By Raymond Gukas, Jos
A budding WhatsApp forum for Plateau State indigenes and like minds, has sparked a controversy on whether or not, the name “Plateau” best describes the homogenous identity of the state.
The group known as “Plateau, our Heritage” has its members drawn from all walks of life and it is intended to seek for the preservation, promotion and protection of the Plateau heritage through the formulation of a framework that shall give the state and it’s citizens a true identity.
The Founder of the group, Pam Ayuba Dangwong noted the debate was on the strength that colonial domination had a great impact in “distorting our history.”
He said, “as a people, we were placed on the disadvantaged during the dark days of colonial domination where our ancestors were handed as part of the inheritance of the northern oligarchy.” He said, because of this, “we still remain where we are because of the indirect rule system of government introduced during precolonial days.
“They argument goes further that due to this, Plateau and all it has has been mortgaged and there is nothing left to pass to the next generation of leaders. This is quite disturbing I believe”, a submission that generated further inputs.
However, Barrister Danjuma Maina, a political figure and legal luminary of note in the state stressed that “I do not think it matters much what we are called in this case.”
According to him, “the name is a reflection of the geographical feature unique to us as a state. Just like Benue, Kogi and Niger states because of the dominance of the rivers passing through them. The highlands go beyond the northern and southern senatorial districts of the state.”
He argued that “We are on a plateau and calling us Plateau State is appropriate. How much have we used the benefits conferred on us as a Plateau?”
Re-echoing the stand of Barrister Maina, Mr. Ali Maina, a seasoned journalist, said he believes it has amplified the belief by “if we have, as a people, taken advantage of what the plateau as a location has bestowed on us, we would have progressed more than what we are today.”
According to him, “we have rather enmeshed ourselves into tribal and clanish rivalries, seeking personal glories and deny one another opportunities to excel and turning to blame other peoples groups for denying us access to common wealth, true to some extend but what have we been able to do about this passed 44 years. We are largely our own greatest undoing,” he posited.
Dung Dalyop, a social media activist, in his reaction, submitted that “For a culturally heterogeneous people, I don’t see anything wrong in the name. Throw in our multi-ethnic being or even the plurality of how we pray then like me, you may accept that “Plateau” provides for us all an appreciable sense of cover.
“This however is because I have not seen or heard of another label which is a leveler to us all, until such is advanced, one is persuaded to make do with “Plateau.”
Continuing he insisted “I think the biggest question is how have we leveraged on the name ‘Plateau’ and use it as glue to mend our differences? That we still allow tribe and tongue to determine our relationships suggests that subjecting the nomenclature of our geography to debate will make mince meat of the fabric of our existence as a state.
“We have a task of first forging genuine bonds driven by sincere conversations before even thinking of tinkering with this beautiful name,” Dalyop popularly known as “Daf D” further opined.
On his part, Hon. Ayuba Buki Gufwan, Founder/CEO, Beautiful Gates said “Personally, I’m done with blame shifting as it’s no longer tenable. It’s time we accept responsibility for our own undoing as a People and chart a new course for ourselves. Are we the only colonized entity in the World? he queried. Where are our contemporaries in the journey to Nationhood? India was equally colonized but we all troop there for medical tourism. colonialism had it’s pros and cons. Let’s leverage on the positives and work on correcting the ills while moving on.”
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