By Ezekiel Dontinna
The Middle Belt region, has been tagged to be standing firm to Nigeria’s stability and committed to mending the complex history of the country over the years.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang, of Plateau State stated Saturday, while delivering his address at the Conference Workshops and Seminars organised by Conference of Autochthonous Ethic Communities Development Association (CONAECDA) in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
The Governor, represented by his Senior Special Adviser on Middle Belt Ethnic Nationalities, Hon Dan Kwada, said, “we in the Middle Belt, for many years, have been standing on the crossroads of Nigeria’s complex history.
“Despite our commitment, despite our efforts, despite everything we have done to stabilize this country, yet, we have suffered negligence, we have suffered underdevelopment, we have suffered security issues.
“In fact, in many circumstances, we have suffered underdevelopment, we have suffered security issues. sometimes we get condemned and blackmailed for our actual set of partnership”, he emphasized.
Mutfwang, however, expressed hope that conference like this would set the tone for better discussion that would drive all the processes toward securing and bringing development that would take them to greater heights.
Earlier, the National Coordinator of CONAECDA, Dr Zuwaqhu Bonat, represented by CONAECDA Vice President, Chief Joseph K. Gwankat, observed that the communities have something in common which was the violent displacement of their people.
“We always suspect that some people want to take over our land, but We are getting wiser than what it was, and I’m very happy with its development because I even in the 21st century, some people want to chase you out, as if you are a second citizen in Nigeria.
“I think in the Nigeria project, all of us are equal. But some people are believing that we are not equal. And they come under the umbrella of grazing, but it is deep down and not grazing”, he disclosed.
On her part, the former Minister of Water Resources, Hon (Mrs) Sarah Ochekpe, commended CONAECDA for standing firm in helping communities to appreciate and organise themselves in where God placed them within the Nigerian state and prayed and hoped that the association continue to grow.
“I know most times that, communities have great expectation that government would do everything for them and because of that some communities had actually allowed themselves to be overwhelmed.
“Yes, the government has its responsibility to protect and defend the citizens and also the Nigerian territory, but, would you just sit back, hold your hands and wait until your whole family is annihilated or would we put up some level of resistance before the government agencies come? We have the constitutional right to also assist one another.
“We pray that, arising from this conference, the delegates will go back, encourage and be charged to go and also encourage one another in the communities to be vigilant and to be ready and willing to help communities to make sure that, they are properly organized to prevent those who want to displace them from continuing to do so”, she advocated.
There were goodwill messages from the representative of the GOC 3rd Armour Division, Lt. Col. Abdullahi Muhammad, the District Head of Michika in Adamawa State, Ngida Zakawa Kwache, Leader of the Uniting Middle Belt, Kiyitwe Gotom respectively.
The Participants who came across the recognised ethnic nationalities of the Middle-Belt later went into a closed door discussion session.
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