Political Analyst, Dr. Ibrahim Modibo has described the ongoing violence in Plateau State as illogical and a threat to national stability.
Speaking with ARISE NEWS on Friday, Dr. Modibo said:
“The issue of Plateau seems to defy logic; it seems to defy the natural instincts toward peace, harmony, and tranquility. This is a sensitive conflict issue that can consume the whole nation if care is not taken because it has to do with religion and ethnicity.”
Dr. Modibo noted that while the deployment of additional troops to Plateau is a positive step, it addresses the aftermath rather than preventing the violence.
“It is very good that security agencies do their best, but remember I said “after the fact.” The fact has happened. This is not the first time. For the last 20 to 30 years, Jos regularly dissolves into chaos.”
He further stressed that without accountability and law enforcement, even well-intentioned measures will fail to prevent future violence.
“There is a general lack of leadership in this country. That is why instructions are given every time anything happens, but what do we get? Nothing. If the President would have been firing these people every six months to say, ‘If you don’t give me results, I fire you,’ we would have had result,” he said.
Dr. Modibo added that resolving Plateau’s conflicts also requires:ensuring justice is consistently applied and reforming the land tenure system.
“If we want a lasting solution on the Plateau, first and foremost, make sure all culprits arrested are brought to book. There have been many panels, but reports gather dust. People were arrested when General Alkali was killed and thrown into that pond; today they are free. There has been no punishment and nothing like deterrence. Secondly, we have to look at the land tenure system,” he advised.
Speaking on the ADC crisis and defections and how it affects the party’s stability, Dr. Modibo warned that internal disputes and interference from electoral authorities risk weakening the party ahead of crucial congresses and the upcoming convention.
“The silver bullet here is that the Constitution has been very silent on whether INEC attends a convention or not. The Electoral Act says to just inform them within 21 days. When I see INEC trying to muzzle the opposition, it is a kind of enthusiastic display of political rascality.
“INEC seems to suggest it is an appendage of the party in power. Their thinking is that they should reduce Nigeria into a ‘banana republic’ where we only have a one-party system. That is not going to work,” he stated.
Dr. Modibo explained that the recent wave of defections reflects citizens’ desire to strengthen viable opposition and challenge the dominance of the ruling party.
“Nigerians are thinking of turning major obstacles into building blocks. Nigeria’s democracy is in danger, and therefore people are waking up to make sure they form a viable opposition. This is about the Nigerian people versus the governors and the government,” he said.
Commenting on Nigeria’s budgetary process and fiscal management, Dr. Modibo warned that misallocated funds and poor planning threaten debt sustainability and economic stability.
“If you ask me, ‘Do we have a budget and are we operating a budget system?’ I will tell you no. What we have is an assemblage of ‘newspaper tigers’ whom we see as economists. Their main preoccupation is just to put things on paper without looking at details critically. Since the removal of the fuel subsidy, where has all that money gone?”, he quizzed.
Dr. Modibo lamented that the repeated loss of lives has been reduced to just numbers and become routine.
“We have even lost count. It has become a recurring decimal for people to die. It has become like a game.”
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