Lalong and the politics of Benue killings

ISAAC SHOBAYO writes on the issues arising from the recent killings in Benue State and Plateau State governor’s recommendation of building ranches across the state.

 

Certainly this is not the best of time for Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, more so that the governor has kickstarted his second term ambition. Many would want to believe that since his sojourn in politics he has never had it so rough like he experienced in the past few days over his outburst concerning the killings in Benue state.

Governor Lalong, shortly after a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari last week was accosted by the State House correspondent during which he made hash comment on the orgy of killings in Benue state by Fulani herdsmen. He was quoted to have said that he advised his Benue State counterpart, Samuel Ortom, against implementing the anti-grazing law in his state. He added that his state used to face the same problem as Benue, adding that his decision to embrace ranching has led to peace in Plateau State.

Immediately the statement became public, the barrage of comments that tail the outburst was unprecedented; it stirred up a rage and condemnation both within and outside the state. The social media was equally awash with rash comments against the governor. Though his media aides attempted some stunts of damage control approach, but the efforts were just out of context.

The Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mr Emmanuel Nanle in a statement to defend his boss said the governor expression which bothered on the Plateau situation, in which he said he was waiting for the provision of the Ranching Alternative ahead of the total ban on open grazing in the state, was taken out of context and completely misquoted when his response on peer review of policies with his counterparts from neighbouring state was responded to in the affirmative.

A political associate of the governor who was a Commissioner for Information in the state when the serving governor was the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Honourable Yakubu Dati  also posited that the governor’s statement was taken out of context and blown out of proportion by those who have chosen to see nothing good in the amiable governor and always tend to seek political advantage in all situations.

“What the governor had simply tried to explain was the different peculiarities in the complexities that define the security situation in Plateau and those of other states,” Dati explained.

He said Lalong chose to find a solution to farmers and herders clashes in a different way from the Anti-open Grazing Law, “even when he was being pressured to go the way of Benue and Ekiti states in passing the law, he counseled that as much as the challenges are real, it would be better to put in place the structures that would support such legislation before taking such measures”.

According to Dati, “The threat and attacks suffered by Benue people were some of the consequences that Plateau governor had envisaged and had reasoned that since this could be avoided, it would be better to take the painstaking but less acrimonious route towards achieving the goal as it is human lives that are involved.”

The rage over the comment was overwhelming and subject of discourse at different gatherings. There were different connotations and insinuations to the comment; some perceived it as fighting and subverting the interest of the Middle Belt and Plateau State in particular. From all indications it is crystal clear that the North Central including state like Taraba in the North East has been under the siege of dreaded Fulani herdsmen for quite some time and the people have been advocating for the ban of open grazing as a panacea to the ugly development, hence the signing of a bill prohibiting open grazing in both Benue and Taraba states.

People were exasperated and piqued by the speech, more so that it was made on the day the Benue State government was giving mass burial to the over seventy people that were killed by the notorious herdsmen. Both the people of Benue and Plateau were also shocked that such a comment could be made against a sister state that shares the same affinity with Plateau. It would be recalled the two states were once together before Benue was carved out of Plateau.

In his reaction, the immediate past governor of the state who is now a senator representing Plateau North, Senator Jonah Jang berated Governor Lalong for the comment saying the  Governor of Benue State deserved the condolences from Governor Lalong and not that comment attributed to him.

Jang said the only assuaging thing for Governor Lalong to do at the moment is to tender an unreserved apology to the government and people of Benue State for those unnecessary and unsavory comments, which at best could be described as an insult.

Said he: “On the Plateau, countless number of people have been murdered in the last couple of months in Bassa, Riyom, Jol, etc, one wonders therefore where the Governor resides that he speaks so much about peace in the state. The much talked about peace of the governor as we know and has been on the altar of acceptance of the policies that will naturally dispossess the people of the ancestral lands and increase pitching a section of the populace of the people against one another.’’

Quite a number of stakeholders in Plateau State carpeted the governor on this issue, a pressure group, Plateau Youths Movement threatened that Governor Lalong should forget reelection in 2019 if he goes ahead to implement ranches or cattle colonies saying what the people of the state  want is total prohibition of open grazing to arrest the spate of killings.The coordinator of the group, Bala Ibrahim said the statement credited to Governor Lalong on Benue issue was capable of affecting the relationship between Benue and Plateau state.

Also, another pressure group on the Plateau christened “Plateau Youth G17 Peace and Progress Forum” said the statement credited to Governor Lalong towards his Benue State counterpart, Governor Ortom was not only disturbing, sad but disappointing saying it shows clearly that Governor Lalong is yet to come to the clear knowledge of the insecurity staring at him in his domain.

The group in a statement signed by its coordinator Mr Dachung Musa Bagos expressed disappointment at the statement, adding that the governor’s utterances at this trying moments were uncharitable and without empathy to the present predicament of the people.” We distance ourselves completely from such careless disposition which has shown his inability to comprehend the interest of his people.”

A source close to the governor and All Progressives Congress in Plateau State revealed that elders of the party and other stakeholders were worried by the import of Lalong statement and had to prevail on the governor to tender an apology. One of the elders who craved anonymity said it was decided that apology was the only way to assuage the feelings of the Benue people who were deeply hurt.   It was also realized that by such utterances his second term ambition could be in jeopardy if no apology is rendered because the rash and harsh criticisms that trailed the comment cut across every strata including his political party and capable of truncating his second term aspiration.

There are also some of the elders and intelligentsias in the state who are of the opinion that unreserved apology was needed in order to sustain the relationship between the Benue and Plateau which was dated to the days of Joseph Gomwalk when the two states were together. It was also viewed that if nothing is done efforts by the likes of the late Joseph Tarka, Air Commodore Dan Suleiman, the late Chief Solomon Lar among others who were on the fore front of  the separate identity and unity of the Middle Belt could be  rubbished and watered down. Hence many stakeholders prevailed on the governor to apologise.

Some analysts who spoke with Nigerian Tribune over the issue said the position of the governor especially his comment over cattle colonies and ranching is like fighting Plateau interest because the natives in the state are not comfortable with the idea, though the governor claimed such positions are being contemplated as way of sustaining the prevailing peace  in the state.

Apparently disturbed  by the  criticisms coupled with the pressures from his party,  the Governor on Sunday at a press conference in Abuja aet humble pie and  apologised to his Benue State counterpart Governor the Ortom and the people of the state.

“I humbly apologise for my comment, and I say I am very sorry. I have seen that my comments have in the last few days generated a lot of responses on the social media. I apologise for that,” Lalong said.

“The responses to my comments are not necessary now; it does not matter now. I have great respect for the governor and the people of Benue State and I am for the unity of this country. I don’t want anybody to think we are fighting the Benue people; we are all brothers and sisters.

“As a matter of fact, Benue and Nasarawa states were created out of the old Benue/Plateau State. May the Almighty God grant the souls of the departed eternal peace and rest,” he added.

The apology was also followed by high powered delegation to the Benue State government on Tuesday to commiserate and sympathise with the people. These are good steps towards reconciliation and forgiveness. However, analysts posited that Governor Lalong comments on cattle colonies and ranching coupled with his speech on the killings in Benue State raised a question if he could protect Plateau’s interest when the chips are down.