FOCUS: Reflections on Plateau State’s Current State of Play & Forward-Looking Perspectives
Date: 16th October 2023
Venue: United States Institute of Peace (USIP) office, Washington D.C.
Distinguished invited guests and participants physically here seated and those joining us virtually, online.
I bring you warm greetings from the good and peace-loving people of my dear state, Plateau, “The home of Peace and Tourism”, which is one of 36 the Federating States in Nigeria ????????. I am deeply honoured to deliver a few thoughts on the topic : “reflection on Plateau State’s current state of play & forward-looking perspectives” while assessing the impact of Nigeria’s democratic transition on state and local stakeholders.
2. I want to express sincere appreciation to the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) for giving me this opportunity to deliver this reflection on Plateau state, Nigeria, a state I am privileged to lead as Governor.
3. The relationship between Plateau State and the United States Institute of Peace dates to 2014 USIP support for the Yelwa Shendam peace Process that addressed the challenges faced by locals in the community.
Plateau is perhaps the first state to receive USIP support for her Peace Building Agency, which provided funds for from take off till it mature enough to undertake its core mandate of undertaking peace initiatives.
Let me also state that Plateau is also a beneficiary of the Network of Nigerian Facilitators (NNF) Programme implemented by USIP. The support provided to the NNF to work in Mangu local government on peace mediation is also being replicated in the Ganawuri- Manchok areas in Plateau State. USIP’s model in supporting local partners is key towards sustainability of impactful initiatives.
4. Plateau State is the twelfth-largest Nigerian state. It’s located near the capital of Nigeria and includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau, its capital, and the entire plateau itself. Plateau State is described as “The Home of Peace and Tourism” due to its natural formations of rocks, hills and waterfalls. It derives its name from the Jos Plateau. Plateau State is strategically located in the North Central part of Nigeria. The state is greatly endowed economically, by virtue of its rich agriculture, solid minerals, power potentials and tourism with vast land.
Although situated in the tropical zone, the higher altitude gives the state a near-temperate climate, with an average temperature between 13 and 22 °C.
Known for its heterogeneity, the state has about 54 autochthonous ethnic groups, among which are the Tarok, Ankwei, Angas, Jarawa, Berom, Mwaghavul, among others. The mining industry attracted Europeans and other foreign nationals, while trade and other geographical advantages drew Igbo (Ibo), Hausa and Yoruba immigrants into the state.
5. It is pertinent to state that Plateau State is a reflection of the diversity of Nigeria with different ethnic groups, different faiths, but who have all historically lived peacefully with each other. These people naturally don’t fight each other.
Although the media is filled with n erroneous narrative of farmers-Herders / Indigenes- Settler’s clash, I make bold to say that there is no violent and disruptive conflict between herders and farmers in Plateau State. This narrative has been imposed by the media and persons who want to sound politically correct.
While it is true that there have been skirmishes between farmers and herders, they have traditionally coexisted symbiotically. These skirmishes are usually settled using traditional dispute mechanisms. Truth be told, what we have today are the violent activities of terrorists and bandits, carrying offensive military-type weapons, ravaging rural Plateau, killing and sacking the local populations, and taking over the land. Today, dozens of communities in Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Mangu, Bokkos LGAs have been sacked by the bandits and taken over by armed grazing marauders. These cannot be referred to as conflict between farmers and herders.
6. It will interest you to know that the Plateau conflict is not isolated. It is replicated in key states of the Middle Belt: Nasarawa, Benue, Taraba, the FCT, Niger, Kaduna, and the Northwestern states of Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.
It is also worth noting that the suspected instigators and beneficiaries of these conflicts have often given the crises a religious colouration since the 1990s, however, religion has only been used as a convenient survival strategy for political advantage and economic dominance.
7. The 2001 crisis was the single largest violent conflict that happened within the city of Jos in which over 1000 persons were killed. This upset and reconfigured Jos the capital city. It is gratifying to note that with some measures taken in recent times, there is substantial recovery.
