From Ron-Well Jacob, Jos
Some stakeholders in Plateau on Friday condemned President Mohammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and Governor Simon Lalong among other public officers for not visiting the affected villages where over 200 persons were killed last Sunday in villages in Gashe District of Barkin-Ladi LGA and other villages in Riyom and Jos South LGAs.
Others were victims of reprisal attacks on both sides.
Prominent Nigerians, including the Senate President Bukola Saraki, former President Olusegun Obasanjo; and the Governors Forumnow a retin visited Plateau yet none visited the affected communities.
Mr Garba Pwul (SAN), An APC chieftain, described the attitudes of the visitors as “very unfortunate’’ and “sad’’ coming short of the expectations of the victims, who would have loved to hear consoling and soothing words.
“My surprise and worry is that the Jos Airport through which these supposed loving sympathizers came and left is just a stone throw to the affected villages in Barkin Ladi.
“Yet none of them deemed it fit to visit the victims but preferred to gather at Government House, Little Rayfield in what they called condolence visits.
“The victims, some of who are alive, injured and saved were in dire need of face to face sympathy visit by the No. 1 and No. 2 citizens as well as their Governor, Lalong, yet none bothered to pay them such visit, ’’ the legal luminary said.
Also speaking, Mr Gyang Zi, a Jos-based legal practitioner, said that the action of Governor Lalong “had gone to show that he does not know what governance is all about.’’
“It has been in his (Lalong’s) character to avoid affected communities affected by crisis right from the time of attacks at Bassa and Bokkos Local governments to this present killings of over 200 people in Gashe District and Ropp Districts of Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Jos South LGAs.
“It’s a pity and shameful that a Governor like Lalong does not care about his people; look at how he was laughing while receiving the President, Vice President, Senate President and Ex-President Obasanjo, ’’ Zi said.
Chief Damishi Sango, the PDP State Chairman, said that Lalong’s government has failed the people of Plateau with the unabated killing of innocent people on the Plateau.
“It’s a sad situation that Plateau found herself in and there was need for government to show more commitment in protecting the lives and properties the citizens.
“I was shocked to see that the President and his vice and other visitors did not bother to visit the victims to hear or feel their pulse about the killings, ’’ Sango lamented.
Chief Alexander Mwolwus, Former Special Adviser to Ex-Governor Jonah Jang on Political Matters, called on Lalong to change his style of leadership “to give the citizens assurance that he is indeed their leader and not a foe.’’
Molwus said he was not happy with the Governor for not rushing to where the killings took place to assess the situation and allow the world to see the damage done on the communities.
“My worry for the governor is that he thinks he is in the good books of President Buhari, who is only out to use him against his people as demonstrated by the lack-luster performance of security operatives to arrest the perpetrators of that dastardly act of eliminating over 200 of his people.
“We the people of plateau are worried for what awaits us with the attitude of our security agents and the unseriousness on the side of our governor, ’’ the PDP chieftain said.
The Vice Chairman, Plateau Youth Council (PYC), Mr Othniel Gongden, condemned the attitude of Governor Lalong and called on him to demonstrate seriousness in governance.
He said that the governor must rise to the challenge of showing seriousness in challenging some attitude of some security agencies.
According to him, “if the he (Governor) had visited some of the affected villages, he could have noticed some of the lapses and misdeeds of the security operatives, who are accused of been biased at handling the crisis”.
Several calls to Mr Yakubu Dati, Information Commission, were not picked at the time of filing this report.