THE PREPOSTEROUS COMMENDATION

 

 (By Shabul Mazadu)

One of the major hindrances to finding lasting solutions to the periodical onslaughts on communities in Plateau State, is sycophancy meted to government whose carelessness in most cases is responsible for the attacks, instead of pointing out their flaws. 

It was preposterous for the Speaker, Plateau State House Assembly, Rt. Hon. Gabriel Dawan, to address a press conference commending Governor Caleb Mutfwang whose short stay in power shows weakness towards insecurity in the state, of dousing further tension bred by avoidable attacks.

Chapter 2 Section 14 (1) b of the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic as amended states, "The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government."

Going by this section, there is no project or agenda of a sitting government that should supercede the security and welfare of the citizens including going overseas to seek investors, construction of roads, bridges and other infrastructures. Proper attention must be given to security as is done in United States of America, USA, where defence budget is the biggest.

Mutfwang has inherited crises ridden state, and was fortunate to have enough facts on ground on the nature and scope of the crises.

The Crises that Joshua Dariye administration went through and the state of emergency imposed, the security challenges the state went through under Jonah Jang administration in which he established the security outfit Operation Rainbow but to no avail.

Under the Jang administrations, then President, Good Ebele Jonathan in 2012, slammed state of emergency on four local government areas in the Northern Zone, but could not end the onslaughts.

Simon Lalong administration established Peace Building Agency, Inter-Religious Council, Peace Watch Tower, Forgiveness Day, and Air Force Base in Kerang. He also enacted Anti-Land Grabbing and Anti-Kidnapping Laws, and pushed for the creation of Mobile Police Barracks in Gashish all in the attempt to find lasting peace but to no avail.

These were supposed to have educated Mutfwang on the dire security situation of the state and make him to adapt extra-ordinary measures above his prefecessors' to enable him attain to his constitutional responsibility of securing lives and properties of Plateau citizens, but he failed to because he either refused to learn from history, or was bedeviled by bankruptcy of leadership finesse or was nonchalant towards achieving his paramount goal as Chief executive of Plateau, only himself can tell. However, what happened to him, tallies with a former UK Prime Minister, Winston Churchill assertion which says, "Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

The insecurity situation that needed to be uprooted and dealt with, was enough to have perpetually kept Mutfwang in the state, and hamstrung his restless feet from frequent transits as the Tuaregs or Red Bororo.

In his early days in office, about six months ago when some communities in Mangu LGA came under attack, Mutfwang visited the Chief of Army Staff, General Taoreed Lagbaja who gave him professional advice of bringing the elders and stakeholders of the state together to find lasting peace. But Mutfwang turned it down and made a ridiculous statement after his victory at the Tribunal saying they will deal decisively with Azalumai (oppressors) and munafukai (hypocrites). And also that after God is Government.

No serious governor that is ready to tackle the scope and magnitude of Plateau's kind of insecurity will make such assertions, because whoever is next to God doesn't need the help of men. After God is Government according him, but where is the power then to have enforced peace in the state?

It was after the Christmas Eve attack that Mutfwang started harping on unity, which was even questionable because of the booing meted to Lalong on Wednesday in Bokkos after he called him to the podium. The boo was questionable and allegedly a set up as qualified by pundits, because Lalong wasn't the governor. He wasn't the senator representing Plateau Central. He is from the Southern Zone and not the central zone. He wasn't the Chief of Army Staff or the Chief of Defence staff and he didn't lead the attack on the communities. His presidential candidate did not win Bokkos. Why was he then booed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, apologists? The APC wouldn't have done that because it is his party and he is their leader.

If it was not political why was Chief Joshua Dariye not booed? He was a governor and a senator of the Central Zone who should have adequately placed security measures of ground to secure Bokkos his local government when he was in power. 

What cogent reason was there that Lalong was booed?

A Governor who knows his onions on security and is serious with it, will rely mostly on political means to curb insecurity because the Military has openly stated that they can only provide 30% of the security, while good governance 70%. The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa said, "We have realised that the magic wand to address insecurity is good governance.

Anywhere you have good governance, insecurity goes down. The security forces can only produce 30 percent. We can only produce an enabling environment."

Then President, Muhammadu Buhari, said, "Security is not just Military concern but a challenge for all Nigerians. No matter the amount of money invested in Military operations, without the support of the people and for everyone to be ready to take ownership of securing our environment success will be limited."

General Musa also confirms this when he said, "If you see something, say something, so that together we will succeed in the war against insecurity. Fighting insecurity is not the responsibility of the military alone."

If the Military clearly stated that they need the support of the civilians to succeed in dealing with insecurity, but a civilian governor is solely depending on the Military and the Police to enthrone security without bringing the people together shows he doesn't know what leadership is all about and how to win the peace. Reverend Jesse Jackson said, "Leadership has a harder job to do than choose sides, it must bring sides together."

If Mutfwang was serious in dealing with insecurity, he will not be frequently on transit.

 I can't tell whether since his assumption of office he spent three weeks in the state without traveling out.

He was supposed to engage the House of Assembly in enacting laws that will enhance security and not to allow them to enjoy recess spree to nobody's good. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe said, "A welfare state protects and promotes the social and economic well-being of the inhabitants through systems of law and institutions."

Since he came on board as governor, Mutfwang relegated the Peace Building Agency and sent it into comatose.

The Agency has vital roles to play in peace building since security is build up and not imposed.

The aim of the Peace Building Agency was to promote and strengthen the ideals of sustainable peace through research, coordination, dialogue and collaborative partnership with a wide range of stake holders.

If Mutfwang was serious and has empathy in his heart, he wouldn't have given a dime out of the five hundred million naira brought to the state by the First Lady, Remi Tinubu, for the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, to anyone outside the refugees. But enlisting non-refugees as beneficiaries was a serious issue of non-concerned.

Finally, Mutfwang was not supposed to pay Christmas homage to the President when some communities in the state came under attack and over 155 people lost their lives as Prophet Elijah Ayodele told him.

If Mutfwang was serious with security matters, he would have been preoccupied in making access roads to areas prone to attacks to enable the security operatives respond to distress calls on time, and not mounting asphalt on existing roads as refurbishment in the city.

He would have strengthen the vigilantes and hunters with enough equipment using the millions of naira spent on estacodes for early warning signs of eventual attacks to help the military stem grave and profuse casualties or avert all forms of onslaughts.

Mutfwang would have been preoccupied with the purchase of surveillance cameras and drones mounted and stationed at flash points.

He would have consistently engaged the Fulani and host communities in dialogue to find lasting solutions. But he did non of the aforementioned security blueprint.

If he had don't that, he would have averted the attacks. A former Commander, Operation Safe Haven in Plateau, retired Major General Augustine Agundu said in an interview with Vanguard 31st December, 2023, "During my assignment in Plateau State, I discovered that there is a total disconnect between the rural area and the urban."

The retired general further stated that the people in Plateau are easy going if you work on their psyche. He said, "If you work on the psyche of the people they will follow you." He said it was through this method that he was able to achieve some feats in the state.

Now, if the general who was not born and bred on the Plateau will understand that there is a disconnection between the Urban and rural areas, why didn't a sitting governor know and work towards connecting the rural and urban?

He was right too on the issue of easy going, because that was what the Taroh nation and the Fulani did that brought an end to their conflict. A person who has the ability to stem attacks but did not use it well, should not be commended after the damage was done.

Mutfwang doesn't deserve any commendation on security because he did nothing that deserves it.

NB; THIS WRITE-UP HAS IN NO WAY RELATED TO OUR BLOG. IT'S IN TOTALITY THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR.