Odo Akaji

Dear Plateau people, I want to remind you that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited Plateau State following the Angwan Rukuba massacre, where innocent lives were brutally cut short. But rather than visiting Angwan Rukuba, the very community where the bloodshed occurred, he remained at the airport, several miles away from the scene of the tragedy. In fact, grieving families, still nursing fresh wounds and struggling to come to terms with the horrific loss of their loved ones, were transported all the way to the airport to meet the President. Imagine that! Families who had just buried, or were preparing to bury, their loved ones were made to travel to meet the very person who should have gone to them. And as if that wasn't painful enough, the President reportedly cut his visit short, complaining about the lack of electricity at the airport, despite the cool weather of the Plateau highlands. Now, on the 15th, he will be returning to Plateau State. But this time, not to console grieving families or stand with communities devastated by insecurity. He is coming to campaign for his re-election. And guess what? This time, the airport will not be his final destination. He will make his way to the stadium at Farin Gada, where the political stage is being prepared for him. So, let me understand something. When innocent Plateau people were slaughtered, visiting the affected community was apparently too much to ask. But when it is time to solicit our votes, suddenly, the journey into Jos is worth making? Are political campaigns more important than the lives of Plateau people? Because that is precisely the message this government is sending to us. The lives lost at Angwan Rukuba were not statistics. They were fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. They were human beings with dreams, families and futures that were violently taken away from them. And yet, we are expected to forget, move on, welcome the political entourage, applaud the speeches and pretend that nothing happened. I refuse! Plateau State has suffered enough from insecurity, neglect and the repeated failure of those entrusted with protecting its people. When the benefits of governance are being distributed, Plateau often seems forgotten. But when election season approaches and votes are needed, our state suddenly becomes important enough to host political rallies. What an insult to our collective intelligence, to the grieving families and to the memories of those whose blood was spilled on Plateau soil! With this level of disregard for human life, I cannot understand how anyone who witnessed the pain of Angwan Rukuba can so easily overlook what happened and reward this administration with another mandate. For me, the memories of those who died will remain a painful reminder of the leadership failures we must never normalise. As for me and my family, we will not vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. Our lives must matter beyond election seasons. Plateau deserves better. Our people deserve better. And the souls of those we have lost deserve more than political speeches, freshly painted stadiums and promises that disappear once the votes have been counted.