Appointments: Lalong Is Anti-Anaguta –Anaguta People

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Yakubu Busari

The Anaguta people of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State have accused Lalong of being anti-anaguta people agenda as he is not recognizing them in his political appointments among State Executive Council.

Addressing a world press conference on Monday, spokesman of the Anaguta community, Mr Jonathan Nyam raised concern that Governor Lalong government had neglected them in its recent appointments.

He said, in  Jos North Local Government Council Transition and Implementation Committee  positions  was characterized by tyranny and dictatorship accorded the Anaguta people ample opportunities to serve in higher levels of it administrations.

During the past democratic administrations of Chief Joshua C. Dariye, Da Jonah David Jang and even the administration of Chief Michael Botmang that was adjudged illegal, recognized and gave the Anaguta People key positions in their respective administrations unlike this administration.

“We are the original settler of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau state Spokesman of Anaguta Youth movement.

Anaguta people are by their nature kind, good, hospitable and accommodative. It was because of this positive attributes that Anaguta People welcome non indigenes and gave or allowed them to settle on their land peacefully, comfortably, joyfully and happily. It was on this reason and ground that Jos especially Jos North LGA became a heterogeneous city or society.

Plateau State became the Home of Peace and Tourism because of what our ancestor did to their non indigenes especially by welcoming and allowing them to stay on their beautiful and serine land peacefully.

This is the reason why Jos attracted all and sundry. All sincere minds cannot deny the fact the Anaguta people are the original owners and pillars of Jos North LGA.

However, the present administration of Right Honourable Simon B. Lalong has deliberately and craftily failed, refused and neglected to follow the right and proper precedent and solid foundation laid by the previous administrations in recognizing and honouring the Anaguta people.

He pointed out that, the administration did not appoint any Anaguta person as a commissioner from Jos North LGA as done in the past. More amazing and worrisome is the fact that even in the appointment of membership of the Transition and Implementation Committee into the Jos North Local Government Council an Anaguta man was only given or appointed to a paltry position of only a Supervisory Councillor.

What a surprising suppression! Unfortunately, they said positions that have been over the years given to the Anaguta people have been given to non indigenes. Even the Beroms and the Afizeres that we considered our brothers were not considered in our place, rather non indigenes.

Many of our people actually and vigorously participated in all the activities at all levels to ensuring that Right Honourable Simon B. Lalong becomes the Governor of Plateau State.

Many of our people suffered tremendously for the sake of this present administration. Many were molested, assaulted, injured, harassed, maltreated, defamed, rejected and abused during the political activities which led to the emergence of this administration.

The Anaguta Nation and her allies overwhelmingly supported this administration and cast about 97% of the total votes in her areas as shown by available record. No wonder, the All Progressive Congress (APC) which was an opposition party (now the ruling party) victoriously and triumphantly defeated the former almighty PDP, the Peoples Democratic Party, the former ruling party particularly in one of our great wards, the Naraguta “B” Ward wherein APC defeated PDP with about 17,000 votes out of the total votes cast in the 106 polling units. Amazingly, in the history of Naraguta “B” Ward since the present political dispensation, an opposition party candidate has never defeated an incumbent Governor.

This obviously shows that the Anaguta people actually honoured their solemn promise to vote massively for this present administration when during campaigns the present Governor came to our community soliciting for our votes; during the said campaigns Right Honourable Simon B.  Lalong promised fervently to consider us as other past administrations in terms of key political appointments but he disappointed us hellishly.

No doubt that this administration of Right Honourable Simon B. Lalong did not follow the principle of democracy and social justice as provided in section 14(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended) as well as section 14(4) of the said constitution. Again, this administration failed to consider the various reports of Judicial Commission of Inquiries (the 1994 Fiberesima Report, 2001/2002 Nikki Tobi Report, Plateau Peace Conference 2004, 2008/2009 Ajibola Report) in which at their wisdom acquired from their wealth of experience judiciously advised that – government appointments should only be made after consultations with the stakeholders as failure to do so has often led to misapprehension and disaffection among the people.

Initially we started hearing as rumors that the Anaguta people are going to be suppressed by this administration by not giving our people key political appointments as done in the past and that our traditional or chieftaincy institutions as well as our ancestral lands shall be taken and given to non indigenes by this administration but we discarded it contemplating that it was a mendacious political propaganda and unthinkable for this administration to tailor such evil plans against us. But, what we considered as a mere rumor, unrealistic and unthinkable has become a shocking reality.

It is not in the interest of peaceful co-existence not only in Jos North LGA  but Plateau State and Nigeria in general for any reasonable government to neglect and suppress the Anaguta people in terms of political appointments and the malicious plans to take over our land and traditional institution with the aim of giving same to non indigenes. This is because no community regardless of its size will remain silent when such evil is perpetuated against it.

It is germane to also note that the administration of Governor Simon B. Lalong promised that it will adhere strictly to the rule of law but to our greatest surprise, all the verdicts in respect to the illegal buildings on the hills of Bauchi Junction and Bauchi Ring Road has not been adhered to.

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