The displaced Bassa tribe from the Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State has issued an appeal to the Federal Government of Nigeria to address their situation.
Comr. Abdullahi Shuaibu, Acting Secretary of the National Bassa Youth Development Association, conveyed this plea on Monday. He disclosed that the Bassa community has suffered significant loss of lives and properties, amounting to millions of Naira, as a result of their displacement.
Shuaibu expressed serious concern over the lack of substantial efforts by the Nasarawa State Government, led by Governor Abdulahi Sule, to facilitate the return of the displaced residents to their ancestral lands.
He noted that the state government has not provided any form of aid, relief, or support for Internally Displaced Persons camps to assist the affected individuals.
Despite the collaborative efforts of local leaders, elders, and youth representatives from both the Bassa and Ebira communities, engaging with the state government, local authorities, and relevant stakeholders within and outside the state has yielded no positive outcomes.
Shuaibu attributed this lack of progress to the political strategies and approach adopted by the current government in addressing the return 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.
