Jang is wrong on this one, indigeneship is a 20th century problem

Former Plateau State Governor Jonah David Jang has kicked against a court ruling that grants indigeneship to Hausa-Fulani residents in Jos North, and the Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association has dragged him properly. Their national publicity secretary Haruna Idris Bayero released a statement on Sunday that basically said Jang's position is a relic of ethnic exclusivism and contradicts Section 42 of the constitution. I read the full statement and it is brutal.

Bayero made a point that hit me directly. He said many Hausa-Fulani families have been in Plateau for over a century, their ancestral graves are there, they pay taxes and contribute to the economy. Yet they are still treated as settlers. The indigene-settler dichotomy has been weaponized for decades to create second-class citizens. When you deny someone a certificate just because their great-grandparents migrated before the state was created in 1967, that is not tradition, that is historical injustice.

Jang argued that altering the existing framework could create tension and undermine indigenous rights. But Bayero countered that peace comes from justice, not perpetual exclusion. The recurring violence on the Plateau has been fueled by this exact mindset. In 2026 we are still debating who is truly indigenous to a place in a country where everyone migrated at some point. Be honest, if your family has lived in Jos for 120 years, paid taxes, buried your parents there, what else do you need to prove you belong?