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What can separate us from the Love of Country: Religion, Politics or Intolerance?

February 19, 2010
A house divided against itself cannot stand. The same goes for a people divided against themselves – they will surely fall. But unlike Chinua Achebe’s novel where the infiltration of Western colonialism and our acceptance of their ways led  things to fall apart, what reasons can we give for the gradual disintegration of the unity of the people of Nigeria? The Jos Plateau crisis is creating a trend so dangerous that it can lead to unexpected and unlikely results for both parties of the crisis. And for God’s sake, let us call a spade a spade: whether this crisis has political undertones or not, it has turned into a full blown religious crisis – that’s right – A FULL BLOWN RELIGIOUS CRISIS.
I am afraid that it has become so and if the so called Christian & Muslim leaders not only of Plateau state but in Nigeria as a whole do not wholly come together for a holistic approach to settle this matter, it may happen again and with severe consequences.

Unfortunately as the popular saying goes, when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Majority of the houses that have been burnt belong to the lower and middle class families. Majority of the shops, properties, and goods that have been burnt belong to this same class of people.

Unfortunately, houses & properties of both the very rich upper class elite have been left untouched except for very negligible few. Why is that so unfortunate? Because the ordinary man who suffers the most in a crisis of this magnitude pays the consequences for the selfish and dishonorable actions of those in high places who are using religion as an excuse to achieve a hidden agenda. Be warned: this is highly inflammable!
Plateau state is made up of diverse minority tribes. Jos in question consists mainly of the Beroms, the Anaguta and the Afizere (Jarawa). These minority tribes collectively lay claim to Jos However, if it be an indigene/settler issue, then questioning the rights of the Berom/Anaguta/Afizere people to Jos, Middle Belt region, is akin to questioning the right of a fish to his natural habitation in the sea; it is akin to questioning the rights of Igbos to the Eastern states of Anambra, Imo, Enugu etc; it is akin to questioning the rights of Yorubas to the Western states like Ogun, Oyo, Ondo etc; and it is also akin to questioning the rights of the Hausas to the Northern states of Kano, Katsina, Sokoto etc. Take for example, Lagos which is home to Nigerians of different tribes and states, so is Jos, the capital city of Plateau state. While it is a well known fact that Lagosians have not only Yoruba residents, it is also obvious that Lagos Yorubas have a claim to Lagos as their land. Jos is no different. While Jos have not only Berom/Anaguta/Afizere residents, it is also obvious that Beroms/Anaguta/Afizere have a claim to Jos as their land too. However, the Berom/Anaguta/Afizere people alone did not develop Jos city. Jos, as the capital of Plateau state, welcomes various people into its state and it is a home to Nigerians of different states and cultures. The indigene/settler issue in Jos had never been an issue until this last decade. The question therefore that we should ask is that why has the indigene/settler issue become such a controversial issue that has led to the recurrent loss of not only lives and properties but also the loss of the once enviable peace that used to be the hallmark of Jos and the rest of Plateau state? Why is it that the Berom/Anaguta/Afizere people have no problem with the other settlers like Igbo, Yoruba, Calabar, Edo, Tiv or the other Nigerian tribes presently residing or settling in the Jos Plateau. Whose claim is being denied in the whole of the Jos Plateau Indigene/Settler Saga? Amongst the so many proliferated reasons for the Jos Plateau Crisis, there is more than meets the eye above and beyond the ordinary’s man understanding and interpretation of the situation.

