The displaced Bassa tribe of the Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State has made an appeal to the Federal Government of Nigeria to intervene in their plight.
Acting Secretary of the National Bassa Youth Development Association, Comr. Abdullahi Shuaibu, disclosed this on Monday, revealing that the Bassas have lost lives and properties worth millions of Naira due to the displacement incident.
Shuaibu expressed deep concern that the Nasarawa State Government, under the leadership of Governor Abdulahi Sule, had not taken adequate measures to facilitate the return of the displaced people to their ancestral homes, noting that no form of assistance, palliatives, or provisions for Internally Displaced Persons camps has been offered by the state government to support their plight.
He said efforts from the royal fathers, elders, and youths representing both the Bassa and Ebira communities to engage the state government, local authorities, and relevant stakeholders within and beyond the state have seemingly yielded no positive results, attributing this lack of progress to the political dynamics and approach adopted by the incumbent government regarding the homecoming of the displaced Bassa community.
“Without gainsaying, Sule has neglected the Bassa people in his administration as he has not recognized or featured any Bassa person in his cabinet and this is one of the tribes known in the state, it’s perplexing that we laboured but reaped neglect from the state government,” he said.
Shuaibu called on the Federal Government and all relevant stakeholders to intervene in their plight and do something fast to return the Bassa tribe to their ancestral homes.
“Your Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Vice President Kashim Shettima, the President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio, the Speaker House of representatives Tajudeen Abbas and all prominent personalities (home and abroad), we call for a quick intervention because since the inception of the communal crisis in April 2018 in Toto LGA of Nasarawa State, the Bassa people of the area have remained in exile till date,” he added.
