Gov. lalong of Plateau State had prided himself as the man with the magic wand for peace, whether such is the case remains a story for another day. As it stands today, he is practically lining the gunpowder on the flammable route to a disastrous crisis by telling the president and Nigerians that Plateau people had “willingly donated” land for the proposed “Ranch” or “cattle Colonies” or “Grazing Reserves” (pick anyone) without telling Plateau people WHERE such lands were donated and WHO donated those lands?

Recalled that a lot of Plateau indigenes had been displaced and their ancestral lands occupied by an organised genocidal machinery otherwise known as Fulani herdsmen and till date, no attempt is being made by any government to compensate or resettle them back to their ancestral places of abode. The fear and apprehension of Plateau people is borne out of the thinking that perhaps the Governor might have entered into some clandestine agreement to cede the captured lands as that “willingly donated”. Also, could the state Governments’ property recently acquired like the Barc farms or the existing Butura cattle ranch be the “donated” lands?

Should that be the case, every plateau indignene is begging for answers on the following pertinent questions;
1. Are the ransacked and captured lands and state property at the Whims and Caprice of the Governor to give out or “Donate” at will for others to conduct private businesses as he so pleases without consultation, agreement and express permission of the displaced landowners on one hand and the people of Plateau State through the State Legislature on the other?
2. Does the Governor have some exclusive “carte blanche” to “donate” lands that were fraudulently, violently and criminally acquired for the sole benefit of the alleged culprits?
3. Did the Governor, by such declaration acknowledged and respected the traditional and religious leaders, opinion molders and other stakeholders in the state?
4. Can a Governor who is in custody of the states properties based on trust, appropriate or diminished such properties without the consent of his citizens?

While Benue and Taraba Governors did made several consultations with their people before the enactment of the anti-open grazing law. Governor Lalong had not made any genuine effort to do same.

Rather, he stated expressly that he CANT implement the law despite the state-wide call for its implementation. He would rather unilaterally declared that lands were “donated” in order to appease the President and secure his political ambition without stating WHO donated the lands and WHERE the lands are located.

The continued silence on the location of the “donated” land and identity of the donors clearly cannot be the route to peace, especially by the self-acclaimed “bringer of peace” on the Plateau.

As a platform that contributed in bringing this government to power, we demand Gov. Lalong to kindly take heed and be guided in the knowlwdge that his political ambition cannot trounce the collective aspiration and resolve of Plateau people.

The very process that brought him to power should have been a guiding compass in his every step or planned decision but alas, he is far gone to be cautious.
He should know that the possibility of the same process that ushered him in repeating itself against him is very very certain.

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GOV. LALONG; TRAPPED BETWEEN GREED AND THE NEEDS OF PLATEAU PEOPLE, a looming catastrophe – RESCUE 202