It was sometime at the turn of the millennium that Nigeria`s Plateau State reached tipping point when Jos, its capital city and crown, erupted in a conflagration of religious crisis.
Hundreds were slaughtered and innumerable buildings razed to the ground. Many livelihoods were shattered and the memories of children indelibly scarred by a senseless crisis. It has been decades now but what happened in Jos in the early 2000s continues to breach the veil of time to keep the state on edge.
The 2001 Jos Crisis ended decades ago but Plateau State has found out the hard way that once peace takes flight, bringing it back is a herculean task. Almost on a weekly basis, entire families are slaughtered while they sleep; reprisal attacks have also become the norm in a state once renowned for its limitless hospitality amidst nature`s bountiful generosity.
The sparks which effortlessly kindle the flames that surge across the state scalding and scarring children and their families were once entirely religious, but they have since taken on an economic intensity.
The friction between those who must till the soil to feed their children and those who must herd cattle to do the same is palpable in the state. This friction has turned forceful many times shearing in the middle the state`s fragile ethnic and religious harmony.
Plateau State is but a microcosm of Nigeria. Events in the state spectacularly show how ethnic, economic and religious tension can convulse a multi-ethnic and multi-religious entity. Like Nigeria, the state has a bevy of ethnic groups as well as a good number of Nigerians who adhere to different religions. People of different ethnic groups and religions used to live together with little conflicts until things took a violent turn years ago. Perhaps, Nigeria can examine how events in Plateau State have turned out, and take preventive measures to preclude the possibility of the country sliding into chaos.
Thanks to bad leadership, religion and ethnicity have become bold issues in Nigeria today. Many mischief makers now masquerade as politicians in Nigeria. They take it upon themselves to forment trouble and cause chaos. Because they have painstakingly studied the patterns, they ruthlessly exploit the sore points that are more likely to drive Nigerians apart than bring them together.
Unfortunately, the country has been falling for their tricks. The factors which conduce to make Nigeria so vulnerable to the antics of these mischief makers are many. There is the lack of economic opportunities many people have to contend with. There is the half-baked education many people receive. There is the lack of exposure many people grapple with. Then there is government inaction, contributed to in no small measure by a lack of political will to tackle the myriad problems facing the country.
The good people of Plateau State have lived this situation first-hand. Successive Plateau State governments have failed to take the bull by the horn. Tacitly citing high-level politics they always push the buck to the table of the federal government which in recent years has appeared more reluctant than ever to conclusively address the volatile situation in Plateau State. The hope is that someday, something will be done.
A comprehensive peace plan for Plateau State and other volatile Nigerian states must begin from apprehending and prosecuting perpetrators who profit from spilling innocent blood. Because they deserve no place in the society, they have to be put behind bars for peace to be possible.
Kene Obiezu,
Abuja