Several interpretations of the Quran and the Hadith by different Muslim sects have given rise to diverse explanations as to the reason why certain Muslim sect engage the use of violence as a weapon to settle misunderstandings in an otherwise, peaceful environment. However Christians who have in the past endured violent and unexpected hostilities from their Muslim counterparts are now reacting in like manner. As one Christian puts it “the monopoly of violence does not belong only to the Muslims”. In other words, if they attack us, we will attack them also; what goes around comes around. Come on! Do we honestly think that there is a God - whether it be your God, my God or our God – do we truthfully think that there is a God up there in heaven who is actually smiling, cheering and clapping over this incessant killing of fellow human lives and wanton destruction of properties? Do you actually think that God is going to reward you for  hacking in pieces a pregnant woman and a helpless bystander, whether Muslim or Christian, in a fit of unadulterated hatred and intolerance? How does one wreak havoc in the name of a God? How does one kill his/her neighbor in the name of Jihad in this modern time of civilization and enlightenment? Is this the Stone Age? Are we barbarians or have we all gone mad? How can we keep silent over grievous matters of the land? I will no longer keep silent. It is my patriotic duty as a concerned citizen of Nigeria to shout out to my leaders whoever they are and wherever they may be to step out from their comfort zone, step up to the plate and do something fast about the Jos Plateau crisis.

Does not divine wisdom appeal to us in Isaiah 1:18 of the Christian Bible that we should “come now, and let us reason together” and does not the Quran 16: 125 tell us to "Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful advice, and reason with them by ways that are the best and most gracious: because your Lord knows best, (those) who have strayed from His Path, and those who receive guidance ". Let us be realistic in our analysis and the utterances we make. The fact of the matter is quite simple. The act of reasoning entails that when people come together to iron out sensitive issues like the indigene/settler or Christian/Muslim subject, all the parties and their representatives involved, directly or indirectly in the issue be called on board to state their case before the body of Arbitration appointed without prejudice by the state or federal government to settle disputes. Of course, the objective is to reconcile all warring parties amicably and in the best interest of all concerned. However a situation where religious individuals and organizations have begun to take sides against each other only leads to more confrontational actions. Since this crisis begun, I have conscientiously kept abreast with most of the news which the ordinary man can only glean generally from the newspapers and the TV stations. The articles and reports I read and see do not represent the true situation in the Jos Plateau. Most of them are subjective, biased and only serves to incite the different factions of the crisis into creating more harm pending on whose writer or reporter is upholding their view. Actions like the one carried out by the Bauchi State house of Assembly is not only an outright disregard for the constitution of Nigeria but also a public declaration of anarchy by people who should know better. It is the height of national disunity and impropriety for a whole state of Assembly like Bauchi S-+9tate House of Assembly to expel Plateau state indigenes from their state. Moreso, very few people have courageously condemned it. One would expect that the National Assembly would go even further and bring it up for more serious discussion on the floor of the House & Senate because acts like this if condoled from Bauchi State house of Assembly will have severe future repercussions for the nation. It reeks of contempt and leads to national disunity.

On 3rd February 2010, P.25, Thisday newspaper carried a statement in which the Sultan of Sokoto in his personal opinion described the mayhem in Jos city as genocide. When the use of words like ‘genocide’ are employed by someone as highly placed as the Sultan, it incites deeper emotions and increases resentment and anger amongst Muslim and Christian youths alike.

 The partisan reporting by news media has also not helped matters. However, the fact that media houses report that there are so many dead bodies lying around does not imply that there is a genocide taking place in Plateau state but rather that in the clashes that occurred, both sides incurred casualties. However if our elder state men and women begin to take sides with both sides declaring genocide, then we have all lost our reasoning! To put it bluntly, if this is an indigene/settler matter then the indigenes are accusing the settlers of genocide and vice-versa and if this be a religious matter, then the Christians are accusing the Muslims of genocide and vice-versa. So who do we believe? If we sit down to reason then let us reason with intelligence. The facts according to Stefanos Foundation remains that this recent crisis was well orchestrated. Questions need to be asked, sincere answers need to be used to identify solutions. However these are some of the critical matters arising as observed by residents in Plateau state:

1)    People, who should have thought better, sat down and planned an attack which involved the sewing of fake military uniforms. Uniforms take time to be sewn not as a result of an unprecedented attack.

2)    Most Muslim car/motor dealers removed their cars from its premises before the attack. This indicates that they were duly informed about an impending attack.

3)    Many Muslim youths were found carrying sophisticated weapons. Ammunitions do not come cheap. Who supplied them and who licensed them for public engagement?

