I was born in Jos, Plateau State, and spent a significant part of my childhood there (ages 0–7 and 11–13). If not for Nigeria’s indigene principle which assigns state of origin based on paternal lineage, I could easily have claimed Plateau instead of Imo as my state of origin.
Later, I did my compulsory National Youth Service (NYSC) in Benue State. Both Plateau and Benue belong to Nigeria’s “Middle Belt,” officially known as the "North Central" region. This region is home to the largest number of Nigeria’s ethnic groups. Its population is predominantly Christian, and sadly, it is also where most reports of entire communities being attacked and many killed originate. Benue is unique in Nigerian history as the only state to have had Catholic priests serve as governors.
I pay extra attention whenever these two states make the news. My memories of them are happy ones. Plateau proudly calls itself the “Home of Peace and Tourism,” while Benue is the “Food Basket of the Nation.” Both slogans are fitting, though Plateau could easily lay claim to being Nigeria’s food basket too. A significant proportion of Nigeria’s cash crops come from these states. Because they are predominantly Christian, the religious extremism feared in the core northern states was never an issue here. Life was peaceful, and the cost of living was low. Sadly, these two states have become hotspots for mass attacks on communities.
This write-up is not to argue whether there is an ongoing Christian genocide in Nigeria. It is to lend my voice to the undeniable reality that Nigerian communities are being attacked and many lives have been lost. The fact that these attacks tend to happen more in Christian communities is a valid subject for debate. What is clear is that the situation has become so bad that many Nigerians have grown numb to such news. We have become so accustomed to hearing about massacres that they hardly move us, until it happens to someone we know.
Make no mistake: this is not only a Christian problem, nor a Northern Nigeria or Middle Belt problem. It is a Nigerian problem. It concerns all of us, and if we do nothing, it will eventually consume us all. Every Nigerian is on the menu. For now, you are not being served.
