase out to the present Jos North Local Government secretariat the only answer? Is the Gbong Gwom’s stool not for the Berom tribe, therefore more of a private affair than public? For further information, the Secretariat ordered to give way for the expansion of the Gbong Gwom’s palace houses not only the offices of the Jos North Local Government Council, but the NYSC Zonal Office, a one storey shopping complex that generate revenue to the Jos North Local Government and a public Primary Health Care Centre attending to the health needs of thousand inhabitants of the Garba Daho, Ibrahim Katsina, Sarkin Arab and Abba na Shehu wards – all of them wards densely populated by the Hausa-Fulani/Muslim. The area earmarked for the expansion also includes one of the largest and busiest Police Stations in Jos (the “C” Division), a court and a fire service station.
Similarly, the claim of the Plateau State Information Commissioner that the present Jos North Local Government secretariat is inadequate and that where it is being relocated is more spacious is not true. The immediate past care-taker Chairman of the local government, Dr. Atu spent millions of Naira in the expansion and renovation of the secretariat making it the largest and most beautiful of the local government secretariats in the State. The JMDB premises is in no way larger or spacious than the present Jos North Local Government Secretariat as well.
It could still be argued that if the Gbong Gwom, who by history and his disposition since ascending the stool, is a Berom Paramount ruler, truly requires an expanded palace, it should not be constructed at the expense of the general public, especially where they kick against it . It is instructive to note that the Gbong Gwom hardly stays in the Palace, as he carries out all his ceremonial functions elsewhere. What prevents the Plateau State Government from erecting any edifice it deems the Gbong Gwom deserves where he normally carries out such function. Clearly a vast virgin land is at the mercy of the government for this purpose. After all relocation of the Palace away from the disturbances of the ‘talakawas’ is far more cost friendly than the vast and most recently renovated Jos North Local Government Secretariat. The Jos North Local Government is more of a historic relic than even the Palace itself.
The Plateau State Government should therefore heed the several calls made to it to reconsider the relocation of the Jos North LG secretariat and or suspend the move until election has been concluded into the Local Government Council. Unless the State government wants to justify the speculation going of its intent to create tension in Jos as a prelude to not conducting election into the Jos North Local Government Council AGAIN!
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