By Musa Ilallah
President Bola Tinubu has directed Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang to include Hausa/Fulani representatives in his cabinet and formally recognise them as indigenes of the state—a move widely seen as a decisive step toward resolving the region’s protracted communal conflicts.
Speaking at a high-level dialogue with political, traditional and religious leaders at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the President insisted that sustainable peace and development demand fairness, inclusion and equal opportunities for all communities.
“Include Hausa/Fulani in your cabinet. They are among Plateau’s indigenous communities. Give them meaningful positions and recognise them as indigenes of the state,” Tinubu declared.
The directive has reignited debate over governance inclusiveness as a prerequisite for long-term stability in Plateau, where cycles of violence have been partly attributed to the systematic exclusion of Hausa/Fulani communities from executive, legislative and judicial roles since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999.
Historically confined to Jos North, Hausa/Fulani residents have been denied opportunities to contest elections as governor, senator or assembly member, nor have they been appointed to key positions such as secretary to the state government, head of service, commissioner or permanent secretary.
The President’s intervention follows a recent High Court ruling in Jos that affirmed the indigene status of Hausa persons born and raised in the state. Delivering judgment in the case of Fatima Baba Akawu & Baba Alhaji Akawu vs Jos North LGA, Justice C. Donglong ruled that the denial of a Certificate of Indigene to Fatima Baba Akawu—a Hausa woman born in Jos North to a recognised indigene father—constituted unconstitutional ethnic discrimination.
Justice Donglong described the action of the Jos North council as “a reprehensible act of ethnic discrimination” and held that it violated Sections 42(1), 42(2), 15(2) and 17(1) of the 1999 Constitution, alongside Articles 2 and 3 of the African Charter.
The court issued a perpetual injunction restraining Jos North LGA from issuing “Residential Certificates” as a substitute for indigene certificates, which it deemed legally baseless, and ordered the council to issue the claimant an indigene certificate within 30 days.
However, former Governor Senator Jonah Jang has opposed the ruling, warning that it could “open the door for non-indigenes to obtain indigene certificates” and potentially heighten tensions.
The dialogue—attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Governor Mutfwang, prominent traditional rulers from Plateau, and religious leaders including Sheikh Muhammad Sani Yahaya Jingir—forms part of ongoing Federal Government consultations aimed at strengthening peace, unity and inclusive governance in the state.
The Hausa community has been present in Plateau for centuries, primarily as traders, settlers and later political leaders in urban centres. The colonial administration recognised Hausa community leaders as Sarkin Hausawa, not as traditional rulers of the land, but as representatives managing disputes, marriages and Hausa interests with the Gbong Gwom Jos and state government.
Plateau remains a multi-ethnic state comprising Berom, Anaguta, Afizere, Tarok, Ngas and other indigenous groups. For peace, unity and development to be restored, all leaders—traditional, religious and political—must rise above parochial and ethnic sentiments and embrace inclusive leadership as a strategic approach to lasting national cohesion.