Outrage as Group Berates Jang for Rejecting Indigeneship Rights for Hausa-Fulani

The Plateau State chapter of the Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association of Nigeria (KPFAN) has condemned former Governor Jonah David Jang for opposing a recent court judgment that granted indigeneship status to Hausa residents in Jos North Local Government Area on the basis of their birth and long stay in the state.

Reacting to the ruling in a statement on Saturday, Mr Jang said the judgment would have serious implications for the state’s identity, cultural heritage and indigenous rights.

“The matter of citizenship, residency and indigenship in the state has been at the centre of political and social discourse for decades and why should the court rush to take a position on an issue that may escalate tension.

Changing the current structure, he said, might cause tensions and breach the rights of groups with a historical claim to be indigenous to the state.

But the Fulani group, in a statement on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Haruna Idris Bayero, said the opposition of the elder statesman to the ruling was not only unfortunate but dangerous to the unity of the people and the fragile peace in the state.

“Jang’s position is against the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which stipulates that every citizen is equal and there is no discrimination based on tribe, origin and religion.” Bayero said.

“The recent utterances of former Plateau State Governor, Senator Jonah David Jang, against the issuance of indigene certificates to Hausa/Fulani residents of Plateau State have been received with utter dismay and disappointment by the Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association of Nigeria (KPFAN)”, the statement said.

Bayero said:

His position is not only unfortunate, but a dangerous throwback to ethnic exclusivism that offends the clear provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999, as amended) .

“Senator Jang’s position is in contrast with Section 42 of the Nigerian Constitution which forbids discrimination on grounds of ethnicity, place of origin or religion.

“Every Nigerian citizen, including Hausa/Fulani families that have been living in Plateau State for generations – some for over a century- has the right to be recognised as bona fide citizens of the state they live in, contribute to and pay taxes to. Citizenship is not a privilege to be handed out on the basis of parochial loyalties.

“The indigene-settler dichotomy has been deployed over the years to marginalize fellow Nigerians. Many of the Hausa/Fulani communities in Plateau were born there, have their ancestral graves there and have contributed immensely to the economy, security and cultural life of the state. To deny them certificates on the grounds that their great grandparents migrated before the formation of the state is a historical injustice.

“It is no longer news that there have been cycles of recurring violence in Plateau State. We believe strongly that the recurring conflicts have been as a result of denial of justice and equality to all citizens irrespective of ethnic background by successive Plateau leaders including Senator Jang.

“When you have a segment of society that is permanently categorized as “non-indigenes” after decades of stay, you create second class citizens who are subject to exclusion, dispossession and violence. That’s the true recipe for a crisis.

“No 21st century modern society moves forward by denying fellow citizens certificates of belonging. If Jang’s logic were applied across board, the Nigerian federation would be threatened. We urge him to use his seniority and experience to foster inclusion, not exclusion. The Fulani are not strangers in Plateau. They are neighbours, farmers, herders, traders and in many cases indigenous people whose history predates the 1967 creation of Plateau State.

We call on the Plateau State government to ignore the retrogressive counsel of Senator Jang and to adopt a common residency and indigeneity framework in accordance with the Nigerian Constitution. No citizen should be deprived of the state rights of employment, education or political participation because of their ethnic surname.

“Senator Jang’s statement is an affront to national unity and a direct affront to the Hausa/Fulani communities who have called Plateau their home for generations.

The Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association will continue to oppose all forms of discriminatory policies and will support legal actions when necessary. We call on Plateau leaders to learn a lesson from history: peace is a product of justice and not incessant exclusion.”