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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Plateau forum identifies three communities as owners of Jos
AFTER a historical research, the 150 members of the Plateau Peace Conference have come out to say that the original and traditional owners of Jos, the state capital, are the Beroms, Afizere and Anaguta and not the Hausa/Fulani.
The forum made the discovery while discussing the protracted crises in the state as related to indigeneship, citizenship and settlers syndrome.
While trying to define who an indigene is, the conference stated that an indigene is a native of an area, whereas a native is someone who was born in a place founded by his ancestral parents and could be traced to be original and permanent owner of a particular settlement.
Also, the conference defined a settler as someone who left his native land for another settlement in search of economic gains, while describing a citizen as a combination of both indigenes and settlers who make the entire population of a country.
Members held, therefore, that the Hausa-Fulani as well as the Yoruba and Igbo who came to settle in Jos as a result of tin mining business cannot be said to be indigenes of Jos.
According to the submission of Dr. Dalong Wilma, chairman of the Syndicate Group Four on the subject-matter, "in all the historical data assembled, none, including the gazettes of Northern Nigeria as well as the Bauchi Province Gazettes ever reflected the Hausa/Fulani as indigenes of Jos.
"All these data, dated as far back as the 16th century, confirmed that the place called Jos was founded and owned by the Beroms, Afizeres and Anagutas."
The conference also established that Yelwa and Yemini towns, all in Shendam Local Council, which have remained the bone of contention among the Jarawa, Bogghom, Fulani and the Goemai, actually belonged to the Goemai tribe.
Members were divided over the ownership of Wase. While three of the five syndicate groups submitted that Wase Local Council belongs to the Jukuns of Taraba State and the Taroks of Langtang, the remaining two groups were cautious in their submissions as they drew the attention of the conference to past commissions of inquiry reports like those of Justice Felicia Dusu and Justice Niki Tobi.
Interestingly, the conference unanimously agreed that the Fulani owned Wase town, the headquarters of the council, by conquest.
The forum observed that the issue of indigeneship, settlership and citizenship is a national problem that can only be resolved by the constitution of the country, urging the Federal Government to make urgent moves to address the lingering constitutional problem.
A member of the forum, Mrs. Victoria Izam, told The Guardian that the Federal Government could not afford to remain silent over the issue of indigeneship.
"The Federal Government must come out clearly in its constitution to define who an indigene is and who a settler is, else the issue is capable of causing heavy security problems to the nation."
Vice President Atiku Abubakar is expected to declare the conference closed tomorrow at the Hill Station Hotel, Jos while the Administrator, Major-General Chris Alli (rtd) will be the chief host.
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