4)    In light of the fragile peace in Jos Plateau and in light of the prevailing atmosphere where everyone is suspicious of the activities of their neighbors, considering that too many fights have broken out amongst residents, how can a reasonable person (Mallam Kabiru) gather 200 Muslim youths in one day to re-build his house – youths who were reported to be chanting Islamic words which referred to Non-Muslims as Arna (meaning infidels). Does this not show a deliberate attempt to antagonize Non-Muslims and draw them into a battle they were not prepared for?

5)    The abrupt recall of Plateau state Police Commissioner Gregory Ayanting leaves the mind of Plateau state residents bewildered. When a state commissioner of Police gives a situation report which implicates a group of Muslim youths as the first offenders in an unprovoked attack, why is he suddenly recalled and reassigned to a different unit? Is it because he dared to speak an unpalatable truth which seemed to have offended the powers that be?

6)    Why have the findings of all the various enquiries commissions and panels not been published and/or implemented in order to avert another crisis of this magnitude?

In light of this, there should be an independent & thorough investigations into all the allegations made against highly placed persons in government like Major General Sale Maina, the GOC of the 3rd Armored Division Jos who has been accused of actions inimical to the security situation in Plateau state and all persons who have played adverse roles in this unfortunate saga. Let there be no sacred cows. Nigeria is neither a Muslim nor Christian nation. Nigeria is a Federal Republic and we practice a system of government in which the individual states of a country have control over their own affairs but are controlled by a central government for national decisions and a constitution that binds all Local, State and Federal decisions. This same constitution guarantees the following rights:
•     The right to life
•    The right to dignity of the human person
•    The right to personal liberty
•    The right to fair hearing
•    The right to private and family life
•    The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion
•    The right to freedom of expression and the press
•    The right to peaceful assembly and association
•    The right to freedom of movement
•    The right to freedom from discrimination
•    The right to property.
Nigeria is a multi-lingual, multi-tribal and multi-cultural people. People who can and will not be held ransomed by any religion, group, tribe, sect or language.

On a conclusive note, now that the situation in Jos is not getting any better; now that Jos residents have deep distrust against every activity carried out by their neighbors; now that Jos residents have began creating Christian and Muslim markets, now that parents have begun withdrawing school children to schools of either Christian or Muslim proprietorship; now that the vocabulary & friendship criteria amongst innocent minds like the little children in Plateau state has sadly become ‘are you Christian or Muslim first’ and movement is no more free, business is dwindling, economic activities have come to a standstill and a dreaded & hostile truce is in place with whispers of retaliations when all has been forgotten, will my beloved Plateau state ever be sane  again? What are the Plateau elder state men and women doing about it? What are the post-crisis strategies and mechanisms that should be put in place to reconcile residents in Plateau state? Governor Jang is not a magician or miracle worker. He alone cannot have the answer or solution to the crisis problem. He needs the unbiased but sincere advice of not only Plateau elder state men and women but elder state men and women all over Nigeria to re-build Plateau and I am not talking of physical structures alone but relationship building. He may have made mistakes in his administration but that does not give people the right to demand for his head. To err is human, to forgive divine!

Does Islam not profess to be a religion of peace and tolerance? Does Christianity also not profess to be a religion of love, long suffering and neighborliness? Where has all the loveliness and neighborliness of both religions gone? Since we all agree that Nigeria is the amalgamation of diverse tribes, cultures and religions, we need to promote a national awareness where every Nigerian should respect other peoples lifestyle. Dora Akunyili’s “good people, great nation” should not merely end on our network stations and on the pages of publicity materials but it should be a true reflection of the yearnings of the heart of Nigerians. Good people do not kill one another because of differences; great nations do not take sides against their own citizens. One thing is certain: the centre will no longer hold in Nigeria if we continue to take sides. The time to bury the hatchet has come if not, the hatchet will destroy us all irrespective of whether we hail from Plateau state or not.

Chalya Princess Miri-Gazhi
Concerned resident/indigene in Jos Plateau State.

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