Though the latest Muslim-Christian killings have nothing to do with Nigeria’s current constitutional crisis, triggered by a long illness to President Umaru Yar’Adua, they illustrate graphically the dangers when drift and dither replace swift decision making.
The Christian-dominated Government of Plateau State has yet to explain how warnings of an impending raid by Muslims on Christian villages went unheeded or why security forces were unable to stop the bloodletting quickly.
Acting President Goodluck Jonathan will have to act with skill and diplomacy not to inflame a dangerous situation.
The northern elites are already smarting at what they see as the seizure of power by a southerner, despite an unwritten agreement to take turns sharing the presidency between north and south. Mr Jonathan, a Christian, comes from the oil-rich Delta region, which feels northerners have already benefited from a resource that has brought little prosperity to the south.
The stand-off paralysed the administration of the country for the past three months while Mr Yar’Adua was being treated in a clinic in Saudi Arabia. The President returned on February 24 but has not resumed any duties.
That his return came only a few days after Mr Jonathan was named “acting” President showed, however, that Mr Yar’Adua’s allies were not going to watch as the post slipped from their grasp.
More outbreaks of sectarian violence will seriously damage the Government’s image and lead for further calls for change. Few people would like to see a return to military rule, but an unstable Nigeria is a nightmare prospect for both African and Western leaders.