Today, the conflict has moved to rural Plateau as part of a general trend of banditry and terrorism perpetrated by armed groups. Characterised by large scale killings, land grabbing and displacement of indigenous populations.
This is driven by sheer criminality, economic downturn and subsequent youth unemployment, unending hunger for grazing land and water resources (rivers, ponds, lakes), desert encroachment in the far north, harsh weather conditions in the Sahel, the conflict in the Sahel and availability and proliferation of offensive weapons in the hands of armed groups.
The insensitivity in the design of the Nigerian security architecture in the recent past may have contributed immensely to the inability to surmount the challenge faced in the Northwest and the Boko Haram ravaged North East which have all added to fueling the Plateau conflict.
There have been both public and private efforts to curb the conflict and build peace:
Peace and conflict resolution sessions midwifed by govt, involving stakeholders.
Establishment of, and support for structures like Plateau Elders Forum, Inter Religious Council, Professional Groups, Traditional Rulers Forum, Youth Councils,
the establishment of the Plateau Peacebuilding Agency.
Commissions of Inquiry followed with Government White Papers in each case;
Support for and collaboration with peacebuilding entities like Humanitarian Dialogue Centre, USIP, Search for Common Ground, Tear Fund, GIZ, International Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, etc.
Intense collaboration with security agencies to arrest the spade of rural killings and banditry.
8. I must at this juncture reiterate the commitment and determination of my administration to promote the diversity and peaceful coexistence of all the groups living in Plateau State for accelerated development. Since coming on board, we have insisted on observing the rule of law.
In the same vein, we are equally determined to work with security agencies to fight bandits and terrorists from killing citizens, destroying of rural communities and land grabbing.
I wish to use this opportunity to unequivocally restate that the narrative about farmer herders’ conflict is NOT TRUE. Farmers and herders on the Plateau are certainly not at war with each other. Rather, armed groups, bandits and terrorists are fighting in rural Plateau to grab land.
9. I therefore humbly request the US Government, the USIP and other concerned institutions desirous of promoting peace in Nigeria and particularly the Middle Belt to deepen their collaboration with Plateau state in the area of peace building, security support, capacity building etc. I also call for understanding and collaboration in branding these marauders and groups that support them as terrorists and bandits and nothing less. This is a necessary to lay the foundations for stability and development in Nigeria and hopefully Africa.
10. Moving away from this into discussions around viability of global engagements with Africa, I have always maintained that “There is no better time to focus on and invest in Africa than today!”
It is no longer a hidden fact that Africa is the continent of the future stability of the world given its vast arable land and the untapped mineral resources buried underneath. It therefore not surprising that those who can see far into the future have made the new bride for the global community thereby attracting foreign capital through investments in critical infrastructure and social impact programmes. It is unfortunate that the potentials on the continent have remained largely untapped. Africa is blessed with so many resources from natural to human. I must confess that the main contributory factor for the mismanagement of Africa’s resources is poor and unpatriotic leadership which has placed the continent in a position where development is slow, leaving a significant percentage of Africans below the poverty line.
11. According to data from statistica, with an estimated population of 1.4 billion, about a third of the continent’s population live below the 1.9$ per day poverty threshold, amounting to around 430 million people, remaining the poorest region in the world despite her huge potentials. This could be linked to multiple factors like inter and intra-regional conflicts, wars, poor health and education infrastructure/systems among others. Such situation has a large impact on malnutrition, out of school children and instability within the society.
12. On the flip side, and again as captured by data from statistica, the total private investable wealth in Africa amounted to 2.4 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022 alone. This amount slightly increased by just over 14 percent in comparison to the previous year, when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to job losses, drops in salaries, and the closure of many local businesses. South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, and Kenya were the five wealthier markets on the continent. The wealth value referred to assets, such as cash, properties, and business interests, held by individuals living in each country, less liabilities. Government funds were excluded.
