Guest Column

NigerianNews

Dr. Yushau Balarabe
Remedial Studies Dept.
University Of Jos
Jos, Nigeria
byushau@gmail.com

Nevertheless, whatever perceived maltreatment done by the Hausas, if any, to Plateau people, does that measure up to the institution of a state of apartheid? On the contrary, many of the elite in the state mentioned on many occasions how the Sardauna and other Hausas have helped them to become what they are. However, if you go to South Africa now and see the huge disparity that still exists between the indigenous Black and White Afrikaans after more than a decade of independence, you would wonder why there has never been war in that country?

Jos Crises: An Old Problem taking a New Dimension
by Dr. Yushau Balarabe

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Any sensible person that has anything to do with Nigeria must have been disturbed with high level of animalistic barbarism, and display of total hatred among the people that were hitherto living peacefully for hundreds of years. In particular, for those of us from Jos, and Plateau state in general, it has been a depressing, frustrating and confusing time. Thousand of people were left homeless and in fear, and there were heavy irreparable material and human losses. Furthermore, the State has been taken many years backward. From the beginning of the crisis, I have been contemplating on what actually has gone wrong? Are we really this bad? And what are the possible ways forward - since we cannot continue to kill each other in this manner.

At the time some people are trying tacitly to justify or politicize the barbarism, I have found the point raised by Human Right Watch (HRW) and US Secretary of States, Hillary Clinton pertinent. Human Right Watch attributed the problem to high level of discrimination that is taking place in the state, and Hillary alluded to lack of people oriented leadership in the country. My intention in this article is to emphasize the importance of these two points as the necessary issues to be addressed if at all we are interested in bringing an end to similar carnages in the future.

Human Right Watch was blunt and direct to the point. It clearly states that the discriminatory policies "lie at the root of much of the inter-communal violence in Nigeria". With these policies, according to HRW, "Non-indigenes are openly denied the right to compete for government jobs and academic scholarships". In particular, "In Jos and in Kuru Karama, members of the largely Muslim Hausa ethnic group are classified as non-indigenes though many have lived there for several generations”. Therefore, HRW strongly suggests that “government should also take concrete steps to end the discriminatory policies that treat certain groups as second-class citizens" (http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/01/22/nigeria-protect-survivors-fully-investigate-massacre-reports).

One cannot agree more with this succinct observation by HRW. The problem is much more than that of Hausa “settlers” and other “indigenes”, even among the so called indigenous tribes, some have a feeling that they are more indigenous than others. For instance, it is a fact that Jarawa are not considered to be “indigenes” of Jos by some Berom hardliners. This shows the complexity of the problem, and highlights the fact that annihilating Hausas in the state will only be the beginning of an unending problem.

Looking back a little bit in the memory lane, one can say, with out fear of contradiction, that this discrimination of Hausa in Plateau State as observed by HRW is not new. It is only unfortunate that the issue has now culminated into this dangerous dimension - in which neither the “indigenes” nor the “settlers” will benefit from.

I remember vividly in 1980 I was in primary six at LGED Primary Jenta Jos. When the result of the common entrance examination came out, I was among the top best students. We did the interview in the Township Primary School Jos. This interview took us complete three days to finish. It comprised of aptitude tests, written and oral exams. It was unprecedented; we could not understand why it was made that tough. In spite of that, myself and two of my close friends got nothing less than 98% in the total aggregate of the three days interview. In the first day of the interview, we filled forms that we indicated our state of origin, local government, etc. I remember vividly people coming to the exams hall several times announcing that we should never put Plateau State as our State of origin if our great grand fathers came from other places; otherwise we would not get admission. The message was very clear to those for whom it was targeted. I remember vividly how intimidating that threat was to me at that tender age. In any case, the interviewers seemed to be highly impressed with our performance. One of them, who was a Principal of one of the Government Secondary Schools in Jos called us privately and told us that if we knew some people outside the state we should start to look for admissions because the decision was that we were non-indigenes, and would not, as such, get admission in the state schools. She advised us not to waste our talents (I still remember her face, and thank her for her concern). Up till today the result of that interview has not been made public. This happened three decades ago. Anybody interested in this subject matter should go and check the record. As a result of this, I know many of my mates who were equally talented, but could not continue their education because they could not find their way in the neighboring states. Now, even if Plateau State is not proud of my qualifications and academic achievements, I am proud to be from Jos.

It is also around the same time that the government stopped the scholarship of many Hausa students who were in different higher institutions in Nigeria. As a result, Hausas in Jos found themselves in a dilemma and identity crises. They were not recognized in their ancestral states because they were considered as Jasawas, and were not recognized in Plateau State for some reason. This necessitates the creation of a movement known as Jasawa, with the aim of finding a lasting solution to this identity crisis.  This happened at the initial time of Chief Solomon Lar, and he was titled: The Emancipator. Luckily he was hijacked by the progressive governors movement, which in my opinion, neutralized many of these policies for obvious reasons. 

There was some sense of relief when Jos North local government was created, and a Hausaman, by name Ismaila Muhammad was elected as the chairman of the local government. It is an incontestable fact from both the "indigenes" and "settlers" that up till today, Jos north local government has not seen more development and justice than the period of Ismaila Muhammad (now representing Jos zone in the House of Representatives). No one was discriminated, Ibos, Yorubas were all part of his administration. In fact he was instrumental in keeping Berom in Jos north local government; otherwise, they were all willing to relocate to Jos South.

