Nigeria is So Divided Today, Who will Unite Us Again? – Plateau Youths

Today Nigeria is so divided, and the youths in Plateau State and others in various cities in Nigeria are asking, who will unite us again? 

When Jos was the Home of Peace and Tourism is a piece written to remind us how this great Jos, Plateau State, all so known as Coal City used to be.

Hon. Ms. Gyok Jenifer Ladi is a resident of Jos North Local Government, he narrated the story about this town known as Jos to our reporter.

According to Ladi, “Plateau state indigenous people, Nigerians and other nationals were very proud to call it a home for all”. “It was a city that once accommodated all Nigerians and foreigners without any form of intimidation, marginalization or discrimination”.

“Today the case is different”, he said. “I remember with nostalgia that greeted me when I migrated to this city in 1987” he continued.

Jos is the capital of Plateau State, a city predominantly known for Peaceful coexistence and the Centre of Tourism in Nigeria. Plateau State is the state to beat when it comes to housing expatriates. It was a place whose iconic posture evoked a sentiment among neighbouring states in the country.

Plateau state housed the highest foreign influx of people whose businesses were basically mining of solid minerals. Indeed, this was a place where everyone lived together as one big family.

The State was big enough to accommodate everyone both locals and foreigners alike. It was a home for all.

“However, things began to fall apart as a result of the gargantuan practice of Corruption. In the process of time, nepotism and religiosity, favoritism, etc., took over the affairs of our day to day life; hence we became the enemies within us”.

“Today we are divided along ethnic lines, who will unite us again? Former Govs Joshua Dariye and Jonah Jang did very little to unite the Plateau people and its residents, and now we have Governor Simon Bako Lalong”.

Will the newly elected governor do the magic or will he continue in the divide and rule game? Who will unite us again? This question is begging for answers every day.

The nostalgia of being born in Jos North Area of Plateau State is gradually fading away. Yes, I was raised in Nassarawa Gwom Jos, we cohabited among every known tribe in Nigeria without any form of discrimination.

The Christians, Muslims, and other traditional worshipers lived together as one people. We lived as brothers and sisters, one big family. We went to the same Christian/Missionary Schools.

 

Everyone went to the same Hospital and markets, notably are the Filling Ball market, Yan Shanu market, Yan Doya market, Kasuwan naama market, Katako, and Kwararafa markets were also a market for all and sundry.

We enjoyed the voyage to Dilimi Street, Bauchi Road Motor Park and Farin Gada Spare Parts markets without any form of molestation from anyone or by anybody. We were proud to be the residence in the famous Jos City. A trip to the Jos main market was a voyage to relish.

The cool breeze that welcomes you on arrival, prepares you for the shopping of a lifetime. Today those things are no more, they went into flames are gone perhaps forever. Who will restore the Jos CITY, our J Town as it’s fondly called?

And I’m proud to say I enjoyed my relationship with everyone I met while growing as a young lad. Back then at Nassarawa where I lived.

Friends were always friends indeed, having attended public schools known as St. Micheal’s R.C.M Primary School in Nassarawa and later to G.S.S. Gangare, we were family. The same cannot be said today.

It was indeed a season of life when Chukwuemeka Okonkwo, Okoro Okoronkwo, Sani Garba, Kayode, Salima, MKO Kabiru, Emmanuel, Mohammed, Suraju, Nanbiem, Veronica Dakup, Sis. Mary, Yau Shehu, Samila and Huseini Abubakar, Rabiu Mohammed, Pam Ali, John Izang, Arin Azi, Mariam Sani, Jenebu Samson, Bola Odufuwa, Augustus Udonwa, De Law, Stagger, Christy, Yohana, Ishaku Garba, Ngene Edith, Chidi Okonta, Olawoyin Isaiah, Ajayi Kayode, Ngene Edith, Friday and Joshua, Vicky Bot, Dabot, Chinedu, Atoma, Esther Ishiaku, Emmani, Nkiru, Rita, Ada, Esther Ishiaku, Bola Odufuwa, Anna Oyewusi, Murana Baa Briki, Chidi Okonta, Isa Musa, Friday Omudu, Rebecca Adikwu, Godwin Ene, Emmanuel Onu, Babayaro, Kacholom, Joshua Marcus, Rita Ibekwe, Dickson, Statggar, Esther, Ahmadu, Ibrahim and so many names I cannot mention for lack of time and space.

Some of the people mentioned above are no more, no thanks to the numerous religious crisis witnessed in Jos City.

Yes, we interacted freely with Mai Angwa’s (The Village Head) children and we played together as a family. Love of brotherhood governed us.

We moved freely from Nepa Junction to Angwan Rukuba Junction, to the Yanshanu area and the Rikkos area of Jos.

Tina Junction and Yan Trailer areas were our favourite places of fun. In this great Home of Peace and Tourism, the Angas,  Anaguta, the Biroms, the Hausas, Fulanis, the Yorubas, the Igbos, the Tivs, the Idomas, the Kalabaris, the Ibibios, and many other ethnic groups lived together and treated each other like family.

As children, we were not afraid to play in the neighbourhoods. Playing in the streets and the neighbouring community was not questionable. But the narrative has changed.

We are so divided by those things that we cared not about in the past such as being a Christian or a Moslem? Tribes and where you come from didn’t matter. Today politics has created division amongst us today, we all live in fear daily.

In the early 1980s to mid-1990s, we were not afraid to walk freely outside the streets,  we had so much fun climbing trees, playing as we wished. We didn’t eat fast food then because we didn’t notice any if they existed.

We ate anything offered to us, be it dakuwa, Aya, Kulikuli, Choco milo, Puff Puff, Buns, kosai -Akara (beans cake), awara, kankara, Kwakumeti, Aleewa, sweets, Bazooka gums, Nasco wafers, Okin biscuits, and numerous homemade snacks.

We played Boju-Boju (hide and seek), in and out, husband and wife, police and thief and then enjoyed visiting our neighbours.

Some of us were privileged to visit family friends & attend children’s birthday parties and we went for a sleepover at our friends’ houses and every parent had the right to discipline you when u are wrong.

Everything was just alright and peaceful. There was no bottled water, we drank water from the well, Tap water or buy Ice-water.  If we had a drink we would share the same bottle of “soft drinks”. We ate a lot of mangoes and sugar cane depending on the season.

Our kind of television in those days was mainly big boxed black & white televisions with just 2 stations available namely NTA and PRTV which we only switched on at 4 pm daily and turned on-off at 12 midnight. We watched programs like Tom and Jerry cartoons.

There was no such thing as a mobile phone, we used telephone landlines provided by NITEL and NIPOST enabled letter writing as the most effective means of communication. We were not afraid of anything or anybody.

But today EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED. Everyone is in perpetual fear of been killed by unknown gunmen who abduct and kill at will, or the herdsmen terrorists or indigenous people who engage in xenophobic and other criminal activities.

Who will restore our pride, the Home of Peace and Tourism?

We need to be free from all these senseless killings, kidnapping, banditry and herdsmen killings. I believe we can change the narrative if we can agree to make the change.

According to Dr. Agameto Tonnison,” Plateau State and Nigeria will be a better place if we can embrace the culture of conviviality and peaceful co-existence.  We must eschew bitterness and embrace the love of brotherhood”.

Let’s say No to the politics of Do or Die, say No to Tribalism, Nepotism, and No to Religiosity.

We are one people, one nation greatly blessed by Almighty God, therefore, let brotherly love continue. One Love Keep us Together!

There is strength in our diversity and together we can build the Nigeria of our dream.