ViewPointNigeria (VPN) was privileged to catch up with Hon. John Adamu Longhor (Hon. JL) at the June edition of the Plateau State Association (PSA) meeting on 29th June 2013 in Orpington, London and asked pertinent questions about topical Plateau issues, including the legacy of the present Jang administration and the current security situation plaguing Plateau state/Nigeria, below are the excerpts.

(1) VPN – Could you summarize your thoughts on the present security situation in Plateau state/Nigeria?

Hon JL – The current security situation is indeed precarious and unfortunate given the wanton destruction of lives and property across Plateau state and the nation. However I am not surprise at the happenings because if you look at how Goodluck Jonathan came to power, he overturned the old power brigade which had been there for a long time and didn’t think power could be taken away from them. Specifically, the northern oligarchy, felt cheated out of the opportunity to fill the power vacuum after the death of Umaru Yar’adua. These people had enjoyed power for over 35 years and had benefited so much from the status quo and the thought of losing the benefits that power brings irked them into taking negative action. They therefore vowed to unleash mayhem and make the country ungovernable for the Goodluck Jonathan government.

Behind the threats and the clamour for political power, is also the politics of oil. It is no secret that 83% of the oil blocks in Nigeria are owned by Northerners, including the vessels used for lifting the oil –therefore these people felt that their investment positions were under threat.

ViewPointNigeria (VPN) was privileged to catch up with Hon. John Adamu Longhor (Hon. JL) at the June edition of the Plateau State Association (PSA) meeting on 29th June 2013 in Orpington, London and asked pertinent questions about topical Plateau issues, including the legacy of the present Jang administration and the current security situation plaguing Plateau state/Nigeria, below are the excerpts.

(1) VPN – Could you summarize your thoughts on the present security situation in Plateau state/Nigeria?

Hon JL – The current security situation is indeed precarious and unfortunate given the wanton destruction of lives and property across Plateau state and the nation. However I am not surprise at the happenings because if you look at how Goodluck Jonathan came to power, he overturned the old power brigade which had been there for a long time and didn’t think power could be taken away from them. Specifically, the northern oligarchy, felt cheated out of the opportunity to fill the power vacuum after the death of Umaru Yar’adua. These people had enjoyed power for over 35 years and had benefited so much from the status quo and the thought of losing the benefits that power brings irked them into taking negative action. They therefore vowed to unleash mayhem and make the country ungovernable for the Goodluck Jonathan government.

Behind the threats and the clamour for political power, is also the politics of oil. It is no secret that 83% of the oil blocks in Nigeria are owned by Northerners, including the vessels used for lifting the oil –therefore these people felt that their investment positions were under threat.

(2) VPN – With the military onslaught on Boko Haram a few weeks ago, are you in support of the decision of the Federal Government to tow that line of action?

Hon JL- There is no doubt that Goodluck Jonathan is one of the most tolerant presidents that Nigeria has ever produced. The gentleman offered an “olive branch” (i.e., amnesty) to the sect, asking them to come to the table for negotiations so as to resolve their grievances. However they whole-heartedly rejected the offer and therefore it left the Federal Government no choice but to take military action against them. Now don’t get me wrong, it is unfortunate that innocent lives may have been lost in the process, but I can categorically say that the action was the right one because it would bring long-term stability. Additionally, no one can accuse the Goodluck Jonathan government of not trying to engage with the sect because the opportunity was given to them to come to the negotiation table and they rejected it.

(3) VPN – What is your take on Goodluck Jonathan’s supposed ambition to contest the 2015 presidency? What implications may this have for the stability of Nigeria?

Hon JL – Well, certain people will argue that Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to contest the presidency portends great danger for the unity of Nigeria, given the recent antecedents of Boko Haram. But I am convinced that any decision by a part of the nation, to use Boko Haram as a means of dividing Nigeria shall not work. Nigeria has come a long way since our independence in 1960 and we have been through thick and thin together, so I think any group of individuals looking to foment trouble will find that it will be rejected by the majority of well meaning Nigerians. One thing I am very convinced about is that, by 2014 there shall be nothing like Boko Haram.

