Governors of the 19 northern states and traditional
rulers from the region are meeting in Kaduna to find lasting solutions to
rising insecurity and economic downturn plaguing the region.
Stakeholders who spoke at the opening of the meeting
yesterday blamed falling standards of education and disunity among various
groups as the causes of tension and insecurity in some parts of the North.
Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF),
Kashim Shettima of Borno State, said the region
which used to be Nigeria’s wealthiest had conspired against itself to be
reduced to the laughing stock of the world.
He said “Northern Nigeria today is blighted by a
deadly (albeit retreating) insurgency, rural armed banditry, cattle rustling,
ethnic and religious conflicts, the underlying causes of which are poverty,
illiteracy, social exclusivity and severely limited economic opportunities.”
Shettima said there was need for urgent action to reverse the present
ugly trend “we have since begun doing some ground work. For instance, the NSGF
has last year, set up a committee of Attorneys General of the 19 States to
review the criminal justice system of Northern Nigeria with a view to amending
the penal code to stipulate penalties for criminal offences prevalent in the
North today which were not envisaged by the penal code.”
He said traditional rulers had sustained the time
tested and noble tradition of championing the causes of their people through
provoking debates.
“This very fundamental debate bordering on the
educational backwardness, pervasive poverty and underdevelopment as well as
persistent insecurity of Northern Nigeria should not only form the underlying
basis for holding this extraordinary meeting but must continue, in our
enlightened self-interest as leaders, to perpetually preoccupy our thoughts,
plans, programmes and actions.”
Also speaking at the event, Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad
Sa’ad Abubakar, said the traditional institution was worried by
insecurity in the North, especially recent happenings in Southern Kaduna,
kidnapping, cattle rustling and the state of IDPs.
He said the usage of places of religious worship to
preach hatred and violence was worrisome as it tended to divide rather than
unite the people. He added that violence continued to thrive
because impunity had been allowed to thrive and people were not
being punished for crimes.
“We are therefore strongly supporting more measures
taken and to be taken by Governors of the Northern States, especially the
Governor of Kaduna State. We must all strive to achieve lasting peace in the
north in particular and the whole country in general,” the Sultan said.
The Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai on
his part said political, traditional and religious leaders must rise and
condemn the incessant killings and destruction of lives and properties in the
Northern region.
“I believe that one of the major issues that
would occupy our time is to discuss the security challenges bedevilling this
part of the country, especially clashes between herdsmen and local communities,
terrorism, kidnapping, cattle rustling, among others. As we all know,
traditional institutions are the closest organ of government to the grass root.
Your participation on issues of security therefore cannot be over-emphasized.
“The security situation has become ever more
worrisome, as people who have co-existed peacefully for several years have now
allowed some unscrupulous elements to instigate them to take arms against one
another, leading to the wanton destruction of lives of innocent and law abiding
citizens. This is not only reprehensible but most condemnable. It therefore,
becomes incumbent on us to assist Government and Security Agencies in bringing
all kinds of criminal elements in our midst to justice, without regard to their
ethnic and religious pretensions,” el-Rufa’i said.
The governors acknowledged the direct correlation
between collapse of education, agriculture and industries with the current
restiveness in several parts of the region.
The meeting continues today after which a resolution
on the way forward is expected.
Source:Daily Trust
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Politics