The Plateau State chapter of the Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association of Nigeria (KPFAN) has lambasted former Governor Jonah David Jang for opposing a recent court judgment that granted Hausa residents in Jos North Local Government Area indigeneship status based on their birth and long stay in the state.
In a statement reacting to the ruling on Saturday, Jang had said the judgment would have serious implications for the state’s identity, cultural heritage and indigenous rights.
“The issue of citizenship, residency and indigenship in the state has been at the heart of political and social discourse for decades and why should the court rush to take a position on an issue that may escalate tension.
He said that altering the existing framework might spark tensions and violate the rights of groups that are historically recognized as indigenous to the state.
But the Fulani group, in a statement on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Haruna Idris Bayero, said the elder statesman’s opposition to the ruling was not only unfortunate but dangerous to the unity of the people and the fragile peace in the state.
Jang’s position, Bayero said, is against the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which stipulates that every citizen is equal and there is no discrimination based on tribe, origin and religion.
“The Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association of Nigeria (KPFAN) received with utter dismay and disappointment the recent utterances of former Plateau State Governor, Senator Jonah David Jang, against the issuance of indigene certificates to Hausa/Fulani residents of Plateau State,” the statement said.
Bayero added:
His position is not only unfortunate but a dangerous throwback to ethnic exclusivism that offends the clear provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999, as amended).
“Senator Jang’s position is contrary to Section 42 of the Nigerian Constitution which prohibits discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, place of origin or religion.
“Every Nigerian citizen, including Hausa/Fulani families that have been living in Plateau State for generations – some for over a century- has the right to be recognised as bona fide citizens of the state they live in, contribute to and pay taxes to. Citizenship is not a privilege to be doled out on the basis of parochial loyalties.
“The indigene-settler dichotomy has been used over the years to marginalize fellow Nigerians. Many of the Hausa/Fulani communities in Plateau were born there, have their ancestral graves there, and have contributed immensely to the economy, security and cultural life of the state. It is a historical injustice to deny them certificates on the grounds that their great grandparents migrated before the formation of the state.
“It is no longer news that there have been recurring cycles of violence in Plateau State. Our association strongly believes that the recurrent conflicts have been fuelled by the denial of justice and equality to all citizens irrespective of ethnic background by successive Plateau leaders including Senator Jang.
“When you have a segment of society that is permanently classified as “non-indigenes” after decades of stay, you create second-class citizens who are subject to exclusion, dispossession and violence. That is the real recipe for a crisis.
“No 21st century modern society advances by excluding fellow citizens from certificates of belonging. Jang’s logic, if applied across the board, would threaten the Nigerian federation. We call on him to draw on his seniority and experience to promote inclusion rather than exclusion. The Fulani are not strangers in Plateau; they are neighbours, farmers, herders, traders and in many cases indigenous people whose history predates the 1967 creation of Plateau State.
We urge the Plateau State government to disregard Senator Jang’s retrogressive advice and to adopt a common residency and indigeneity framework that is in line with the Nigerian Constitution. No citizen should be denied the state rights of employment, education or political participation because of their ethnic surname.
“Senator Jang’s statement is an affront to national unity and a direct affront to the Hausa/Fulani communities who have called Plateau their home for generations.
“The Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association will continue to oppose all forms of discriminatory policies and will support legal actions when necessary. We urge Plateau leaders to take a cue from history: peace is a product of justice and not continuous exclusion.”
