Northern traditional rulers during their joint meeting with governors of 19 northern states in Kaduna yesterday.
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.
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