From Ezekiel Dontinna – Pankshin
President of the Plateau Initiative for Development and Advancement of Natives (PIDAN), Ambassador Nanpon Danjuma Sheni, has expressed dissatisfaction with the unprecedented interference into cultural activities at festivals.
He expressed this last Saturday, while responding to questions fielded by Journalists at the 2025 Puusdung Festival of Arts and Culture, held at the Pankshin Mini Stadium in Pankshin Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The President noted that, culture was one of ways that kept hope alive especially, in the face of the serious security challenges in Plateau State and every society in the harshness of economic environment like now.
“We cannot allow enemies of unity to disrupt our ways of life. We should continue with our cultural activities and never to allow any group to disrupt our ways of doing things.
“But, I am not happy about the interference of politics into cultural activities. And it is not just here, it is happening in several of our cultural festivals. We are frowning heavily, heavily against it.
“I keep on telling our politicians that political parties are merely vehicles for development. It is not a religion. In fact, the very nature of seeing politicians moving from this to that party gives you a clear indication that there is no ideology”, he noted.
Sheni, however, appealed to Plateau people to learn to live in peace with other various ethnic nationalities and be united as a people with a common vision that Plateau would rise again, which he believed would rise again.
On his part, the Chief Medical Director of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Dr. Pokop W. Bupwatda, agreed with the fact that humans were all political beings, but there should be coordination during such festivals.
He stressed further that, the presence of VIPs and dignitaries, especially political office holders, always come with this display personality and could not avoid the expression of politics, hence the need to manage it better.
“How can we manage it better? It is through coordination, through protocol because if two very important dignitaries are coming, and we have one day, protocol can make it in such a way that there will be peace.
“We do not want politics to take over our cultural heritage, because it is important that we all dwell together. Culture does not know party. It doesn’t know either APC or PDP or Labour.
“We are all one people coming together to celebrate our culture that God has given unto us as a people of Ngas. I hope we can plan it better, and the agencies of government can coordinate all of this like I suggested”, Bupwatda advised.
However, an illustrious daughter of the Ngasland, Ambassador Dr Nendi Ruth Fidelis–nee Obadiah, who is the President of RASAFEL African Network of Women Leaders representing Nigeria, expressed gratitude to God for witnessing this year’s Puusdung.
Nendi, who is also the Chairperson of No Woman, No Nation, Plateau State Chapter, said, “actually, I am very glad because this is my first time of attending Puusdung.
“I have never attended it before, but as I have seen it today, honestly, it has united so many, so many people on the Plateau, and I want to pray that God that this will bring a unity and peace to Plateau State.
“Honestly, the Ngas people are known for peace and I encourage us to keep it and try to bring all other local government together, because Ngas always lead in everything they are known for”, she emphasised.
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