The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Peace

  • How to ensure peace in Ekwulobia, by town union president

    How to ensure peace in Ekwulobia, by town union president

    Chief Emmanuel Okeke, the Chairman of Eziagulu village in Ekwulobia and the Chairman of all the village chairmen in Ekwulobia, is also the President General of Ekwulobia Town Union, Anambra State. In this interview, he spoke about Ekwulobia, Governor Willie Obiano and related issues.

    What is your assessment of Governor Obiano’s performance in office?

    Let me start by thanking the governor for the construction of Ekwulobia to Ezinifite road. To be honest with you, the entire people of Ekwulobia and Ezinifite will remain forever grateful to the governor because of that road. My reason for saying this is because the road was formerly impassable, it can best be described as a death trap. But as at today, it is now a motorable road tarred with nylon asphalt. I will not also forget to thank the Governor for the water projects he executed across the 9 villages in Ekwulobia. Our people can now boast of drinking portable water, courtesy of the truly working Willie Obiano’s administration. As for my general assessment of His Excellency Chief Dr. Willie Obiano’s performance in office, I will score him 100/100. As far as I am concerned, Governor Obiano has performed excellently and wonderfully well in all sectors of governance in our beloved State. Governor Obiano came to deliver dividends of good governance to ndi Anambra and that is exactly what he is doing for our people.

    We are talking about a governor that ensured the security of lives and properties of Ndi Anambra State, transformed Anambra State Agricultural Sector to a viable, interesting and competitive sector. This is a Governor that re-ignited think home initiative in the minds of prominent Anambra business tycoons. The likes of Engr. Emeka Okwuosa, Cosmas  Mmaduka, Akai Egwuonwu and many others keyed into Governor Obiano’s administration think home initiative and ndi-anambra are reaping the benefit. Awka as a capital city is now wearing the befitting look of a capital city. The infrastructural sector is witnessing tremendous transformation in all the nooks and crannies of Anambra State. Our Governor is also working assiduously to open up the oil sector with the construction of two major roads that leads to the Aguleri Otu Oil Rig. Already two bridges, one at Aguleri Uno and the other one at Iyiora Anam have crosssed Omambala River.  The contractors are now seriously working to connect Iyiowa Anam and Eziagulu Otu roads to Aguleri Otu Oil Rig. When this project is completed, it will go a long way in boosting Agricultural business within the Omambala axis and it will also be a take-off point for Orient petroleum refinery. Recently the Governor lighted up Orumba South with electricity and also commissioned a big with Rice mill project at Ufuma.

    So, I am stating without mincing words that Governor Obiano has justified the confidence reposed on him by Ndi-Anambra electorates and that he deserve to be re-elected for a merited 2nd term in office.

    Ekwulobia Town Union is enmeshed in leadership crisis. What is  fuelling this crisis?          

    It’s a long story, but I will be brief in telling the story. The truth is that Ekwulobia Town Union leadership crisis is a problem that has lingered for many years now.

    The problem can be traced to the manipulation of the town’s constitution. As a result of this manipulation, aggrieved prominent indigenes of Ekwulobia dragged Igwe and the constitution amendment committee to Court. They won the case at the state high court. Our Igwe appealed the high court judgment and lost at the court of appeal. Judgment was given in favour of those that sued against the manipulation of the constitution because of the defection and open confession of the seven people that were saddled with the constitution amendment responsibility. They openly confessed that the constitution was manipulated and their open confession led to the nullification of the amended 2010 constitution.  Seeing the truth, the court nullified the 2010 amended constitution and ordered the community to revert to status quo of which is to be using the 1994 constitution of the town in running the affairs of our community. When Igwe appealed this judgement and lost at the Court of Appeal, I went to him to plead with him to give peace a chance in our community because as a matter of fact Ekwulobia is the heartbeat of Aguata local government and OAU at large. But in defiance to the court order, the igwe continued making use of the 2010 nulified constitution in running their affairs of our community. To the extent that the aggrieved parties want to file contempt of court proceedings against him to commit him to prison and I stopped them from doing that in the interest of peace. I did my best for the town union crisis to be settled amicably all to no avail. Lots of peace committee was set up and when they come up with their report for the amicable resolution of the crisis and it is not in favour of the Igwe, but in favour of the people of the community, Igwe Onyenaeke will reject the report. Until the clergy men waded into the crisis.

    Can you shed more light on the clergymen’s intervention?

