September the 7th; Fifteen Years After - Kingsley L. Madueke

Fifteen years after deadly violence devastated Jos, the city is yet to enjoy true peace. Armed military men struggle to maintain what can best be described as graveyard peace. It's very uncertain if this fragile calm will still endure when the armed forces exit. Painfully, government at all levels have only paid lip service to the root causes of the conflict. The indigent-settler imbroglio is still unresolved, youth unemployment is ever peaking and politicians and pundits are hard at work peddling their divisive rhetoric that serves to deepen ethnic cleavages.

The efforts of NGOs, peace activists and academics blessed with a sense of social responsibility have boosted the city's resilience in the face of forces bent on having a repeat of the carnage of 7 September 2001. Kudos to these soldiers of peace. But these efforts can only go as far.

Without addressing the root causes of the conflict, I fear it's only a matter of time before there's a relapse into another round of violence, unless of course if we plan to keep the armed soldiers and checkpoints eternally... We hate to hear this but it's the simple truth. There is no tangible peace until the root causes are fully addressed.

Although the indigent-settler problem is more of a Nigerian problem than a Jos problem, I expect law makers representing Plateau State at the national assembly would be in the forefront of pushing for solutions to the problem since the state is one of the worst affected by the issue. I expect they would form a strong alliance with their colleagues from other states confronted by the same debacle to champion a national discourse that can once and for all put the issue to rest. Unfortunately, they are too busy politicking to ponder on this.

Happily, most residents of Jos are for peace. The congeniality that pervades the hilly city's streets, markets, leisure spots and all testifies to this. From the Muslim stall keeper in Angwan Rogo to the Christian recharge card dealer in Angwan Rukuba, from the nomadic cobbler and water vendor that travels the winding footpaths of the city to the fun seeker that parades its bars and parks, ensues a common desire for peaceful coexistence. It's said: We 'Jos' want peace.

I remember this day 15 years ago with pain but also hope. The hope that every conflict presents us with an opportunity to build a more just society. The hope that one day we'll look back and swear that none of the thousands of souls that perished in the week of September 7 2001 died in vain. The hope that out of the ashes of their death, we'll build an immutable resolve to live in peace.

I hail the Home of Peace.