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| His Majesty, Da Gyang Jacob Buba, the Gbong Gwom Jos |
Your Excellency, the
Executive Governor of Plateau State, Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong ably
represented by the Hon. Commissioner Water
Resources, The Chairman of this occasion, your Excellency, Rt. Hon.
Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, your Excellency, the
former Governor of Plateau State Da Dr. Jonah David Jang and his wife, Her
royal Majesty, my wife, Ngo Rakiya Gyang Buba, the Presidents of all Berom
organizations, the Hon. Minister, Youth and sports, (a friend of the Berom and
he has demonstrated that quite happily today), my colleagues (traditional
rulers);
I can see seated there, Agwom Izere, I can see also see seated over
there, the Long Pan and I want to specially welcome the Gunzar of Tafawa
Balewa, a friend indeed. I remember few weeks ago, he was with us in Fan during
the offering of special prayers. I recognize the Chun Mada who came in an hour
ago. My own traditional rulers here.
You would pardon me the recognizing the
traditional rulers because, today is their day; a day we celebrate culture and
tradition. Let me start by apologizing for the late start-up of this programme.
It was due to circumstances beyond the scope of the organizers of Nze Berom.
But let me sincerely appreciate the Chairman of the organizing Committee, Da
Dachollom Jambol and the entirety of the committee and the sub-committees that
worked with him. We know it’s not an easy task but you have exhibited yourself
very diligently. Let me also say to this crowd what the Long Pan said to me in
the house before we came here. He said since we decided on Nze Berom yesterday
even in far down Quan-Pan, there had been abundance of rain and they are very
grateful to the Berom people for their prayers for it.
We will continue to pray
and appreciate God because the festival is aimed at praying to God for
abundance of rain, for abundance of harvest. We know that the rains have never
failed us but we have challenges and these challenges like every speaker has
noticed has to do with peace because, if there is no peace nobody feels
comfortable to go and farm. And those of us on the Plateau just like others in
other locations, we know the damages that have been visited upon us; the
destruction of crops and villages in all areas and the killings of our people.
It is most unfortunate that villages have been destroyed and we have a large
number of Internally Displaced Persons, popularly called, IDPs.
We have cause
to lament because we know there is the National Emergency Management Agency
(NEMA), we also have the Plateau State equivalent which is SEMA. But I say with
all authority that we have not felt the impact in all the places that have been
destroyed in Berom land and other places in Plateau. We appreciate they have
huge assignment in the North-East, but they are called “National”, which means
they have the whole of the country to look at. We want to appeal to the
government of Plateau State to please remind them that we have IDPs that not
only need food but need to go back to their ancestral lands and revive their
lives.
We recall the ugly
incidence of last June that took the lives of over 250 people in Gashish and
neighbouring villages. When the vice President visited us, I was with him when the Governor made the
request that in order to stem these attacks, there would be need to locate a Mobile
Police base in Gashish and the vice president agreed. The following day, Mr
President came and approved it. The IG was here when he approved it. This was last
June. The community and other good spirited persons also approached NESCO
because their operational base is in Gashish and NESCO has given about 42
houses for use of the mobile base.
I am aware that his Excellency, the Governor
has visited Gashish and appreciated those houses but up to today, no mobile
unit has been established in Gashish. I don’t know if this is not a priority,
but to us it is an absolute priority. I wish that the governor was here himself
but I want to believe that the honourable commissioner for water resources is
very competent to relay to the governor our message.
I would appeal that he
relay to him the urgency of the need to establish the Mobile Police base in
Gashish to take care of that area which covers up to Mangu. I am appealing to
the commissioner to further remind the governor that we have written several
letters requesting to have audience with him including sending our sons that
are in his cabinet. We met at a function and he acknowledged to have seen our
letter that I wanted to see him with Berom elders. He also told me he would be
in Abuja for the rest of this week but as soon as he returns the following
week, he would give us audience. I don’t know if he has forgotten but, it’s
about two months since then but we have not been called to come and see him.
We want to use this opportunity to congratulate him on his
re-election and to remind him that after elections, he is the father of all.
We recognize him as the governor, we
have to work with him as the governor of Plateau State because God has enjoined
us to respect constituted authority. However, we appeal that he should be a
father to all. Of recent, there have been government pronouncements and actions
to do with the traditional institutions. We have no problem if our colleagues;
our neighbours are upgraded. We have no problem with that. But I am not sure if
any governor has the authority to re defined traditional council boundaries.
Traditional council boundaries have been in place ever before there was Nigeria
and all over the country, traditional rulers have fought tribal wars (according
to the white people) to protect their territories. We have the history of even
colonial masters that attest to our bravery in protecting our land. Every tribe
on the Plateau has a defined territory and we would want to appeal to
politicians and political administrators to please respect these territories. I
want to use this opportunity to say that it was never my intention to talk
about these issues publicly but for the reason of the fact that I have said
that we sought audience with the governor but we have not been granted audience.