    When the clergies in Ekwulobia, both the Anglican and Catholic Bishops, intervened, they came up with their own recommendation which is setting up a town union caretaker committee. The Igwe accepted their recommendation.  Two people were nominated per each village in Ekwulobia and the people of my village nominated me.  At the end, I was chosen to be the PG of Ekwulobia town union. The Igwe witnessed the election because it was done in the open. He even gave an acceptance speech. I have video record of all that transpired on my election day. Igwe Onyenaeke later reneged and rejected our election. He said that he will not work with my executive simply because he does not like two or three people in my exco. What he did was to be parading somebody his tenure has elapsed as the PG of Ekwulobia. Our people want to lead a protest to government house because of this ugly development and I stopped them because I don’t want the protest to be misconstrued. I told our people that it is better to draw the attention of the Governor officially to the illegalities going on ion Ekwulobia. So am using this medium to plead with our governor, His Excellency Chief Dr. Willie Obiano, to wade into this matter for its amicable resolution because Ekwulobia is currently sitting on a keg of gun powder and if nothing is done urgently it will explode. It is only the government that can call the Igwe to order. The 1st step government must take is to stop the kangaroo election igwe Onyenaeke and his few cohorts are planning to hold because our people has vowed never to allow that kangaroo election to hold. So to avoid loss of lives, break down of law and order government should do the needful because a stitch in time saves nine. I am also suggesting to the governor to get in touch with the Anglican and Catholic Bishops of Aguata diocese for factual briefings that will help him to resolve the Ekwulobia Town Union crisis amicably.

    Have you officially drawn the attention of government to this town union crisis?

    Yes, we have written to government officially. The mandate of my executive that was set up by all the clergy men in Ekwulobia was to broker peace in Ekwulobia. We started with consultation and we also wrote to government because we don’t want the crisis to lead to a breakdown of law and order in Ekwulobia, especially this year that Anambra is preparing for governorship election. The main reason why I am calling on our governor to wade into this matter is because Ekwulobia vote is the determinant factor of elections in Aguata. As a matter of fact, Ekwulobia has 27,000 registered voters. So, the governor should listen to the cry of Ekwulobia people.

    What advice do you have for Ekwulobia people and Ndi-Anambra at large?

    My advice to Ekwulobia people is to remain law abiding and not to take laws into their hands because of the town union crisis. I have confidence on the ability of our hardworking Governor to resolve the crisis amicably. As for Ndi-Anambra, I will plead with them to keep supporting Governor Obiano’s administration because he is doing a good job in our beloved State and they should also endeavour to re-elect him for a merited 2nd tenure in office.

  • Clerics preach peace, tolerance among Muslims 

    An Islamic leader, Shewu Hussain-Eniiya and scholar, Sheikabdlai Mudathir have called on Muslims to tolerate people regardless of their religious and ethnic affiliations.
    The duo also appealed to Muslims to maintain peace and love in their immediate environments rather than discriminating against denominations.
    Eniiya, who is the Olori Musulumi of Ede land, was the special guest at the 2017 special Moludnabiyu prayer at Morubo Central mosque, Ibadan.
    He urged Muslims to follow the footsteps of Muhammad in whatever they do.
    Tagged: “Babalamule’s day and 2017 Moludnobiyu celebration”, the prayer was attended by the Islamic leaders in Osun and Oyo states.
    Eniiya said: “It is pertinent to know that as servants of God, we need to follow our leader Muhammad’s closely.
    “Therefore, we need to love our neighbors regardless of their religion.
    “We also need to tolerate then and maintain peace with them. I also want to implore our people to learn from one of our leaders, Babalamule who live his life for God.”
    The guest lecturer, Sheikabdlai Mudathir, said demonstration of love and peace are the primary reasons Muslims worship God.
    He said if Muslims tolerate one another, the level of poverty will be reduced drastically.
    “The primary reason we worship God is love and peace. If we learn to love and tolerate ourselves, there won’t be much poverty in the country,” he stated.

  • Call for new approach to pursue international peaceful order

    Call for new approach to pursue international peaceful order

    Faced with the reality of uncertainty in global cooperation triggered by a chain of political upheavals from the Brexit to elections in the United States and European states, a new approach to pursue an international peaceful order has been called for.

     The call was made on March 14 at the Peace Forum for the 1st Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) held in Seoul, South Korea by Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), an international peace organization under the UN Department of Public Information (DPI).

    In commemoration of the DPCW proclaimed on the same date in 2016, the forum reaffirmed the importance of global peace movement currently on progress under the Legislate Peace Campaign to establish the principle of international law for peace through the introduction of a UN resolution based on the DPCW.

     Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL emphasized that peacebuilding “is not an individual task”, but “is relevant to everyone” as a common purpose of the global community.

