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North: Another Decade Backward! By Kabiru Inuwa Tsakuwa
The senseless orgy of political violence which engulfed Jos North local government area of Plateau state following an attempt to subvert the mandate of the people by the Plasiec (plateau state electoral commission) in-cahoots with the state government is, to say it mildly, very unfortunate. The barbaric acts has left in its trail many tragic consequences which can not be sufficiently quantified in monetary terms having involved the loss of many precious lives and wanton destruction of properties worth billions of naira.
Retrospectively, in the seventies and eighties, Jos, the capital of the upper Plateau, was the final destination for all fun seekers, academics, scholars and tourist who desires a tranquil environment. The natural breeze, the serene and scenic topography, mild temperature, awe striking features of rock formations all adds up to make plateau a final tourist destinations of international repute. The state was once, the third most industrialized state in the entire north after Kaduna and Kano.
These, combined with the hospitable nature of its diverse people, have helped greatly in the economic prosperity of the state. As a result, Plateau state then, boost of many notable companies, business concerns and even played host to some prominent institutions, political conventions, conferences and seminars on many contemporary topical issues and many more.
However, recent sordid happenings have rendered most of the good things for which Plateau was prominent desolate. The city of Jos has negatively changed from being a center of hospitality to the centre of ethnic/religious and political conflagrations. Gone are the golden days of yore when many people eagerly troupe to Jos in yuletide periods from many destinations to celebrate Sallah and/or Christmas with their families. And having degenerated from the notable hospitality destinations of repute that it was well known for, Jos has since the year 2000 or there about metamorphosed into a continuous killing field aided and abetted by some faceless elements that are bent on changing history by force!
Fortunately for all peace loving Nigerians, the three days genocide has not in any way achieved the aims and objectives of the perpetrators of the carnage. Their expressed desire to exterminate the endangered Hausa/Fulani out of the most expensive and economically viable section of the state capital has woefully failed; so also their desire to hoist an unwanted candidate on the people in absolute disregard to the principle of free and fair franchise inherent in all ideal democracies.
As a consequence of the dastardly acts, Nigeria has now needlessly lost both: the over 500 of its citizens and her good image as a peaceful country in the international arena. And all the on-going efforts aimed at soothing frayed nerves and nurturing a cordial relationship among our diverse people by many well meaning Nigerians and some voluntary associations, like the Nigeria inter religious councils (NIREC), has been punctured by the failure of leadership through the activities of some cabals who have found themselves in the corridors of power on the upper plateau and are bent on changing the long established social/demographic settings of the hitherto serene city Jos by whatever means.
But perhaps the greatest looser in the unfolding scenarios has been the much maligned, poverty stricken northern region which has perpetually lagged behind other region in term of all the indices of development. The economy of the entire region which perpetually lags behind those of the south has been adversely affected by many of such senseless destructions of valuable properties in Jos and elsewhere, thus, adding to the already intolerable poverty conundrums bedeviling the people of the region.
Such perennial violence which has been the hall marks of the north must be halted once and for all, in order to forge ahead and catch up with the rest of the country in the area of education, economic developments and prosperity. The era of mutual destructions, senseless killings, un-constitutional settler/indigene dichotomy which has now taken the region another decade backwards in terms of economic development must be stopped out rightly by all genuine lovers of Nigeria north of the Niger. We must begin the process of healing. We must do away with hatred, ethnic chauvinism, and religious bigotry and learn to forget and forgive whatever perceived wrong done to us in the interest of our dear country.
Similarly, In order to halt the persistent genocide in many volatile centers across the north, government must of necessity bring all those found culpable in the perpetrations of the most heinous crimes against humanity in recent past to justice. There should be no sacred cows. And Justice must be done in order to serve as deterrence to other criminally minded politicians who are lucking in every corner for opportunities such as this, to turn the hands of the clock backward by manipulating our ignorant and poverty stricken-jobless youths into taking precipitate actions such as the one we have all painfully witness in Jos recently.
There should also be holistic and final settlements of indigene/settler questions which is the root of the problems in the constitution so that, every Nigerian can live, procreate and aspire to be whatever he wish to be in the entire expanse of the federal territories of Nigeria, irrespective of his/her ethnic and/or religious affiliation. Enough of these madness please!!
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