.By Dan Tanko

The crisis was between the Goemai and their Pan brothers. The crisis may not have claimed less than 150 lives and with properties worth hundreds of thousand of naira destroyed and hundreds of people injured and several other hundreds now taking refuge in neighbouring states towns and villages. When the crisis started, government in its characteristic manner first dismissed it as €œa little misunderstanding between two over farm land. And when the reality of the situation was beginning to down on it, government started accepting that the €œlittle misunderstanding between two people unfortunately snowballed into a major fracas which was quickly nipped in the bud by security agencies.
And having realized the seriousness of the crisis, the state government felt it should do something before the situation got out of hand and spread to other parts of the state. Promptly, it rose to the challenge and took measures to nip it in the bud. The measures were serious and drastic. The government did not only issue a shoot-on-sight order to the soldiers and police to gun down €œany person or group of persons identified to be causing unrest in Namu town of Quan Pan local government area and environs, among other things, the Long Pan, Daloek Datong, was immediately suspended from office, just as the Chairman and the Secretary of the local government council were handed to the police to answer questions concerning their actions or inactions and/or alleged complicity in the crisis. And not a few people were happy with government for taking that measure. Senior citizens and top ranking sons of the state like Chief Solomon Lar, first PDP national chairman, LT. General Joshua Dogonyaro, Lt. General Jerry Useni, Air Jonah Wuyep, Chief of Air Staff, among many others, were happy with government for the measure taken to end the crisis. Their happiness is understandable.

The picture is fresh in their minds of the mindless killings and bloodletting in the area, which lingered for a long time, leading to the imposition of the state of emergency in the state. That crisis shattered Plateaus claim as the home of peace, and gave it a bad name or reputation as a place where crisis or violence abound in good measure. And the recent crisis in Namu was just about confirming that negative or notorious reputation when the state government stepped in to prevent it. That is why the indigenes of the state were happy with the harsh measure governor Dariye approached the crisis. And even happier with the measure taken is governor Dariye himself. For, at least, it has earned him his respect back from citizens and other well-meaning members of the state and from his enemies alike, even if any body is going to say the emergency period placed on the state earlier had sat him up. Besides, by this harsh measure, governor Dariye may well be saying that his inaction or slow response to the former crisis that earned him suspension from office should not be mistaken for cowardice or lack of initiative on how to handle it, but on his humanness and good naturedness.

Little wonder then that when the crisis first broke over the issue of development areas, the governor also responded swiftly, but not as drastic, by setting up of a judicial commission of enquiry to look into the remote and immediate causes of the conflict. He however, read the riot act to traditional rulers and Local government administrators that any one that allows crisis to erupt in his domain should have himself to blame. The Judicial Commission headed Justice Constance Momoh, had just submitted its report, and a white paper, according to government, was being prepared for onward release to the public when the area (Namu) went ablaze again on April 11, 2006. The governor got angry. To demonstrate his seriousness, and to be seen as a serious person who is committed to his words and to peace in the state, he went drastic, suspending the traditional ruler of the area and the Secretary of the local government council and handing over the Chairman of the local government council to the police for interrogation on their alleged involvement or complicity in the crisis. But observers likened the state governments action to a case of blaming the innocent.

They hold the governments policies and actions as the fall guy for all the crises. First, they argue that though there are little skirmishes between the two tribes owing to certain minor brotherly misunderstanding and stereotypes, what brought the people sharply against each other was governments decision to create Development Areas in the state. It is true that before the governments decision to create Development Areas for the people of the state, the battle for the ownership of Namu town was on between the Goemai and Pan people. It was still lying unresolved in court. And when government showed strong desire to create Development Areas in the state, it adopted a committee it earlier on set up to look into the demands for the creation of local government areas by different communities in the state. This committee had earlier on received memoranda from different communities demanding the creation a local government for themselves.

