From Jude Dangwam, Jos
The Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Plateau State Chapter, has called for the review of the list of beneficiaries of the First Lady’s N500 million donation to include Muslims who are also victims of the age long crisis in the state.
The State Secretary of JNI, Dr Salim Musa Umar, made this position known yesterday while addressing journalists in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
The religious organization threatened to take further actions by reviewing its engagement with the Mutfwang administration should the alleged discrimination against them continue.
Umar noted that the government had kept silent over their letter of complaint/protest to the Governor of Plateau State since 13 September, 2023 on the lopsided compilation of the list of 500 families classified as victims of the crisis in Riyom, Barkin-Ladi, Bokkos, Mangu, Jos South and Bassa local government areas in recent past.
“We have been monitoring the posture of the state government in the way it is carrying its activities as if Muslims do not exist in the state. It is a known fact that Muslims are found in all the 17 local government areas of the state and our percentage is high that it will be injustice and lack of fairness to run a government without considering us.
“We note with sadness that the state governor didn’t deem it fit to give a single Muslim the position of a Special Adviser in negation to the established tradition of giving that position to a minimum of three Muslims, commensurate with our heavy presence in more than five local government areas of the state,” JNI noted
The body equally accused Governor Mutfwang of not considering them for the position of the Deputy Chief of Staff in his administration as it used to be, and the “deprivation” of not getting the position of the Deputy Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly.
“The same government looked away from us in depriving us the minimum post of Deputy Chief of Staff which usually gives the Muslims in the state a seeming sense of belonging.
“The position of Deputy Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly usually reserved for Muslims in the state under the past dispensations has been taken away from us as well despite the fact that we have Muslim members in the Assembly.”
The State Secretary reiterated that JNI has the moral responsibility to speak on behalf of the Muslim Ummah where necessary.
“We will not hesitate to review all engagements with this government, should this discriminatory tendencies continue. We are citizens deserving all rights and privileges as provided in the constitution.
“No society thrives and prospers on injustice and treatment of some citizens as second class. We ask for quick amends and we will not rest until justice is given to Muslims in the state proportionate to our numerical strength” Umar firmly stated.