Jos Crises: Northern Govs Meet On 21 Sept

Worried by the protracted sectarian crisis in Jos, the Northern Governors’ Forum will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday, 21 September.

The Chairman of the forum, Dr. Babangida Aliyu of Niger, said the meeting would suggest ways of ending the cycle of violence that has engulfed the state in the last decade, the statement said.

The statement, issued by the Chief Press Secretary of the Forum, Malam Danladi Ndayebo, in Minna on Sunday, expressed the forum’s determination to end the crisis in which many had died and property lost.

It condemned the spate of targeted killings in villages around Jos in the last few weeks, saying: “this madness must stop now. ”

Aliyu said the forum would act to curb the mutual suspicion and distrust among ethnic groups in the state.

“The quest for political power and land ownership as well as the misuse of religion for selfish interest, has been identified as part of the causes of the crisis on the Plateau.

“The problem in Jos is far from religious. It is socio-economic. Therefore, we (Northern Governors) will not allow individuals and groups to continue to exploit religion for socio-economic and political gains,” Aliyu said.

He said the forum would want President Goodluck Jonathan to implement previous reports on the Jos crisis as the failure of successive governments to implement the reports had been responsible for the recurrence of the crisis.

He said the Chief Solomon Lar-led Committee had made recommendations that could forestall the reoccurrence of the crisis.

“The forum will push for the implementation of the recommendations of the Solomon Lar Committee, which include the establishment of Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Creation of new local government and districts in Jos North.”

The governor said another suggestion by the committee was the “establishment of grazing reserves in vulnerable areas to curtail frequent conflicts between farmers and Fulani cattle owners as well as constitutional solution to the volatile problem of indigeneship.”