The Plateau State chapter of the Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association of Nigeria, KPFAN, has berated former Governor Jonah David Jang over his opposition to a recent court ruling granting indigeneship to Hausa residents in Jos North Local Government Area based on their birth and long-term 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 issue of citizenship, residency, and indigenship in the state has been at the heart of political and social discourse for decades and why should the court rush to take a position on an issue that may escalate tension.
He argued that changing the existing framework could create tensions and undermine the rights of groups that have traditionally been recognized as indigenous to the state.
But the Fulani group, in a statement on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Haruna Idris Bayero, said the elder statesman’s opposition to the ruling was not only unfortunate but dangerous to the unity of the people and the fragile peace in the state.
Bayero stated that Jang’s position contravenes the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which states that every citizen is equal and there is no discrimination based on tribe, origin and religion.
“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 continued:
His position is not only unfortunate but a dangerous relic of 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 contradiction to Section 42 of the Nigerian Constitution which forbids discrimination on the basis 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 dispensed on the basis of parochial loyalties.
“The indigene-settler dichotomy has been exploited 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. It’s a historical injustice to deny them certificates just because their great-grandparents migrated before the creation of the state.
“It is no longer news that there have been cycles of recurring violence in Plateau State. Our association strongly believes that the denial of justice and equality to all citizens regardless of ethnic background by successive Plateau leaders including Senator Jang has been the tinder for recurring conflicts.
“When you have a segment of society that is permanently classified 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 modern society in the 21st century progresses by shutting out fellow citizens from certificates of belonging. If Jang’s logic were to be applied across board, the Nigerian federation would be threatened. We urge him to use his seniority and experience to champion 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 advice of Senator Jang and to move towards a common residency and indigeneity framework that respects the Nigerian Constitution. No citizen should be barred from state rights—employment, education, or political participation—by virtue 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 resist all forms of discriminatory policies and will support legal action where necessary. We call on Plateau leaders to learn from history: peace comes from justice, not perpetual exclusion.”
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