by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
The Emir of Wase-cum Chairman of JNI in Plateau State, Dr. Muhammadu Sambo Haruna, has appealed to Nigerians: please, let us sheath the sword, if possible, forever. Let us put our hands together to harness the resources that the Almighty God has blessed this country with.
He spoke to the Press at NUJ Press Center Jos, when he paid an unscheduled visit to inspect the ongoing projects at the Secretariat on “Nigeria at 65th Independence.”
On Nigeria’s Independence Daly, the Emir asserted that, “There has never been a time in the history of this country when we need peace more than now. It is quite unfortunate what is happening in so many parts of the country.
“If we look at what God has given Nigeria, more than 50% of the countries of the world do not have half of what we have, in terms of mineral resources, the kind of brains we have, and the size of our country; yet, because of insecurity across the nation.”
While the Emir noted that his name has been submitted (online) for the Constitutional Review and Amendment process at the National Assembly, he also explained that, “Insecurity is one of the pressing issues disturbing the country, and many people have made their positions known – some are for State Police, while others are against it.
“As a traditional ruler and one of the First-class Chiefs in the country, I have been asked two questions: (a) What is my position on the agitation for State Police, and (b) In this constitutional review, what should be the position of the law regarding the traditional institution?
Dr. Haruna noted that, “First, there is a distinction between State Police and Community Police; though, some people mistake one for the other.
“Speaking as an individual, and not on behalf of the Plateau State Council of Chiefs, I, as the Emir of Wase, am 100 percent in support of both State and Community Policing,” he stated.
He added, thus: “But, my only fear and concerns lies in implementation, issues of religion, ethnicity, and the risk of politicians using State or Community Police as tools against perceived opponents. But, the idea itself is good, and I fully support it.
“On the constitutional review as it concerns traditional rulers, Nigerians themselves should demand it. Anyone 65 years and above will recall the critical roles traditional rulers once played: we controlled the police, the prisons, the judiciary.
“We defended our lands and people; and many of the structures still in use today were built by the native authorities – without subventions from the Federal Government, while salaries and development projects were funded from internally-generated revenue within our domains.
“So, the real question is: “Have we truly moved forward?” It is ordinary Nigerians, who should be fighting for this. Give traditional institutions some powers, especially in security, and you will see what we can do,” the Emir stated.
“I have said it in different forums; though, I hope this will not get me into trouble – that, any traditional ruler in whose domain an incident occurs and he is not aware of it within 48 hours falls into one of three categories:
⇒That, is he is directly involved in what happened; ⇒He is not truly from that traditional institution and, therefore, lacks genuine concern for the land and people, and ⇒He simply does not know what he is doing,” the Emir stressed.
He explained further that, “In every domain, we have representatives on every street. We know what happens, but we lack the constitutional power to act.”
According to him, “Last September, I raised deep concerns about insecurity in my emirate. To be fair to the State Government, under Barrister Caleb Mutfwang, the local government chairman, Hamisu Anani and, particularly, the security agencies, especially the STF, a lot has been done since then; but significant progress has been achieved.
“In Wase, four local governments in Taraba, one in Bauchi, and one in Nassarawa, joint military operations have been ongoing for the past three-to-four months. Bandits, who used to operate across multiple local governments, have now been confined to one area, and their ability to terrorize the people has drastically reduced,” he noted.
The Emir further appealed for greater cooperation between sister-local governments in Plateau and the governments of Taraba and Bauchi States, saying, “These criminals move across borders – when you hit them in Wase or Kanam, they move to Bauchi. When hit again, they cross into Taraba. If we put our heads together, this menace can be eradicated.
“As Nigeria’s Independence Day approaches, we know the country is not yet where it should be. But, by the grace of God, there is always hope, and progress is being made,” he noted.
“Speaking on improving the standing of traditional rulers, I must emphasize: the political class often sees us as rivals or enemies, but we are not. We are partners in progress. We hold the villages, the communities, the people, and the land for them. Once political leaders begin to see traditional rulers in this light, things will improve.
The Chairman JNI, who doubles as NUJ Petron for Plateau State, noted that, “Mining activities remain a major challenge. This is a vast topic that could take hours to discuss.
“I come from an area where it is actively happening. Mining is tied to illiteracy, poverty, insecurity, federal government’s control of mining on the exclusive list, and the exclusion of state governments and traditional institutions.
“Every day, Plateau State loses at least ₦10 million to illegal mining. Young, vibrant men are dying daily,” he said, and observed that, “These crises often serve as distractions, allowing illegal extraction to continue unchecked.”
He added that, “As a Traditional Ruler, I see trucks leaving Wase every day, loaded with minerals. There is absolutely nothing I can do. No revenue comes to us, no development follows; yet, lives are being lost. We need to revisit the laws. If the current ones no longer serve us, why not change them?
“At 65, what can Nigeria truly celebrate? First, the gift of life; this alone is worth thanking God for. Second, despite challenges, some progress is evident. Insecurity in my domain today cannot be compared to last year. State and Local Governments have initiated development projects. For example, Plateau Hospital now has an MRI Machine – something unthinkable before.
“But, urgent problems remain. One of the biggest is drug abuse, particularly among married women. In almost every community, married women now consume drugs more than the youths on the streets!
“A man can walk into a village on Market Day with a small bag of drugs, sell them, buy cattle, and leave. The money disappears from the local economy, while destruction remains.
“If I, as a local Traditional Ruler, know this, what are the security agencies doing? Addressing drug abuse will go a long way towards reducing insecurity in Plateau and across Nigeria,” the Emir of Wase noted.