13. Why is Africa rich, yet so poor? Several pundits have shared ideas as to why this is so. Upon reflection, one key reason that I mentioned earlier is leadership. Within the context of today’s discourse I may as well further state is the failure of “Leadership” and “Institutions”. We can combine these two key words and say “the leadership of our public institutions”. How we plan or fail to plan, how we implement or fail to those plans, how we govern, how we communicate our plans and reforms, how we evaluate and implement corrective action, are all components that define the efficiency of our institutions, which will in turn deliver on set mandates. This will involve strategic planning, stakeholders’ engagement and subsequent implementation of key actions. I am optimistic that the new administrations in Nigeria at both national and sub national levels is poised to change the narrative by providing a people centered and development driven leadership that will harness and unleash the enormous potentials in the Nigerian economy and contribute immensely to global prosperity! For this to happen we need the cooperation, collaboration and encouragement of the USA.
14. One aspect of our economy that deserves specific attention are the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) which play a major role in most economies, particularly in developing countries. MSMEs account for the majority of businesses worldwide and are important contributors to job creation and global economic development, representing about 90% of businesses and more than 50% of employment worldwide. According to the World Bank research, formal MSMEs contribute up to 40% of national income (GDP) in emerging economies. These numbers are significantly higher when informal MSMEs are included. Furthermore, the World Bank estimates that about 600 million jobs will be needed by 2030 to absorb the growing global workforce, which makes MSME development a high priority for many governments around the world.
Unfortunately, access to finance has been a major constraint to MSME growth, especially in Africa. it is the second most cited obstacle facing MSMEs to grow their businesses in emerging markets and developing countries. MSMEs are less likely to be able to obtain bank loans than large firms; instead, they rely on internal funds, or small cash they can sourced from family and friends, to launch and initially run their enterprises, which can be insufficient to guarantee sustainability of businesses in the long run.
About half of formal MSMEs don’t have access to formal credit. The financing gap is even larger when micro and informal enterprises are taken into account. It therefore becomes paramount to undertake reforms that will allow for the design of efficient financial lending models for MSMEs to access flexible facilities at very minimal interest rates and long-term repayment periods, thereby easing and enabling the business environment.
A blended finance approach could also be key for providing capital to MSMEs. This will go a long way to improve the contributions of MSMEs to our Economy and reduce their failure rate. As we explore ways of improving the capacity of the MSMEs, I wish to strongly advocate for the renewal and possible expansion of the opportunities under the AGOA framework.
15. Africa’s population is mainly composed of 60% young people; therefore, it becomes critical to harness and transform the potentials on the continent into real socio-economic, impactful and transformative programmes. This will in no small measure address the irregular migration trends and ensure the innovative skills of the younger population are harnessed. With this, you will agree with me that the continent is a land full of opportunities yet to be unlocked.
16. On another note, the unfortunate war between Russia and Ukraine which has lingered for over a year now has led to food insecurity as well as shortages in gas supplies, among other negative consequences. Both issues could be easily tackled with sizeable investments in Africa. There is more than enough arable land which are largely cultivated in a subsistence form and could be easily upscaled with investments, becoming commercially viable and meeting the deficit of food supplies, whereas the excess gas reserves on the continent remain trapped underground without the necessary technology to harness and export across the world. This provides another reason for all to be interested in Africa’s prosperity as a potential source of addressing global challenges.
17. In recent times, the worrisome trend of democratic reversal, especially in the West African sub-region has seen the masterminds of these coups cite under-development as one core reason for toppling elected governments. What does this tell us? It has also become necessary for leaders to think innovatively on means and ways to address the developmental needs our nations face and ensure public institutions are reformed in a manner they efficiently deliver as well as carry out socio-economic programmes that positively impacts on every citizen.
May I also add that democratic consolidation can only be assured where institutions responsible for management of processes from electoral to legislative and judicial are supported to perform their roles in a free, credible, transparent and inclusive atmosphere.
