News Rendezvous

The Gongola Elders Forum (GEF) has called on the security agencies in the country to quickly call to order the state Chairman of the Muslim council in Adamawa, Gambi Jika, over what it described as unguarded and reckless utterances which are capable of undermining the peace and unity enjoyed in Adamawa.

The Forum said, that security forces must stop Gambo Jika’s mischievous attempt to whip up cheap sentiments to implement his sinister motives and drag GEF into his web of bigotry.

The Forum made this known in a press statement issued by its head of Media and Publicity, Sa’id Umar and made it available to Rendezvous over the weekend.

The GEF said the mere reference to the 1979 government of Barde was an attempt to cast aspersions on all the indigenous people of Gongola and to create a sense of ethnic and religious superiority against all other ethnic groups in the region.

The Forum said, “The Gongola Elders Forum has been taken aback and confounded by the unwarranted, unguarded, unacceptable, and patently dangerous utterances of Alhaji Gambo Jika, the Chairman, Adamawa Muslim Council, on the Gongola Elders Forum. Security agencies in the state should call him and his ilk to order.

“Speaking during this year’s public presentation of Hijrah Calendar 1446 (AH) and Annual General Meeting which is the fifth in the series in Yola, on Saturday, August 10, 2024, Alhaji Jika made scathing and unfounded statements on the Forum and its elders when the GEF never once mentioned the Muslim Council or its members at any of its occasions, gatherings or activities.

“If GEF were to deploy the same rhetoric and unguarded statements, Adamawa State would be thrown into crisis. As GEF, we are disturbed by this unprovoked anger and vile attacks on us.”

The statement further explains that “As a religious leader, we must tell Gambo Jika to stop joining us in his ethnic and religious bigotry.

“We must point out to him that no one has the monopoly of violence, so he should stop threatening GEF.

“Gambo Jika can’t play politics with religion and draw GEF as his scapegoat. We are not part of his group or agenda, so he should exclude GEF from his dangerous game plans.”

The forum criticized Jika for trying to play God over his comments when he said, “I want to use this opportunity to tell the organizers of the forum that their mission is dead on arrival. What happened in 1979 will never repeat itself in Adamawa State ” emphasizing that it will never allow the politics of sentiments, ethnicity, divisions, and religion to gain traction again.

GEF said, “it is God almighty that gives and takes; nobody else has that power. If it is God’s will, that 1979 will repeat itself a hundred times over, no one can do anything about it.

“Jika must have seen clearly that 1979 played itself out in 2015, 2019, and 2023.”

On why the GEF did not invite Lamido to its occasion the forum said, “The GEF has the prerogative to invite distinguished personalities of its choice to its occasions.

“This is what obtains with similar organizations. When the Fulani held an international meeting in December 2012, in Yola, during the administration of Admiral Murtala Nyako, who questioned them on the personalities they invited or left out? Did anybody interfere with their protocols?”

“We must draw the attention of peace-loving Adamawa citizens and other Nigerians alike to Jika’s sinister use of the words “provocation” and “conspiracy.” It is significant to ask whether the Fulani gathering in Yola in December 2012, was intended to “provoke” the ethnic nationalities in Adamawa State or was it a “conspiracy” against them?

“If this was their intention, the historic gathering of ethnic nationalities at Mahmud Ribadu Square on June 29th, 2024, was a celebration of excellence when distinguished personalities were honored with awards for excellence for service to the fatherland.

It is significant at this juncture to call Jika and his ilk to order. He should, henceforth moderate his language when addressing the GEF or the elders.

“He should also not draw us into unnecessary squabbles our organization is a peaceful one and intends to remain so.

“We call on the security agencies in the state to call Alhaji Jika in order to forestall igniting ethnic or religious crisis in the state. country at large,” the statement concluded