 |
| The Yeshua Kingdom Foundation International, Jos |
The
Yeshua Kingdom Foundation International is an open-air centre of religious gatherings.
It was built in Jos by Jonah David Jang, a man who has been a governor in
three of Nigeria’s thirty-six states. It
is located between Doi and Ladura villages in the Du District of Jos South.
People have come to refer to the monument as the Ten Commandments because of
the spectacle of a giant tablet on which the Ten Commandments of God are
engraved. The monument, built from Jang’s personal funds, was commissioned by erstwhile
President Goodluck Jonathan in December 2021. Jang had ended his time as
governor in 2015 and as a senator in 2019.
In
addition to President Goodluck Jonathan, who commissioned the monument, two
former presidents of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo and Yakubu Gowon, have also
walked the soil of the monument. Obasanjo and Gowon were special guests at the maiden edition of a three-day inter-denominational event, which concluded on December
1st, 2024, following the request of Governor Caleb Mutfwang, the
current Governor of Plateau State. The coming of Generals Gowon and Obasanjo accentuated
the epic standing of the monument –the event enjoyed record attendance, only
comparable to the attendance recorded when Reinhardt Bunke visited Jos in the
mid-1990s.
The
Ten Commandments is set in a picturesque location of Du District. It is designed
such that the colourful sitting positions form a bow pattern, which faces an
elevated podium behind which the tablet stands. The tablet’s giant size
compares to human sizes as Gulliver compared to Lilliputians. The arena also
boasts of water pools designed for baptism and have been used for that purpose since
the inauguration of the monument.
Sometimes
in 2010, I visited Makurdi, the capital city of Benue State and noticed the
roads were curiously wide and dichotomous. They were also flanked by giant
gutters that lessen any possibility of flooding. When I observed that the
construction pattern was identical to what Jonah Jang was building in Plateau
State, my host confirmed that the roads were actually built by Jonah Jang while
he was the military Governor of Benue State. It is this obsession for urban renaissance
that has helped Jang to become so powerful that he decides who becomes the governor
of Plateau State.
When
Jang’s construction turbo took off on the Plateau in 2007, it was relentless
and ubiquitous under the Plateau sun, compelling President Goodluck Jonathan to
stay for three days, flying across the state and commissioning a stack of
projects Jang had piled within a short period of becoming governor. The roads
at the heart of the construction were aimed at spreading the physical
developments to all corners of the state as much as possible. This was so
achieved until the end of his second tenure in 2015. Building the monument with
his private funds makes obvious his undying love for Plateau State. The record
attendance of the religious event has proven that when constructions spread
further away from the city centre, they spur developments in the countryside.
Within
the short period Caleb Mutfwang has been in the state as the Governor, he has
been able to demonstrate that he is a protégé of Jonah Jang. The volume of his
projects despite the litigations that slowed him in the first year proves this.
Mutfwang, who understands the role such monuments play in stirring prosperity,
moved around with a broad smile on his face, greeting everybody. It is said
that governance is a process, not an event. Unfortunately for Plateau State,
this is only true if the People's Democratic Party is in charge. Clearly, the Mutfwang
approach is a continuation of what Jang stands for.
There
is something iconic about Yeshua Kingdom Foundation International: the monument
carries an ambience that is reminiscent of the happy days last seen in the mid-1980s. As far as this is concerned, everyone on the Plateau is upbeat
Staying
away from power is like walking into the distance. The more you walk away, the
less distinct you become. The more years Jang stayed away from the government
house, the more indistinct he became in the minds of Plateau people. However,
building the Yeshua Kingdom Foundation International from the leftovers in his
pouch has brought him back to the notice of the people in a manner that is so
distinct that time will find it difficult to erode.
The
constant prayer in the minds of kind-hearted people in Plateau State is for
Jang to live long. Clearly, God is answering this prayer.
