|
Jos Crises: Insisting on Falsehood at all Cost By Ndiameeh Babrik So much has been written about the unending Jos City crises and will continue to be so in the future. Some bizarre writers and commentators have even suggested that Plateau state must be Balkanized and shared amongst Bauchi, Kaduna and Nasarawa state. Some comedians are of the view that Jos City should be excised from Plateau state and taken to Bacuhi state since it was part of Bauchi Province before 1926! Some even suggested the scrapping of Plateau state from the face of the earth. Well whether people like it or not we will say the truth as it is whose ever ox is goad. While there are important political issues like absentee president for three months, what concerns Bauchi state House of Assembly is Jos Plateau state. It is on record that the Hausa Muslims suddenly released that they are part and parcel of Jos from 1994 or there about since the evil man General Ibrahim Babangida decided to create chaos by balkanizing beautiful Jos City and that has since sown the seed of discord between the Hausa settlers and the indigenes. Otherwise right from 1967 when Benue-Plateau state was created up to the politically created Jos North local government in 1991, everybody was living peacefully in Jos city between indigenes, settlers and even foreigners alike. These are statements of facts that can be cross-checked in the archives. It is true that the incessant riots in Jos is actually political but is always given religious coloration to maximise propaganda thereby religious bigots will take over and wreck havoc using inflammatory statements. Records are there to proof that when Jos North local government was created by the Babangida military misrule using his divide and rule antics, the Plateau state elders then used wise counsel to advise against the creation of Jos in such a manner. That singular unwise decision by General Babangida has murdered sleep on the Plateau and is almost consuming the fragile Federal Republic of Nigeria . Just like his other unpopular policies like dragging Nigeria to the OIC, wasting public funds to build Mosques and Churches in barracks and other public places were simply divide and rule antics and divert people's attention from failure of leadership at that time. The effect of all those divide and rule unpopular policies are now having grave effect on an already fragile and strained federation which may snap any moment from now and only God will determine and know the consequence of such a catastrophy. It was easy to take a controversial divide and rule decision to suit Babangida's ego and purpose at that time but the consequence is with us now and will live with generations yet unborn. Just like the Hitler action consequences on the nation of Germany and Europe generally. Coming to the issue of Jos City , it is funny really how some commentators and writers live in the past. I mean a situation where by some can actually put pen to paper to say that Jos should be returned to Bauchi province of 1902 since it was part of it is not only illogical but tells how supremacists some people are in hallucination of the fact that they own Northern Nigeria. I believe it is akin to asking the British to re-colonise Nigeria , America , and South Africa India amongst nations in the 21st century. We may as well merger Bauchi state with Borno state where it belongs in the first place. I can see the detest in my readers eyes already. There are many Northern towns and cities already that have substantial numbers of the so called non-indigenes that are de-franchised politically. What can we do about that as a nation? The interview by Shehu Sani in the Daily Trust is a move in the right direction. We all have to sit together as a nation via a sovereign national conference and agree what type of federalism we want. Nigeria must not go the route of countries like Sudan, Northern Ireland, Somalia to fight a fratricidal civil war first before sitting down to talk. Let us all sit down and talk now that we are still in our senses. As for the Jos crises over the years since 1994, the root and the usual cause is the bias and unwarranted creation of Jos North local government area in 1991 by the Babangida military maladministration which the Plateau elders then fore-warned and advised against such act. Since then the incessant ethno-religious crises in Jos city and on the Plateau is estimated to have killed over 50,000 innocent souls both Christians, Muslims and even pagans most of them who simply came to the beautiful tin city to irk a living. I am going on holidays and hereby hand over officially to Mallam Wane until I resume. “At least I no behave like Yar' Adua."
|