(4) VPN – How would you score the present Jang administration?

Hon JL – There is no gainsaying that Jang has brought immense infrastructural development to Plateau state. Several kilometres of roads have been constructed in various localities of the state and most parts of Jos metropolis are wearing a new look. However I question whether his priority is right. For instance, why would you deny workers their salaries and allowances while you spend billions of Naira on another Government house? What is wrong with the present one? Several families are languishing in hospitals without funds to pay for health care, several children as living at home with their parents without school fees to go to school –is that what we call development?

Another grouse with the present administration is the issue of it being an exclusive Government for people of certain tribal origins. It appears that once you are not of the same tribal stock, you are excluded or treated as an outsider and this has real ramifications for the unity of Plateau state. Plateau state has always remained one in the face of challenges and strife, therefore any nepotic and tribalistic sentiments/agendas should not be part us. To answer your question then, Yes he has done quite well in certain areas, but he has not impressed us in others.

(5) VPN – As a seasoned Plateau politician, what is next for you? What plans do you have for 2015?

Hon JL – Well, as someone who was been born in to politics I am always involved whether directly or indirectly. The experiences gained through my work with PDP and being a former member of the House of Representatives has provided me with the capacity to contribute on a variety of areas. I remain very committed to the Plateau cause and that has been my guiding principle. I am however unable to juxtapose on my involvement or non-involvement at this early stage.

(6) VPN – Given the agitations for the creation of another state out of Plateau, are you in support of this idea?

Hon JL – Any idea which seeks to bring development closer to the people –I will support. And the basis of my support of this idea, is as follows: if Plateau state is split into two, it will significantly multiply the political opportunities of the state. To better illustrate this point, I’d give you an example – Take a state like Kano for instance, it has 24 House of Representative members, if you add those of Jigawa (which was carved out of Kano and has 18 seats), it gives you a total of 32 for Just Kano and Jigawa. Now compare that with that of 4 states in the middlebelt which each have 8 seats (i.e.,Plateau, Benue, Kogi and Niger states) and also total to 32. You can see that the injustice is quite remarkable; that 2 states would have a combined total of 32 House of Representative members, which is equal to that of 4 states. I make bold to say that in Kano almost all villages are Local Government head quarters. Why can’t that be the case for Mangu Local Government area which stretches from Jakatai near Dorowa Babuje in Barkin Ladi, all the way to the boundaries of Shendam?

There is no doubt that those opposed to this idea are just doing so based on sentiments and without any sound arguments to its rejection.

(7) VPN – Given the recent hullabaloo about the marginalisation of Plateau citizens in Federal appointments, who is to blame?

Hon JL – Very good question –I have asked this question many times myself. Firstly, that Plateau people are marginalised in appointments is hardly surprising to me. The key question is; who do we have in Plateau with the aggressive nature of lobbying comparable to some of the big weights in Nigeria? None!

If you scout through all the Plateau leaders, who can command respect and approbation that will make Goodluck Jonathan to listen? None! If you go to Taraba, T Y Danjuma remains an authority in daily life, the mere mention of his name commands people’s attention –unfortunately Plateau state does not have people of similar calibre.

The situation is even more unfortunate because Plateau people gave Goodluck Jonathan the largest votes of any other –therefore you would have thought that he’d have a soft spot for the people of the state. However as we do not have people who can lobby effectively, we seem to have been losing out in all areas.

(8) VPN – Given the protracted crisis in Plateau state –especially with the Fulani herdsmen. How can the problems be resolved once and for all?

Hon JL – I am a firm believer of dialogue. When two people are talking, any conflict can be resolved. Unfortunately in respect of the Plateau situation, I don’t believe a lot of that has been done, so I enjoin the state Government to call all parties to the discussion table in order to get to the root cause of the matter. I know there have been several commissions of inquiries set up by respective Governments, which remain in limbo, but I specifically request that Government muster the courage to find a lasting solution to this problem.

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Jang scores highly in infrastructural development, but I question if his priority is right –Former House of Reps member, Hon. John Adamu Longhor (Exclusive Interview)