GOVERNOR LALONG MAY BE WRONG WITH THE CHIEFDOMS UPGR ADE!!!
HISTORICAL TRADITIONAL INVESTIGATION OF JOS DIVISION ( THE GAZETTEER OF PLATEAU PROVINCE NIGERIA) 1932.
Haven observed that the latest upgrade of Ujah Anaguta Jos north and Ate Aten Riyom to First class status has generated alot of comments, mostly against the government, eight months after pronouncement. I simply wish to share not my thoughts but lift straight from the gazetteer of plateau province in an attempt to inform, correct and calm nerves.
PART II - Units of the Province.
CHAPTER V
JOS DIVISION
Description
"The first unit to be described is that formed by the Birom, Ganawuri, Irigwe, Jerawa, Rukuba, Pakara and Anaguta tribes, who live in the northern and central parts of the Plateau and on some of the more broken ground to the north and Northwest of it, and all of whom there a common Native Treasury at Jos. The total area of there habitat is 1437 square miles and is divided into the fifteen Districts which form the Jos Division. The Districts are named after the town of the Head Chief of each district and are :
1. Achaka
2. Amo
3. Bukit
4. Faram
5. Ganawuri
6. Gashit
7. Haifan
8. Jere
9. Kuru
10. Kwal
11. Machi
12. Naraguta
13. Rim
14. Ropp
15. Vom
Faram and Jere are the two largest, being 146 and 149 square miles respectively. Rim and Ropp are the smallest with 62 and 61 square miles. The others do not differ much. With the single exception of Jere District in extreme north, all these Districts are in tin mining area and consequently have large populations".
"All the fifteen district heads forming Jos Division had their monthly council meetings at Riyom (Gbong Duk Shot), where the chairmanship was rotated among the district heads. At the formation of the northern council of chiefs with Head quarters at Kaduna, late Rwang Pam was nominated by the 15 district heads to represent them and was given a 3rd class staff of office".
RIYOM ( GANAWURI & HOS)
" Ganawuri is the one which is only half Birom and is perhaps the most surprising. Ganawuri represents a tribe of its own, numbering 3,341. The Birom half number nearly 3,000 and live in the town of Hos and have lived close to Ganawuri,by whom they have become influenced because, although they speak Birom, they understand the Ganawuri language. Undoubtedly in the past there have been feuds between them,but fortunately, when these Districts where formed, all feuds had been settled and the two towns hadfor some time been on terms of frequent and friendly intercourse, with the result that Hos agreed to be unified with Ganawuri. Their original disappointment that Ganawuri was made the Head of the partnership, because of its greater size and importance, appears to have been forgotten"
Other districts from Riyom in the Jos Division included Rim and Machi.
BASSA
This local government had five districts that represented it at the then Jos Division, namely:
1.Achaka ( Rukuba)
2. Amo
3. Buji
4. Kwal (Irigwe)
They still exist with Utu Ugo Kiche as their paramount ruler with a first class status.
JOS EAST
IT should be noted that the area known as Jos East today was not part of the Jos Division. It was excised from Bauchi state on the 19th July, 1976 by the then Federal Military Government, when the Afizere(Jarawa) community demanded to be merged with Plateau State following a Federal government boundary adjustment exercise of the Nasir's Boundary adjustment commission. Originally, the area was known as Jarawa District in Bauchi state. Government upgraded the district to a fourth class status. It was in 1991 that the Jarawa Chiefdom was created as a Local government with the name Jos East L.G.A. The Chiefdom has been upgraded to a first class status with Ada Gwom Izere as the chairman/ President of Jos East traditional council.
BARKIN LADI
Districts from Barkin Ladi that represented the Birom and others like Ichen include the following:
1. Faram
2. Gashit
3. Haifan
4. Ropp.
JOS SOUTH
The districts that represented Jos south of today include the following:
1. Kuru
2. Vom.
It is worthy of note that Faram gave birth to Du district and Kuru gave birth to Gyel all in 1935.
JOS NORTH
From the composition of the 15 Districts which form the Jos Division, the Naraguta District is the only one that falls within the present Jos North. The boundary of the Naraguta District/ Chiefdom
"has a boundary on the North East by Toro L.G.A in Bauchi state, on the East by Fobor and Shere district in Jos East L.G.A, on the south by Du and Gyel districts of Jos south L.G.A. and on the West by Pengana, Irigwe and Rukuba Chiefdoms in Bassa L.G.A."
Source: Political Map of Jos Division No. M60 of 1927.
Jos itself was initially at Naraguta, later became Naraguta Native authority and later Jos Division, Carving out Jos L.G.A , Bassa L.G.A and Barkin Ladi L.G.A during the 1976 Local Government reforms. In 1991 when additional Local Governments were created in the country, Jos gave birth to Jos north and south. While in 1976 , Riyom was carved out of Barkin Ladi.
However, the Naraguta District remained almost same, though it lost some parts to Jos south due to boundary adjustment according to the political map of Jos Division No . M60. Successive governments have upgraded and downgraded the the Naraguta District unlike her contemporaries that formed the Jos Division. " Could it be domination or brotherhood?"
Finally, I wish to conclude in this manner by simply looking at what Jos Division looks like today, by looking at where those initial 15 independent and legitimate districts fall in the current system.
1. BASSA
_ACHAKA( RUKUBA)
_AMO
_JERE
_BUJI
_KWALL. ETC
All independent of Jos with a first class chief.
2. JOS EAST
Though not part of the then Jos Division but is now independent of Jos with a first class chief.
3.BARKIN LADI AND JOS SOUTH.
_GASHIT
_HAIFAN
_ROPP
_FARAM
_KURU
_ROPP
_VOM ETC.
_RIM
All independent with Gbong Gwom as paramount ruler with a first class.
4. RIYOM
_ GANAWURI
_MACHI
_RIM ETC
All independent of Jos Division with a paramount ruler with a first class status.
JOS NORTH
_NARAGUTA DISTRICT ( GWONG )
Etc.
Has a paramount ruler and is independent of Jos Division.
My fellow "Plateaunians" what exactly is the problem?
His Excellency Rt. Hon. Dr. Simon Bako Lalong acted lawfully as his predecessors did. Right from colonial era till date. We thank him for that.
God bless.
Yours truly
Shina Polycarp Abok
AKA PolyCeee.
0 Comments