Jos: The Actual Settlers

By

Mustafa Liman-Adamu

jikanhalilu@gmail.com

“It is strange how men find time to hate when life is all too short for love”

 - H.W. Davies (1869-1941)

The alleged bone of contention of the perennial crises in Plateau State is said to be the so-called indigene-settler issue. The natives believe that the Hausaman has no right to lay any claim on Plateau State, particularly Jos Township. But it is not for this article to delve into this issue.

Anybody that knows Plateau State, and the generality of non-Hausa states in the North, surely knows that Hausa culture, the good part of which is inseparable from Islam, has an immeasurable, immense influence on nearly all the indigenes who today view the Hausas among them as mere settlers. 

Comparing other ethnic groups, especially those from the south, settling on the Plateau with the Hausas is inappropriate because none of them has even a fraction of his influence on the indigenes. The indigenes have absorbed to the tilt so many cultural and religious heritages of the Hausaman that it will take centuries to completely rid the Plateau of any Hausa or Islamic influences. You don’t need to be a sociologist or anthropologist before you realize that. Even the self-deceiving Chief Indigene of Plateau State cannot deny this fact. 

The actual settlers among the indigenes are the cultural and social heritages borrowed from the irritating Bahaushe which have become an integral part of their lives.

The foremost settler among the indigenes is the Hausa language. All Plateau people grow up spontaneously speaking their native languages along with Hausa. It is not just a lingua franca among the different tribes but also a religious language in which Christian non-Hausas read the Bible and sing hymns. They speak the language at home, in markets, schools, offices and everywhere. I don’t think it is out of place to assert that they possibly even think in Hausa. A former colleague from the South used to tease a mutual friend from Plateau State as to why he would be speaking Hausa with his wife instead of their mother tongue. The Chief Indigene himself could not help granting interviews to the Hausa services of the BBC, VOA and the rest. And up till tomorrow, to effectively convey any public message like adverts or government programmes to all the people of the state, Hausa, unfortunately, is the medium. 

Another settler that settled deeply is dressing. The indigenes, of all classes, take pride in dressing the Hausa way. Just have a look at highly placed individuals among them, and you would be forgiven for taking them as the settlers. Many big men among them will never appear big without the trademark starched, long Hausa caps. So also are many other politicians.  Royal fathers too are not left in adopting the settler’s royal attires. The turban and the alkyabba are too charismatic to be rejected. It seems the Chief Indigene himself has an expert settler tailor responsible for tailoring his settler kaftan and babban riga.

 As if all these are not enough, the cultural and religious names of the settler also settled comfortably within the indigenes. Countless names of both sexes are not only common, but loved as well. Danjuma, Ali, Hassan, Danladi, Jummai, Ladi, Bawa, Gambo, Sa’idu, Laraba, Asabe, Talatu, Usman, Sadauki, Garba etc are just a few examples. Even some that are not used by the settler like Alheri, Danbaki and similar ones have been invented by the indigenes.

Another important settler that is gaining more acceptance and even coveted at all cost is the settler’s traditional titles. It is a pride among indigenes to be turbaned the Madaki, Sarkin Fada, Garkuwa, Turaki, of this village or that.

The Chief Indigene is only putting the cart before the horse by expelling the Hausas before the settlers mentioned supra. So long as they remain deep rooted in Plateau State, eliminating the Hausaman physically is daft and meaningless. Is it not?

Perhaps the positive settler yet to settle is entrepreneurship: the art of nursing a business from infancy to maturity and fruition against all odds. Plateau owes its development mainly to the risk taking settlers: Hausaman, Igboman, Yorubaman and others from whom the indigenes should borrow. As to the destroyers – through arson- even their posterity will not forgive them.