Twenty-four hours to the end of the state of emergency in Plateau State, the peace achieved in the last six months has been threatened by a section of the residents of Jos, the state capital.
As from the early hours of yesterday, bonfires made from motor vehicle tyres have erupted in many parts of the city prompting the increase of soldiers and policemen on the streets of Jos.
This came as report indicated that Governor Joshua Chibi Dariye is expected to resume office today.
Sources confirmed that the suspended governor will take over from General Chris Alli who served as administrator in the six-month emergency rule period.
Already, government officials have cleared their table at the Government House, Jos, while the State House of Assembly complex witnessed renovation for the lawmakers.
Daily Trust investigation shows that each bon-fire were being reinforced by about five to six tyres to ensure its continuous burning from midnight of Tuesday up to the time of this report.
The bonfires said to be put up by people opposed to the return of Joshua Dariye as governor of the state when the state of emergency is lifted today, November 18.
The bonfires are being burned in no fewer than six areas in the city including Laranto, Akpata, Kabong, Kwanan Shagari and the highly populated Bukuru.
Daily Trust gathered that the protests were reactions to the rumours that Dariye had arrived Jos and would be returned to his position as governor of Plateau State. According to the protesters who spoke to Daily Trust at the scene of one of the bon-fires, Dariye should not be returned as governor.
The protesters argued that the relative peace being enjoyed by the state would not be guaranteed if Dariye is returned as the governor of the state. Rather they insi-sted that the emergency rule be extended for the present peace to be consolidated.
Daily Trust investigation shows that no life has been lost in the overnight protests and checks at the police headquarters showed that no arrests had been made.
However, enhanced milit-ary and police presence have been felt in the metropolis. Combined teams of soldiers, mobile and regular policemen are patrolling the streets while stop-and-search oper-ations are carried out in strategic locations in the city.
Although there is tight security manned by keen-eyed military and anti-riot policemen, people are allo-wed to go about their busin-esses without molestation.
Following the protests that are threatening the fragile peace in the state, the state traditional council led by the acting chairman, Long Goe-mai of Shendam, Hubert Sha-ldam II summoned an emer-gency meeting of all tradit-ional rulers in the state with the political class yesterday to discuss the issue.
Sources within the mee-ting being held at the Tudun Wada Government Lodge in Jos told Daily Trust that the traditional rulers summoned the politicians following comment by the admin-istrator, General Chris Alli, that the only remaining pro-blem on the Plateau is the political class.
At a farewell audience with various stakeholders in the state Tuesday, General Alli had commented that the only remaining threat to peace on the Plateau is the political class, regretting that the political class in Plateau State had not coordinated itself well to come together throughout the period of the emergency rule.
He pointed that while ethnic nationalities that fought each other in the three year ethno-religious conflict had reconciled with each other, the political class is still divided as a result of struggle for power.
He said the situation among the political class is “a great challenge” to peace on the Plateau.
The meeting between the traditional rulers and the politicians was still in progress at the time of this report while smokes from the bonfires were still billowing.
Outgoing administrator of Plateau State, retired Major General Chris Alli has warned the incoming administration against any acts that will jeopardise the peace in the state after the state of emer-gency was lifted today.
This was one of the nine-point reference drawn by General Alli for the incoming administration for sustained peace on the Plateau after the state of emergency.
In a farewell radio and television broadcast to the people of the state yesterday, General Alli urged the inco-ming government to redefine its roles and ensure that the past violence and anarchy is not repeated because a lot of damage had been done to the collective psyche of the people of the state.
“It will be tragic and unfortunate if for any reason, we open up old wounds by engaging in acts of revenge and recrimination,” Alli said among the nine reference point he left behind for the incoming administration.
Other pieces of advice include the need for the incoming administration to promote tolerance and recon-ciliation, provide leadership for all peoples of the state and work towards allaying all fears so as to promote justice and equity.
Alli further advised the incoming administration to use existing structures which had worked for the attainment of the current peace and tranquillity. “In a similar vein, the government must seek to mend fences with the rest of Nigerians especially with our neigh-bours in order to consolidate Plateau’s profile within the North Central zone,” Alli said in the radio broadcast.
Other areas which the new government must watch out for according to Alli, include the case of displaced persons who are yet to return, the need to embark on peaceful politikking, control of the politicisation of religion and the need to ensure continuity in the distribution of relief materials.
“The peace we have achieved must be constantly massaged to ensure it endures and stabilises,” Alli further advised, hoping that his covenant with Plateau State to keep the peace would stand the test of time.
Alli also gave details of the advantages of peace including a significant rise in internally generated revenue of the state which he said jumped from N46 million during the three-year crises period to N140 million during the six month emergency rule period.
Meanwhile, Plateau State Traditional Council, and leaders of political parties have resolved to sustain the peace so far achieved in the state even as they pledged to respect and accept what ever verdict came tomorrow.
This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the joint meeting of the state council of chiefs and leaders of political parties in the state.
The communiqué which was read by the Long Gomai of Shendam, Miskoom Hubert Shaldas II also stated that the traditional rulers and leaders of political parties would continue to work toge-ther to move the state forward.
They also promised to periodically hold meetings to address issues bordering on peace in the state.
