On Monday week, the VP, Jonathan, set up and advisory panel on the Jan 17 Jos crisis. The obvious problem with it is its composition. It is made up Plateau indigenous Christians and Muslsims and a few settler Hausa-Fulanis. This creates the impression that the crises was religio-centric. It was not. It was not political either. So was its cause?
Hausa-Fulani jihadic expansionism. That's it. The Muslim Hausa-Fulanis are still at it. They are still trying to enlarge their coast, albeit subtely. I can assure them that the eyes of Nigerian are nnow opened. They will never win.
The Plateau Muslims and Christians, both indigenous and settler elements from all over Nigeria do not have a problem. The Hausa-Fulani Muslims have a clearly wrtitten agenda - to ensure that Nigeria falss to them politically, economically and religion-wise.
If they will not stop attempting to claim ownershi of Jos, stop demanding for an emirate or district, stop demanding for the removal of the Gbong Gwom, stop imagining that the Jos North local Government Council is theirs, then there is a lot more palaver for Nigeria and Nigerians.
I am aware that all Nigerians have taken sides on the Jos crises along ethno-religious lines.
Othe settler tribes in Plateau State MUST be included in Lar's panel for truth to be unravelled. Yorubas and Igbos and Urhobos have been in Jos loger than the Hausas. They will speak from an unbiased viewpoint, I believe. I hope the VP has heard me.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
THAT LAR/KWANDE PANEL
The Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, set up a 15-man panel on 1st Feb. 2010 to unravel the causes of the Jan 17, 2010 Jos crisis and profer solutions to them. The panel is to be co-chaired by Solomon Lar, a Christian, and Yahaya Kwande, a Muslim. The other members represent these two religions and they are made up of indigenous Plateau people and some Hausa-Fulani settlers.
I would like the VP to note the following interpretations of that panel as presently constituted.
1. The composition of the panel assumes that the crisis has a religions origin. Wrong. Yahaya Kwande, a Muslim' is happily married to a Christian woman. No problem with that. The series of Plateau crises are not religions but political in origin.
2. The Hausa-Fulani settlers in Plateau State are the problem. Get other settlers in Jos who are living peacefully and you will prove this. Oyo State, Kogi State, Nassarawa State Muslim settlers in Jos do not have a problem. Why not? Because the Hausa-Fulanis are Nigeria's trouble shooters.
3. Other settlers in Plateau State should have been included on the panel. The will proffer more honest solutions than a trouble shooter like Salleh Hassan. He has been championing the cause of the settler Hausa-Fulanis in Jos.
4. Yorubas, Igbos, Igalas, etc, are other settler tribes in Plateau State who also have problems with the Hausa-Fulanis. Why?
5. If the Hausa-Fulani incursionists are not curbed now, they will cause more trouble in Jos in the future. Watch our for their next move.
6. All the Hausa-Fulanis in Jos know their States and LGs of origin. Saleh Hassan, for example, is from Gombe State. He knows it and that's why he sent his son to go and complete his secondary school education there.
7. The panel, as constituted, cannot agree at the real problem in Jos. It will most likely issue two comflicting reports at he end of the day.
I would like the VP to note the following interpretations of that panel as presently constituted.
1. The composition of the panel assumes that the crisis has a religions origin. Wrong. Yahaya Kwande, a Muslim' is happily married to a Christian woman. No problem with that. The series of Plateau crises are not religions but political in origin.
2. The Hausa-Fulani settlers in Plateau State are the problem. Get other settlers in Jos who are living peacefully and you will prove this. Oyo State, Kogi State, Nassarawa State Muslim settlers in Jos do not have a problem. Why not? Because the Hausa-Fulanis are Nigeria's trouble shooters.
3. Other settlers in Plateau State should have been included on the panel. The will proffer more honest solutions than a trouble shooter like Salleh Hassan. He has been championing the cause of the settler Hausa-Fulanis in Jos.
4. Yorubas, Igbos, Igalas, etc, are other settler tribes in Plateau State who also have problems with the Hausa-Fulanis. Why?
5. If the Hausa-Fulani incursionists are not curbed now, they will cause more trouble in Jos in the future. Watch our for their next move.
6. All the Hausa-Fulanis in Jos know their States and LGs of origin. Saleh Hassan, for example, is from Gombe State. He knows it and that's why he sent his son to go and complete his secondary school education there.
7. The panel, as constituted, cannot agree at the real problem in Jos. It will most likely issue two comflicting reports at he end of the day.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
THAT BAUCHI STATE RESOLUTION
The Bauchi State House of Assembly has passed a motion to expel all Plateau State indigenous persons from their State. I think I got that right. I honestly wish it were not true. Unfortunately, it is. It's a big shame that adults who swore to uphold the Constitution of Nigeria would adopt such a resolution.
The Nigerian Constitution guarantees the freedom of sojourn to all Nigerians to live in any part of the country they so wish. Yet, the Bauchi people feel they can stop a group of Nigerians from enjoying this right. I hope they are not in the illusion that Plateau State expelled people from their State. No one has asked anyone to leave the Plateau. Those who have decided to leave have done so on their own volition and for reasons best known to them.
Did the Bauchi State legislators consider what the other States of Nigeria might do when Plateau indigenes begin to leave Bauchi? Didn't they guess that the other 34 States might just expel all non-indigenous persons from their States? Didn't they realize that they had unwittingly asked for the split of Nigeria into 36 new independent countries? Do they honestly believe that they can excise Plateau State from this country while they continue to live in peace? Shame on them.
The Bauchi legislators should tell their State indigenes residing in Plateau State to stop pretending to be Plateau indigenes. They should advice them to stop asking for a District, a Local Government, the position of Deputy Governor, etc, etc. They may continue enjoying the beautiful climate and hospitality of the Plateau people if they should stir clear of strictly Plateau affairs. The Igbos, Yorubas, Urhobos, Idomas, etc, are all living happily in Jos whether Christian or Muslim.
Plateau has Muslims and Christians in every Local Government Area living in peace. It's the Hausa-Fulani expansionist ambition that it fueling the Jos crises.
The Nigerian Constitution guarantees the freedom of sojourn to all Nigerians to live in any part of the country they so wish. Yet, the Bauchi people feel they can stop a group of Nigerians from enjoying this right. I hope they are not in the illusion that Plateau State expelled people from their State. No one has asked anyone to leave the Plateau. Those who have decided to leave have done so on their own volition and for reasons best known to them.
Did the Bauchi State legislators consider what the other States of Nigeria might do when Plateau indigenes begin to leave Bauchi? Didn't they guess that the other 34 States might just expel all non-indigenous persons from their States? Didn't they realize that they had unwittingly asked for the split of Nigeria into 36 new independent countries? Do they honestly believe that they can excise Plateau State from this country while they continue to live in peace? Shame on them.
The Bauchi legislators should tell their State indigenes residing in Plateau State to stop pretending to be Plateau indigenes. They should advice them to stop asking for a District, a Local Government, the position of Deputy Governor, etc, etc. They may continue enjoying the beautiful climate and hospitality of the Plateau people if they should stir clear of strictly Plateau affairs. The Igbos, Yorubas, Urhobos, Idomas, etc, are all living happily in Jos whether Christian or Muslim.
Plateau has Muslims and Christians in every Local Government Area living in peace. It's the Hausa-Fulani expansionist ambition that it fueling the Jos crises.
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