Indeed, strong systems and institutions are central to propagating a development that puts people first, a major ingredient for peace and stability!
18. One key lesson from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is that ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of public institutions is critical towards improving livelihoods and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. To advert other forms of pandemic (which includes but not limited to hunger, job losses, mortality rates, malnutrition, out of school children among others), we must put in place systems that will enhance the efficiency of our institutions. The more efficient our institutions are becoming, the more investments we will attract to make them even more efficient!
19. I am glad this year’s UN General Assembly also focused on a mid-term review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). Indeed, our collective resolve and action on advancing basic needs of citizens will help to ensure a world where no one is left behind. Implementing the SDG’s will also go a long way to ensure that traditionally disadvantaged groups, including Women, Youths, Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) and ethnic minorities receive the necessary interventions, thereby reducing malnutrition, mortality rates as well as improving access and quality of education.
20. At this point, let me bring it home to Plateau state, Nigeria and share some efforts my government is making towards enhancing efficiency of our institutions. The new government which I am privileged to lead was sworn in on 29 May 2023.
As a government, our mission is to;
Strengthen Unity on the Plateau by promoting the spirit of consensus, co-operation and inclusion amongst its people for the attainment of its shared goals.
Lead a robust and effective democratic government that secures its people and provides opportunities for them to realise their full potentials while giving each, a sense of belonging.
Build a strong, resilient and a prosperous economy.
VISION: The vision of the government I lead, is to be among the top five most competitive states in Nigeria by 2027, in terms of economic growth, Job creation, infrastructure development, school enrolment, social inclusion and improvement in quality of life.
GOAL: My administration’s goal is to improve productivity of the state economy by leveraging its competitive advantages to achieve inclusive economic growth and social-economic transformation of the state.
21. Indeed, some legacy challenges have hampered the attainment of the full potentials of the state, thereby imposing suboptimal outcomes in the human development and economic indices. Furthermore, insecurity and the fragile inter communal relationships, especially in some rural/sub-urban communities have impacted economic growth. We are addressing these headlong.
Towards enhancing security in the state and in my first week in office, I had extensive engagements with His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who committed to and has supported in certain measures with efforts that have yielded positive results and improved the security situation on the Plateau. We are also currently exploring a pilot project that will address the cohabitation of farmers and herders in rural communities to allow the optimisation of agricultural practices.
22. On assumption of office, we began extensive engagements with a broad section of stakeholders as well as development partners both domestic and international towards understanding critical areas in need of immediate reforms and reorganisation towards defining the right pathway to reposition and refocus our public institutions. Public sector innovation and reform is key to delivering our administration’s mandate! We are looking at optimising our manual systems while introducing digital reforms towards implementing key changes that will ease the business environment.
23. I have since launched the state Strategic Development Framework 2023 – 2027, a policy direction which focuses on 9 key areas of interventions and cuts across institutional and public sector innovation and reforms, Agriculture (green economy), health, mineral sector development, education, industrialisation, trade and investment, tourism, physical infrastructure (Roads, transport, water and waste management, power and energy, housing and urban development), ICT, Youths, Women and sports development while ensuring a climate mitigation and adaptation agenda for this administration is adopted. The difficulties and challenges faced by Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) will be mainstreamed across all sectoral programming.
24. There is no doubt that climate change is likely to hit African countries the hardest. To address the adverse effect of climate change, it becomes necessary for government to put in place Institutional and Legal Frameworks that will ensure effectiveness of adaptation and mitigation strategies. In Plateau state, we are currently designing an adaptation and mitigation strategy framework in this regard. A component of it is an agroeconomic and climate change project which will help to address post-harvest loses, estimated at $3.5 billion, according to research by Action Aid Nigeria.