With the arrival of late Fred Taddy as a chairman of Jos north local government, the issue of classifying Hausas as non-indigene took a formal dimension. Taddy created a new indigene certificate for Jos North Local Government, where he categorically itemized three tribes (Berom, Anaguta and Jarawa) as the only indigenes of the local government. Therefore, while filling the form, you have to tick one of these tribes; otherwise you would be issued with a residence permit! As a result of this, Taddy was title: Dodan Hausawa. Now in primary schools in Jos, I was told that Hausa children are randomly given states of origin other than Plateau. A father of three told me that one of his children was given Gombe, the other Katsina, and the third one Kano.

All these discriminatory policies even if they are not officially written, are well known in practice. They are happening in this era of globalization, at a time when developed countries are inviting people from whatever extraction to come and add value to their system; at the time when other Hausas that found themselves in America, Canada, Australia, Saudi Arabia, UK, Ghana, Cameroon, Sudan, Sierra Leone, etc are given citizenship, international passport, and law to protect them; at a time when Malay and Indians that were brought to South Africa for the same reason Hausas were brought to Jos are living peacefully as South African; at a time when black Africans who were brought to America for the same reason Hausas were brought to Jos are living peacefully in America with laws protecting them from any segregation; at a time when Afrikaans are living peacefully as citizens of South Africa despite apartheid history; at a time when many Muslims from different part of the world are living in America, Canada, Europe, Australia,  with laws protecting them from religious intimidation; in fact at a time when a second generation black African is the COE in the American White house.

Therefore, it is high time for us to wake up from our sleep and stop showing the world that we are still living at the Stone Age. Government must take concrete steps to end these discriminatory policies that treat certain groups as second-class citizens. Even if Nigerian constitution is not clear on the issue, the number of lives sacrificed, and the amount of properties lost as a result of the discrimination necessitate a revisit to the constitution on the issue.

Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, rightly raised the issue of leadership. According to her, the Nigerian political leaders have failed to live by example, therefore increasing the "radicalization" of many young Nigerians (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8482420.stm). There is no doubt that Nigeria has not been lucky as far as leadership is concerned. If not for the fact that we are "Africans", what has happened in Jos is more than enough for the president of Nigeria to resign for a failure to protect innocent lives and properties of thousands of Nigerian citizens, not to talk of the State governor. However, they are all comfortably sitting in their seats, while thousands are lingering in various refugee camps. In a simple term, protecting the lives and properties of citizen is of secondary importance to our leaders. The number one priority is the power that gives them the opportunity to divide the national cake among them. For this, they bury their religious, tribal and regional differences, and become closely religious - praying for the Almighty to make them smarter in destroying the economy of the country.

They use religion when it suits them, while they are the most irreligious people in the society. They bring tribal and regional sentiment to cover for their incompetence and corrupt practices at a time when ordinary people are wallowing in poverty and hopelessness. They deny people basic education, health care, food, water, light, security, and make the future of our youth bleak. Some statistics are pointing to the fact that more than forty million youths in Nigeria are jobless. Many of these youths are university graduates that have forgotten all what they have studied. All these are not enough; these so called leaders are instigating misunderstanding between the ordinary people, the aim of which is to divert the attention of the masses from understanding their atrocities. Some even supply these youth with drugs that can lead them to do all kind of atrocities in the name of politics, tribe or religion. The victims are all the time the ordinary people who do not have any direct connection with the actual problem. Otherwise, among all the thousands killed in these crises, can you mention one prominent name? The fighting was in Yelwa,  Dutse Uku, Unguwar Rukuba, Congo, Gada Biyu, Kuru, and has NEVER reached the GRA or Millionaires Quarters, where both Muslims and Christians, Berom, Angas, Hausa, Ibos, Yarubas etc. are all living peacefully. And each is living in a house that he cannot account for, with the daily expenditure of the house totaling more than his monthly salary. My prayer is for the day an ordinary people in Nigeria will know their real enemies and work collectively to get rid of them.

In Plateau State, these political leaders have found the most plausible argument to arouse the sentiment and emotion of these teeming jobless youths in the state. That is to say their problems are all cause by Hausas, and they cannot progress until they get rid of them. This is the tactics they use to divert the attention of the youth and mislead them so that they can do more looting peacefully. Otherwise, in what way, does Hausa man contribute to the difficulty of the ordinary people of Plateau State? Since independence, what position has any Hausaman held in Plateau State that has contributed negatively to the current position of the state? Who are in charge of the state budget since independence? The truth of the matter is as rightly highlighted by the HRW, that Hausas are the victim of segregation and discrimination in the State. In particular, what has the ordinary farmers (at subsistence level) in Kuru Karama did to their neighbors that deserve this genocide. These are very ordinary people that are struggling to survive the hardship the so called leaders have put the state, and the killers know this precisely better than any other person.

Nevertheless, whatever perceived maltreatment done by the Hausas, if any, to Plateau people, does that measure up to the institution of a state of apartheid? On the contrary, many of the elite in the state mentioned on many occasions how the Sardauna and other Hausas have helped them to become what they are. However, if you go to South Africa now and see the huge disparity that still exists between the indigenous Black and White Afrikaans after more than a decade of independence, you would wonder why there has never been war in that country? Had it been that that wise gentleman – Nelson Mandela - responded to the issue emotionally, the country must have been collapsed by now. On the other hand, looking at the level at which Zimbabwe is deteriorating; it will tell us how emotional response to issues can lead a beautiful and promising country like Zimbabwe to destruction. That is why leadership is synonymous to wisdom. Nelson Mandela is an example of a wise leader that has responded to his and his people maltreatment of the apartheid regime with wisdom, and the country and its people are benefiting from that wisdom. On the other hand, Mugabe is responding to colonialism with vengeance and emotion, and his people are paying the price, and the country is fast deteriorating. The Plateau State political leaders have a lot to learn from the wisdom of Nelson Mandela, and the mistake of Mugabe.  

Long live Jos

Long Live Plateau State

Long Live Nigeria