The persistent inter-ethnic bloodbath in Plateau State has led to criticisms of the perceived indifference of the political leaders in the state to the crisis. Issac Shobayo puts the issues at stake in perspective.PLATEAU State, no doubt, occupiesa strategic position in Nigeria. Ithas produced many eminent citizens who had contributed immensely to the political evolution of the country in many diverse ways. During the military era, there was a parlance that a coup without the involvement of Plateau men would not stand the test of time, considering their exploits in the military circle. This was why they were then referred to as a mafia during the military era.Some of the eminent retired military generals from the state include the former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, General Jeremiah Useni, former Chief of Staff, General Joshua Dongoyaro, former Minister of Internal Affairs, Genera John Shagaya; former Chief of Army Staff, Defense Headquarters, General Domkat Bali, now a traditional ruler; General Joshua Rindam; former Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal Jonah Wuyep, Major-General Peter Sha Air Vice Marshal Bala Danbaba, Brigadier General Moses Bala (rtd) and host of others.On the political scene, there are former governor of the old Plateau State and Pioneer National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Solomon Lar; former governor, minister and ambassador Sir, Fidelis Tapgun; former Governor Joshua Dariye; AmbassadorYahaya Kwande, former Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Nasiru Mantu and several other eminent politicians who are a force to be reckoned with as far as the politics of the state and Nigeria is concerned.With these array of eminent personalities, people have been wondering why the crisis rocking Plateau has persisted without these eminent persons bringing their influence to bear in addressing the acts of bestiality which constantantly tarnish the image of Plateau State.At every interval of the crisis, people outside the state have had cause to intervene without the input of some of the eminent citizens of the state. When former Governor Joshua Dariye was in the saddle, various committees were set up outside the state to address the lingering upheaval, at the instance of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. At a point, there was the former Governor Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa State-led committee and another one led by the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idiris, among others without any headway.The visit of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to the state over the recent crisis has been a subject of discourse since his departure. A lot of people have been questioning the rationale behind the visit and continue to wonder why the eminent senior citizens in the state cannot rise to the occasion and proffer solution to the impasse denting the image of Plateau.Though some analysts who have been watching the trend of the unfortunate developments in the past 10 years see nothing wrong in people outside the state mediating, saying this is borne out of their concern and the love they have for the state, they however, argue that it is a sign of leadership failure. But the question is, why are the statesmen sitting on the fence, considering the enormous security challenges facing the state'Piqued by the outbreak of hostility in Jos last year, President Goodluck Jonathan set up a presidential committee made up eminent citizens of the state, under the chaimanship of Chief Solomon Lar to find a lasting solution to the problem. Other prominent members of the committee were Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, Senator Ibrahim Nasiru Mantu, Sir, Fidelis Tapgun, Alhaji Dasuki Nakande, Alhaji Saleh Bayeri, Barrister Istifanus Gyang and others.It was learnt that the purpose of setting up the committee was to allow the people of the state to address the problem without any interference from outside, based on the premise that the matter could best be resolved with the people presiding over the impasse. The Nigerian Tribune learnt that the committee has since submitted its report without any moves being made to implement the recommendations of the committee.A source close to some of the retired generals in the state debunked the claim that they had not been up and doing concerning the crisis in the state. He told the Nigerian Tribune that they had been playing advisory roles, advising all relevant authorities both within and outside the state, on how to end the crisis. The source, who is also a retired military officer, pointed out that because of their backgrounds, they could not come out with strong views like any other citizen on the issue, to avoid being messed up. He said the group, early this year, met with President Jonathan in Abuja where a wide range of issues pertaining the crisis in the state were X-rayed, adding that the retired military officers, as human beings and citizens of the state, were also highly disturbed by the orgy of killings.Said he: 'As retired military officers, we know the magnitude and implications of the problems more than any other segment of the society. We have to tread cautiously and consider the unity and stability of the country. So we are not sitting on the fence as claimed by some people. We are part of the team trying to find lasting solutions to the crisis.'He said that one of the retired generals, General Domkat Bali is a first class traditional ruler (Ponhzi Taroh) and he, along with other traditional rulers, were at the forefront of those making efforts towards finding lasting peace in the state. He also added that another retired general, in the person of Air Vice Marshal Bala Danbaba, was saddled with the responsibility of steering the affairs of the security outfit codenamed Operation Rainbow, which was established by the state government towards curbing the hostility in the state.Some of the elderly statesmen in the state, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune on condition of anonymity, said the crisis was externally-induced. According to them, the crisis was not among the citizens of the state but outsiders. They posited that if the crisis was among the people, it would have been resolved long time ago. One of them declared thus: 'A cursory look at the impasse revealed that in Jos, it is between the Hausa and the natives, while it is Fulani migrants and natives in other parts of the state.'Analysts believe that the sharp divide among the political elite in the state cannot allow them to forge a common front to address the security problems confronting the state.It is glaring that some of them, in the past 10 years, have been using the imbroglio to feather their political nests, taking advantage of the crisis to undermine one another. As a result of the political differences, some are said to be favourably disposed to the idea of coming together to address the pathetic situations were. It was obvious during the last election in the state that many of the political actors capitalised on the unfortunate situation to garner support for themselves, passing the buck without proffering solutions.There is a set of elders in the state who perceive the crisis as Governor Jang's problem and refuse to see it as a state matter that requires collective efforts to resolve. Political watchers attribute the recent external interference in the crisis to lack of internal cohesion among the political elders on the Plateau, philosophically declaring that if there is no crack on the wall, there would not be an opportunity for lizards to penetrate. This gives credence to barrage of comments outside the state concerning the crisis and the wide range of condemnations by people outside the state.Shortly before the recent Northern Governors' Forum meeting in Abuja, there was a controversy over the agenda of the meeting. A statement from the chairman of the forum, Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, suggested that the Forum would discuss the Plateau issue, but this was vehemently rejected by both the people and government of Plateau State.The opinion in certain quarters was that if the people, especially the elders in the state, had put their acts together and were determined to find lasting solutions to the impasse, the Northern Governors' Forum would have not dabbled into the matter. There are also people who attributed the inability of the statesmen to come together to the governor's approach to governance. It is believed in certain quarters that Governor Jang is too rigid and independent-minded in his approach to governance. But those close to the government dismissed this with a wave of the hand, saying the governor, like any other political leader in the state, had been accused of taking sides in the conflict without any proof, adding that those behind the accusation were people who saw the crisis as an opportunity to advance their political ambitions.According to the governor's loyalists, Jang had so far played the statesman; not only had he convened various stakeholders' meetings to address various issues begging for attention, he had, on many occasions, called on stakeholders to put the past behind them and team up with his administration to address all lingering problems.A senior government official in the state declared: 'Some of the senior citizens of the state have taken a personal decision not to cooperate with the governor. Some of them have been invited for stakeholders' meeting several time without showing up. You don't expect the governor to take the meeting to their houses. The crisis is a state matter that affects all.
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