Furthermore, we understand the need to find ‘greener’ solutions as well as transitioning to a carbon neutral world is becoming an increasingly important priority for businesses. Our reforms in this sector will also aim to reduce the ease doing business in the agricultural sector through establishment of solar farms as well as the setting up of several SMART small-scale, standalone, hybrid, solar powered cold room which is designed to store fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, flowers, pharmaceuticals and other perishable commodities.
We are currently reactivating our Agricultural Services and Training Centre (ASTC), a platform that will be utilised to design climate friendly projects.
Our energy transition plan also covers installation of solar power plants and windmills for power generation. This is central in our approach towards maximising renewable energy.
We are also embarking on a massive green campaign within the Jos city centre. The comprehensive green campaign will include but not limited to;
Tree planting campaigns as well as innovative waste management programmes and initiatives;
Educating and sensitising the people of Plateau state about climate change;
Creating a platform to identify and mobilise local green energy solutions;
Ensure Plateau state becomes the lowest emission state in Nigeria with the highest awareness on climate change.
25. My team recently participated at the 8th OGP Global Summit, which held in Tallinn, Estonia. Incidentally, this summit was the First State International Engagement, showcasing the Strong Commitment of my administration towards upholding the Values of Transparency, Accountability and Integrity, while enabling our Citizens to actively participate in the business of Governance. The Strategy of Plateau State Government is to be OPEN, PROACTIVE and RESPONSIVE to the need of every Citizen and aim to provide an enabling environment for all.
26. On legislative action, the Plateau State Public Private Partnership (PPP) law is currently being reviewed to ensure all private and public investments are protected, with their operations optimised as well as sustainability guaranteed. Plateau state is also in the process of gazetting and publishing all its legislations online to ensure accessibility of every framework that governs systemic and institutional processes in Plateau state from anywhere you are in the world and by a click of a button.
Advocacy measures will be put in place to sensitise citizens on all legal frameworks that exist and governs operations of government. Civil society actors will be engaged to disseminate and make all legal frameworks in simple format for understanding of citizens. This will accelerate citizens responsiveness to government’s policies and programmes.
27. To optimise the youth skills we have on the Plateau, we are in the process of remodelling one of our existing structures into an innovation hub that will incubate start-ups and scale them up towards addressing global challenges. Plateau state is known for its talent in the creative industry and as such, we have a creative industry roadmap that will provide a platform that will upskill and launch those in the entertainment industry, covering film, animation, music as well as all forms of art into global icons.
28. Our administration’s pact with the People is focused towards enhancing Transparency in Open-Government-Operations, Projects Conceptualisation, Procurement, Implementation and Evaluation. We are looking at undertaking reforms that will ensure effectiveness of public institutions through strengthening of our Service Compact with All Nigerians (SERVICOM) desks which is a public utility mechanism to improve government’s response to citizens’ feedback. This will ensure an efficient mechanism that will allow citizens know when their complaints and priorities are addressed.
29. Consequently, I seize this opportunity to invite all who desire to visit Africa to come to PLATEAU STATE IN NIGERIA. We have the best weather in Nigeria, with a terrain and climatic conditions suitable to grow all agricultural products, including coffee, vegetables, diary production, exotic flowers and many other crops and animals. We have unlimited natural resources and minerals that are untapped. We have a vibrant youth population, talented in sports, entertainment, and ICT. All of which can be better harnessed with strong partnerships between the public and private sector.
30. My government is here to build enduring partnerships, catalyse international investments across key thematic sectors and ensure effectiveness and efficiency of deployed resources towards improving the livelihood of our people. I entreat you all to take up the challenge and seek opportunities for investments on the continent. The options are limitless!
31. At this point, I extend an invitation to you all attending this reflection session. Plateau state is open to engage and explore areas of cooperation and interests. As a government, we will also create an enabling environment for your businesses to thrive and be secured.
PLATEAU STATE is ripe for investments! Plateau is ready for partnerships and collaboration! As you plan to visit Jos, Plateau state capital, we look forward to giving you the Plateau welcome.
32. Thank you for your kind attention.