The committee, our Reporter gathered, was set up outside of the state House of Assembly, and the House of Assembly was to have little or nothing to do with the local government creation processes. LEADERSHIP learnt that the Goemai and Pan communities also made submissions to this committee variously demanding for the creation of the same local government, but preferring different names for the local government. But when the state creation project of the state government ran into a storm with the Federal government, the state government did a u-turn and opted for the creation of Development Areas. And in the words of state Commissioner of Information, Mr. Yakubu Dati, €œinstead of setting up another committee for the creation of the Development Areas, the state government simply adopted the state creation committee set up earlier on and even its earlier workrecommendations. And when committee was made to shift its focus from local government creation to development area creation, the two ethnic nationalities were said to have maintain their earlier positions, asking for the development area to be created for their people almost exclusively. This sentiment showed up in the names the two groups wanted the proposed development area to be called. While the Goemai wanted the development area to be simply called by the name of the town Namu, the Pan people who are laying claim to the area as their own, wanted it to be called either Pan-South or Jepjan. They feel their demand, and not that of the Goemai, should sail through because they are not only the most dominant tribe in Quaan Pan local government area from where that development area would be created, they see the Goemai as only settlers in the area who are trying to wrestle it (area) from them.
The Pan people, LEADERSHIP learnt, felt (and are still feeling) so strongly about this, and they let the governor into their feeling. A highly placed Pan man who spoke anonymously to LEADERSHIP said they had made their feelings known to the governor while presenting their case for the creation of the development area. He said though they want a Development Area to be created for them, they said they advised the governor to stay action on the creation of the Development Area in their region since the court was yet to decide on the battle for the ownership of the Namu town.He said they told the governor that their people would not agree to their domination in their homelands. This fact was re-echoed by Honourable Mike Dabianlong, member representing the area in the state House of Assembly. According to Mr. Dabianlong, who is himself a Pan man, and Chairman, House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, when the issue of the local government creation came up, his people came to him with a proposal for local government, which they would prefer it be called either Pan-South or Jepjan. He said they requested and he took them to governor Dariye to whom they made their request. Having listened to them and understood their plight, Hon. Dabialong said the governor promised to respect their feelings and wish by granting them Pan-South local government.

But the governors desire to create additional local government areas in the state suffered a set back from the federal government. And instead of local government councils, the governor scaled down his ambition to the creation of Development Areas. And to achieve this, he maintained or adopted the committee set up for state creation to take over the new assignment. And having made their position known to the governor already, the Pan people felt they could go home to sleep. But they said they were shocked out of their wits when the governor announced Namu and not Jepjan or Pan-South. They said they felt betrayed by government. Apart from asking for the creation of Pan South, Dapianlong told reporters that his people also told governor Dariye that since the case about the ownership of Namu town was still pending in court, they would rather he (governor) create the development area for other parts of the state and stay action on the creation of Namu development area until the determination of the case in court. Besides all these, the Pan people are saying that though they commend the measure the state government is taking to curb the crisis in the area, they however, decried the selective arrest and punishment of their people. They argue that the impression is being created that the Pan people are the trouble makers, or why is it that it is only their leaders that are being arrested while the Goemai leaders are left off the hook. Again, alleging injustice they argue that the crisis took place in Quaan Pan and Shendam local government areas, and that why is it that only leaders from Quaan Pan are being arrested, suspended or removed from office, while leaders from Shendam move freely in the street.

But Mr. Yakubu Dati would not agree with what the Pan people are saying. He said it is true that the state creation committee took over as Development area creation committee, and that it is true that the committee used the proposal or memoranda submitted for state creation to create development areas, but he said it is not true that the governor agree to grant the Pan people any separate request. He said all the communities or ethnic groups in the area agreed on Namu local government and had made their submission to that effect, and it was based on the earlier submission that the development area was created. He said though everything was given based on the request from the people, he is not aware that the governor promised the Pan people to name the development area by any other name outside of the one the Pan people in conjunction with other communities in the area demanded. He said the governor did not deal with people on individual capacity, but that it was the committee that was dealing with all the communities that wanted development areas. He added that it is most unfair for people to make it look like government has an interest.

Mr. Dati said it is mischievious for any body to think that the governor is taking sides with any group; arguing that government is every body and every community and it is striving to meet up the demands of all based on what they asked. The state commissioner who said the state government was sensitive about what is going on in every community, however, stated that those who are complaining today, had the opportunity to explore the various channels and avenues open to them to say out their grievances, but didnt only to now come and blame for their misfortune. He also said that any action the government has taken so far was based on security reports coming from the area. But Mr. Dapianlong would argue that there was only a very slim avenue or channel open to them to put across their demands. He contended that the state government constituted an independent or separate committee outside of the state House of Assembly through which all demands or proposals for the creation of local government, and later development area were handled. Mr. Dapianlong argued further that in a democracy, it is the House of Assembly, the supposed representative of the people that should handle such assignment, not an appointed committee that may end up doing the bidding of the person that put it in place.

But whatever is the case, the creation of development ares in the state rather than enhance development, has created €œfeud among otherwise brotherly communities. Namu town, as far as things stand, will still burn. It is a fertile ground for crisis, with its fire being stalk by the state government through its policies, progarmmes, actions and inactions. As long as the state government engages in actions that give it out as favouring a people and/or punishing others, so long would crisis remain a regular feature in the state.