.As NGF sues for peace
.Plateau genocide not communal clashes, Ex-minister Dalung slams Onanuga
.As David Mark condemns fresh attack in Benue
IGNATIUS OKOROCHA, Abuja, DANIEL DAUDA, Jos and GBENGA OLARINOYE, ILORIN
Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and opposition leader is asking ,When will Tinubu declare a state of emergency on his own disastrous Presidency?
On April 2, 2025, President Bola Tinubu flew out to France. Had this absurd announcement come just a day earlier, Nigerians would have dismissed it as an April Fool’s joke. But sadly, it’s no prank — just another insult to a nation pushed to the brink by a presidency that treats its citizens like fools.
The official excuse? A so-called “working visit.” But Nigerians aren’t buying the spin. The presidency scrambled to clarify that it wasn’t a medical trip — how noble. But even if it’s not medical tourism, what justification is there for gallivanting across Europe while Nigeria bleeds? What kind of leader borrows billions only to blow scarce funds on vanity trips abroad? It’s not just irresponsible— it’s contemptuous.
Let the facts speak for themselves. By the time Tinubu struts back from this latest escapade, he will have racked up a staggering 59 days in France since assuming office. “See Paris and die?” No — see Paris and abandon your country.
While Tinubu dines under chandeliers in the land of good governance, the country he governs is spiraling into chaos. Plateau has turned into a killing field — over 100 lives lost in relentless attacks. Benue is bleeding. Boko Haram is seizing territory. And every single day, Nigerians sink deeper into poverty, insecurity, and despair.
This isn’t just negligence. It’s dereliction of duty on a catastrophic scale.
If Tinubu had even a shred of empathy, he would cut his trip short and return immediately. A leader with an ounce of patriotism wouldn’t need to be begged to show up in times of crisis. The constitution says the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government. But under Tinubu, that sacred duty has been trashed.
Let’s be honest: there is absolutely nothing Tinubu is doing in France that he couldn’t do in Lagos, or even in Iragbiji. This so-called “working visit” is nothing more than a vacation cloaked in official jargon.
Nigeria is in a full-blown state of emergency. Not a contrived political emergency like what Tinubu declared in Rivers for partisan gain — this is a national collapse. So when, exactly, will Tinubu declare a state of emergency on his own disastrous presidency?
.NGF calls for peace
Also, Kwara state governor and chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq says he was deeply saddened by reports of new violence in parts of Plateau State, leading to multiple deaths and injuries.
In a statement in Ilorin on Wednesday, governor AbdulRasaq stated that “the NGF commiserates with the Government and people of Plateau State and families of those affected, calling the development sad and unhelpful at a time Plateau was seeing a long stretch of harmony and peace borne out of concerted efforts of government, traditional rulers, and thoughts leaders.
“We call on community and religious leaders to rally behind His Excellency Governor Caleb Mutfwang to douse tension, reconcile minds, and build sustainable peace in Plateau. We call on everyone to understand that the souls already lost are not just numbers; they are the bread winners, hopes, and pride of many families. We call for immediate cessation of violence of any kind against fellow members of the human community,” according to the NGF Chairman AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
“We pray for the repose of the souls of the victims and wish those injured speedy recovery, while everyone embraces dialogue and peace”, he added
.Plateau genocide not communal clashes, Ex-minister Dalung
However, Former Nigeria minister of youths and sports development and now Patron of the movement for the Emancipation of Nigeria (MEN), Solomon Dalung has slammed President Bola Tinubu spokesman, Bayo Onanuga who described Plateau killings as “communal clashes.”
Dalung said it is deeply disappointing that the Federal Government would reduce the loss of over 120 lives in one to something as shallow as communal clashes.
“So I challenge the federal government: name the two communities that are supposedly fighting. If they can identify them, I will personally offer myself to negotiate between those communities.But if their definition of “community” is that armed criminals represent one group and Plateau people the other, I will not be part of that. Instead, I will return to advocating for a homegrown solution.
“Bayo Onanuga, the presidential spokesperson, has misled Nigerians. His aim is to distract Plateau from the real issue.Let me also sound this warning: we are too vulnerable to sentiments—and that’s why we often lose out.Plateau is not a conquered territory”, Dalung stated.
The former minister who alongside other members of the Movement for the Emancipation of Nigeria (MEN) spoke to newsmen in Jos following the series of killings in communities of Bokkos and Bassa local governments insisting that the killings are genocidal.
“If you examine the pattern of attacks, the assailants kill women, children, and the elderly—they wipe out everyone they encounter.The intention is clearly to eliminate the indigenous communities so the land can be seized. That’s why it’s genocide. Genocide is the mass killing of people with the intent to wipe them off the face of the earth.It is also ethnic in nature, because the attacks are targeted at specific ethnic groups.
“But what is happening on the Plateau is not religious. It is not a herder-farmer crisis. It is not political. It is not ethnic. What we are witnessing is a criminal enterprise—a group armed to the teeth, using weapons to displace communities and take over their land.The real interest is in the land itself.
Research shows that Plateau State is extremely rich in mineral resources.So the goal is to repeat what happened in Zamfara.The crisis in Zamfara was fueled by the mineral deposits underground. If you observe closely, a mining tradition is already taking root in Plateau. All across the state, you’ll find artisanal miners at work.That alone is a clue: The objective is to eliminate the people so that no one is left to lay claim to the land.”
On the way forward to curtail the menace, Dalung acknowledged that “Plateau people and every Nigerian community must adopt homegrown solutions, what the DG of SSS calls the First Line of Defence. Encourage young people to be courageous. Let them own the land. Let them rise. A community of 5,000 people cannot be overpowered by 100 armed attackers. If 5,000 people rise up, 100 armed men cannot conquer them. That’s how we deal with the situation.”
Mark again condemns attacks
Meanwhile Former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark has condemned in strong terms another attack on Otobi-Akpa, Emichi in Otukpo Local Government Area and Utonkon in Ado Local Government Area in Benue state by armed men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.
No fewer than 15 persons were reported killed during the invasion by the armed men on Tuesday night in Otobi – Akpa, Emichi and Utonkon communities.
A worried Senator Mark over the incessant attacks that have left in its trail scores of deaths and properties destroyed said enough is enough.
In a statement by his Media Adviser, Paul Mumeh, the former President of the Senate said it was time the communities begin to organise themselves into vigilante groups to halt further invasion by the murderers.
He tasked security operatives to rise up to challenge to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice forthwith .
” The situation in parts of Benue state today cannot be said to be ordinary or accidental. It seems to me that it is an organised and premeditated action. We can no longer stand to watch our people killed needlessly for no just cause”, he stressed.
Mark noted that ” in as much as our people should accommodate others in our communities, we must as a matter of necessity differentiate between legitimate residents and invaders “
He, however, urged the people to remain calm and cooperate with security operatives in the task of restoring peace and order in the troubled communities.
He commiserated with families of the victims and prayed that almighty God grant the deceased eternal rest.
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