We also want to say that we have lived in peace with our neighbours all these
years and we intend to continue to live in peace with them and whoever that has
decided to make Plateau State his home.
They are welcome as long as they follow
due process.
It is in view of this that at the meeting of Plateau State Council
of Chiefs and Emirs, we have appealed to government to come out with regional and
urban planning laws which would help planning and development in Plateau State.
And planning and development include agriculture and many other things. We
still call on the Plateau State government to please look into this and come up
with the regional and planning laws and their regulations. Let me say they may
not have to do a fresh work because, some years ago, I chaired a committee that
have a draft law and regulations on this. All they need to do is to review it
and pass it accordingly.
We also have the Land Use Act embedded in our
constitution, but I say with all humility that the Land Use Act itself has not
vacated customary rights ownership of land. And by the Cultures and Traditions of
almost all the people of Nigeria, land belongs to community, belongs to families,
belongs to individuals. It is a gift from Almighty God right from creation when
He said to Adam and Eve multiply and dominate. When He confused the language of
the Jews (I don’t know whether they were called Jews then) when they attempted
to build the Tower of Babel God scattered and located them in His own chosen
domains. That is why we have different nations.
That is why we want to assure
everybody that wherever we came from, it was God that directed us here. Our forefathers
have bequeathed this Land on us. That is why there are traditional
institutions. We want to appeal that government should not take any action that
would bring in security challenges. It is for this reason that yesterday night,
I had to appeal to the Berom nation; our youths, (Vibrant youths, dynamic
youths) to please calm down. As vexation as the issue may seem to be, it has
not gone beyond the traditional institutions, the elders and the Berom Organizations.
We are going to work together, sit with government and educate government about
what it is and we hope we would have the listening ears of the governor to make
amends where they have made errors.
There is no human being that is perfect. We
all make mistakes, so, I appeal to the Berom nation to please calm down. We
would follow due processes and we are absolutely sure, that God will not
forsake us. Like I have said and all speakers have spoken, we crave for peace
because without peace, there is no development and we want development. We want
to remind Nigeria as a whole, particularly those representing us at the
National Assembly that every tribe in Nigeria existed before Nigeria and their
territories must be respected accordingly.
We in the traditional institutions
would want that to be looked into appropriately. Let me say, I would have written
the government reminding them of three judicial commission of inquiry from 1994
to 2009. And all the judicial commission of inquiry took the position that Jos
belongs to Afizere, Anaguta and the Berom.
I wrote a letter early last year
reminding the governor on this and requesting him to allow the traditional
rulers of these tribes to sit with the state Boundary Commission and determine
everybody’s boundary before any action is taken. I am still appealing to
government to look into this. We don’t want a situation that government policy
would bring chaos between neighbours, brothers that have lived together in
peace.
Let
me use this opportunity to sincerely thank the Hon. Speaker of the Federal House
of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara for conceding to come and chair this
occasion. We know particularly at this time, you have very pressing issues and
all of you in the National Assembly. But for you to do us this honour, on
behalf of the Jos Traditional Council, elders
and the entirety of the Berom nation, I want to thank you most sincerely
for honouring this invitation. It is not surprising, he is a neighbor and like
you heard him said here, they have also gone through similar challenges just as
we are going through, but we pray that it would be over one day and we shall
all live in peace.
I want to appreciate my colleagues for
honouring our invitation and coming to rejoice with us. No amount of
provocation would make the Berom nation not to honour the Nzem Berom. It is now
a permanent feature and we would continue to honour God and thank Him for his
mercies over all of us. It has been a long day and we are coming to the end of
this event. I want to say that God who has allowed us rejoice together, God who
has made the Hon. Speaker see Berom technology and said to me, Gbong Gwom, this
is what we want everywhere will take us back to our various destinations safely.
I want to urge our youths not to relent in their efforts in ensuring that we
develop ourselves. We would save Nigeria from millions of foreign exchange on
importing these machines from foreign countries. Let us situate ourselves in
the heart of Nigeria by contributing to the technological development that
would move Nigeria forward.
In closing, as we disperse from here, I
appeal to everyone to go back home rejoicing. But please, If you want to go
back home safely, you have to behave yourself. I call on everyone not to
provoke anybody.
We want to appreciate security agencies
for co-operating with us and we would always work with them to make sure peace
reigns on the Plateau and indeed in Nigeria. May God Almighty deliver each and
every one of us home safely until we meet again in a very bigger, more
elaborate Nzem Berom 2020.
I wish you all well.
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