Dariye Rules Plateau from Kuje Prison – Fulani Youth Leader Alleges

The National President of Jonde Jam Fulani Youths Association of Nigeria, Alh Saidu Maikano Adamu has alleged that the former Governor of Plateau State, Sen. Joshua Chibi Dariye is ruling the state from his Kuje prison, as Governor Simon Bako Lalong remain a rubber stamp who take the decision from his former boss.

Maikano disclosed this in an exclusive interview with CityMirrorNews correspondent at his resident in Mista Ali area of Bassa Local Government Area on Sunday.

He accused the governor of allowing Dariye to function in key decisions of authority especially on the appointment of commissioners and portfolios given to them.

The Fulani leader alleged that Joshua Dariye in 1999 brought crisis to Plateau state and refused that Bokkos LGA should not be involved in the ongoing crisis then but he allowed crises to spread across the 16 LGAs.

According to him, the three major pioneers of crisis in Plateau state are former Governor Joshua Dariye, Sen. Jonah David Jang and Governor Simon Lalong, saying that all of them are pretending but they are always instigating conflict because in 2006, the then Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Nasiru Mantu imposed a state of emergency into the government of Dariye but when they invited Rt Hon Simon Bako Lalong to affirm it, he vehemently refused.

However, the then former EFCC boss, Nuhu Ribadu has to invite Lalong to Abuja and locked them up and Mike Dapialong took over, so Lalong is still loyal to Dariye against the oaths he took to rule the people of Plateau state without been biased, he explained.

“We gave him this mandate in 2015 believing that he would provide a conducive atmosphere to our people to contribute to the development of the state but the reverse is the case here. What we are seeing now is total discrimination and failure to deliver on his campaign promises to the Muslim community.

Saidu said “Lalong didn’t value us Fulani, we assembled all Ardos for him in 2015 and we all agreed to vote him but he didn’t carry us along. What we are asking for is not issue of religion but an opportunity for our children to go to school and acquire knowledge .

He maintained that “our people can take advantage of nomadic education and on Saturday and Sundays, they can use it to study Arabic because out of 86 nomadic education established by Professor Marry Lar and Dr Jibrin Aminu now we have less than 20.

Lalong kept lying and he is pretending to be a peacemaker which is not true. If you have two wives and you are not paying the school fees of the second wife, what do you want her to do? That is the situation we found ourselves in Plateau state, he added.

Maikano reiterated that some are saying that he gave them 30 cows to be shared across the 17 LGAs saying that one person has lost over 100 cows to the ccrisis.

He lashed out at some Fulani leaders who are war contractors going about listening to lies while thousands of their members are wallowing in abject poverty and frustration under the present leadership.

Saidu Maikano cautioned herders that, “Don’t give Lalong the trust. Berom is after our lives, they killed us so we are calling on the federal government to set up a committee to visit the state and see to themselves what is going on in the state.

He pointed out that “they chased us away, blocks all the cattle routes in Plateau state and since he won he has abandoned us.

Saidu stated that in 2019 election, we all agreed not to vote him but Mrs Pauline Tallen came to beg us even when they were counting votes, PDP was leading and immediately Jos North LGA came and changed the narrative.

He stressed that the problems of lingering crisis in Plateau state has to do with political injustice of Dariye, Jang, and Lalong including indigene and non indigene dichotomy where Muslims are completely relegated at the background of politics which is a politica exclusion.

The Fulani youth leader noted that what is going to bring peaceful existence is for Hausa-Fulani to be recognized and given the chiefdom or first class Emir, which we can achieve it through media, not by violence attack on innocent people.

Maikano said the last Presidential election President Muhammadu Buhari lost in Plateau state is an indication that Lalong didn’t campaign for him.