Determined to prevent post-election conflicts in their domains, northern Christian traditional rulers met in Abuja to forge peace in the region, reports Sunday Oguntola
They walked majestically to the hall, resplendent in their traditional attires. Not a few cast a fanciful look at the splendor they displayed. They had come from different clans, communities and environs. They are Christian traditional rulers from northern states in Abuja, the federal capital, for two reasons: One, according to the chief convener, Elder Olaiya Phillips, was to pray for peaceful polls next month.
Two, according to the rulers, was to brainstorm how to prevent post-election crisis in their domains.
Hell literally visited them in 2011 and many of them were determined not to allow a repeat of the orgies this time around.
These were the moods last week during a parley by Christian traditional rulers in Abuja. The conference was organised by the Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) as parts of its strategies to arrest worsening insecurity in the north-east.
Welcoming the royal fathers to the forum, Phillips, who is the chair of NOSCEF, stated that their coming together was imperative to forestall any possible backlashes from the forthcoming elections. He lamented the untold hardships and ruinations that many of their subjects and communities suffered in the past.
Except they rise to do things differently and build bridges of peace and harmony, worse scenarios might be experienced in their communities again, he warned. He said: “We can all remember the scenes across the North following the last general election. The needless loss of hundreds of Christians and Muslims in post election violence is a memory that still feels raw.
“I do not know if we will see a repeat of such reprisals following this year’s elections but as a community we should be prepared. And as community leaders, those here today should be ready for whatever events unfold.”
He added: “You must speak up for your communities. You must be the ones to make sure that politicians understand. You must pray that the Northern Christian community is better represented at all levels of Nigerian politics following elections.
“You must create and embody the forums of discussion between our community and Muslim community to settle disputes before violence occurs. You must make your communities understand that politics is not worth taking and losing life and limb.
“You must provide the glue that our communities desperately need to hold our nation together, before the first blow lands or the first bullet is fired. We – the Northern Christian community – must make sure that whoever wins, the unity, secularity and integrity of our nation is preserved.”
Phillips urged them to support “candidates that win elections in your communities and prevent post-election violence or crises.” This, he stated, must be their biggest preoccupation for the next few months until the incoming administration is stabilised.
He added that the peaceful coexistence of political opponents and subjects with differing political inclinations should become their main objectives, stating that the more peaceful their domains are after the polls will indicate how much efforts and commitment they have invested after the parley.
Phillips, a businessman, urged them to consider themselves as peace builders and agents of transformation. Royal fathers, he added, must ensure peace in their domains at all costs, stressing that the cost of allowing crises would be too much to consider for their communities and the nation.
“We must provide the glues that our nation need to stay together. We must ensure that our communities remain one united entity regardless of our political differences,” he further stated.
President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, commended the monarchs for coming together to work for peace in their domains. Lauding the forum, he said: “The more you know each other, the stronger you become. You are able to share challenges and be stronger than you used to be.”
He bemoaned the spate of violence recorded after every election in the country, saying that all stakeholders, like the traditional rulers, must synergies to prevent such reoccurrence this time around.
Oritsejafor called for the enthronement of a fair and just electoral system to minimise some of these backlashes, urging Nigerians to become committed to building a nation of equity and peace.
Done with the niceties, the traditional rulers broke into groups to deliberate on why peace is always a challenge during election period and practical ways of working against breakdown of law and order.
Rising from the closed-door deliberation, the traditional rulers resolved to build peace in their communities. They also vowed to accommodate all political leanings and work with candidates to prevent violence. They said they will mobilise their subjects to reject violence and candidates with such tendency, while also empowering them to peaceful choices.
They also retired into a prayer session coordinated by the immediate former chairman of NOSCEF, Evangelist Matthew Owojaiye. Owojaiye challenged them to break down stereotypes and spiritual forces instigating violence in northern parts of the country.
God, he said, has the powers to stop the devil in his track and restore peace to beleaguered regions. The monarchs raised their voices in utter supplication to God for peaceful elections next month as well as harmonious relations after the polls.