    He offered the role of religion as a bridge builder of peace rather than the core of conflict and violence by adding “our orientations must be one for peace. Whether religious secular world it is, there is no exception.”

    In the progress report, Dong Min Im, the secretary general of HWPL, explained the significance of peace projects in HWPL by saying, “The work is to put an end to war in our globe and make a foundation of a world of everlasting peace, which is unprecedented in history.”

    Bup Hye Kim, chairman of Buddhist Central Council for National Unification, offered a picture of concrete action plans of HWPL in achieving peace.

    “Youth and women are the main scapegoats in war, but even in this reality we must face the fact that youth and women are voluntarily standing at the forefront to build the foundation of peace with HWPL”, he said.

    The DPCW with its 10 articles and 38 clauses was drafted by HWPL and legal experts in international law. Based on the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations and Declaration of Human Rights, the DPCW advocates peace as a global order through respect on international law, ethnic/religious freedom, and spreading a culture of peace.

     Efforts of promoting peaceful coexistence with initiatives of HWPL contribute to conflict resolution to raise mutual understanding that can restrain hostility. 

    Seminars and culture events at both local and national levels have been hosted by HWPL with the local community to overcome religious or ethnic boundaries.

    Areas of conflict where threats of life are persistent including Syria, Israel and Palestine are included to raise awareness for peacebuilding.

  • Promote peace, mediators told

    New members of the  Institute of Chartered Mediators and Councilors of Nigeria (ICMC) have been asked to explore better ways of ensuring that disputes are effectively managed.

    Its President, Dr. Louis Brown Ogbeifun and the Registrar, Segun Ogunyannwo, gave the charge while inducting new associate members into the Lagos State branch.

    Ogbeifun, represented by the second Vice President, Mrs. Nwagbo Margaret, urged the new mediators to use their positions to build peace in the country.

    “We are aware that the development and effective usage of mediation as an Alternative Dispute Resolution tool has been slowed because several practitioners still believe that mediation is a process that would seriously undernine their livelihoods, plough backs and, therefore, an “Alarming Drop in Revenue (ADR)”.

    “As mediators, we see it differently because the man or woman on the street that is confronted with very serious conflict or a worker that has been dismissed and stripped of his or her salary would only be interested in the quickest access to justice at the lowest cost, which mediation fortunately offers.

    “Some practitioners have also argued that mediation has come to supplant litigation and therefore, would pose a serious threat to effective justice delivery.”

    Ogbeifun added that regardless of the profuse use of mediation, there are cases that must be resolved using litigation.

    “As mediators, we understand their fears. We should empathise with all the proponents. Their fears stems from the fear of the unknown, which is usually the force behind the argument for the status quo.“

  • The Strong Belt of Truth (5)

    “…have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” A sin exposed is a sin defeated; do not hide sin. The unfruitful works of darkness are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outburst of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, etc.- these works belong to the kingdom of darkness, with Satan as the head of this kingdom.

     

    There is another kingdom, which is the kingdom of God; it’s also of Light. Being evident by these lifestyles: Love (for God and neighbour), joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Those who live thus belong to this kingdom and are the children of God.

     

    Where one belongs is known by the kind of life one lives. Someone’s lifestyle tells it all. Hmm, the Good News remain that God has made a way of escape for all of us; in that He sent His dear Son Jesus Christ to die, in order to deliver you and me from the kingdom of darkness and its unfruitful works and be converted; be born into the kingdom of God.

    God says, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with ALL your heart”. If you will sincerely call on Jesus to set you free from the kingdom of darkness and its unfruitful works, He will. The kingdom of darkness is doomed forever, it’s a place of everlasting torment in hell fire, God does not want anyone to be there- please escape for your life. Know that only those who believe and accept Jesus as their Lord and saviour will inherit the kingdom of God; a place of everlasting life in heaven.

     

    Jesus said, “…you shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set you free, he who the SON sets free is free indeed! This is so reassuring, satisfying, and complete. Knowing it was God Himself who planned it all, that those who believe and accept the salvation/deliverance His son JESUS offered will be FREE from the bondage of sin. They will remain free as they follow Him.

     

    The people of Old had to offer animal sacrifices again and again for their sins to be forgiven, yet they continued to struggle in their sins and continued sinning. That never stopped them from living in sin. God sent Jesus to lay down His life once and for all to end the animal sacrifices and set you free, giving you and me complete victory over sin. He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us, to give us the power and divine assistance we need to live righteous, obeying Him always. Do not keep enjoying sin; do not hide your sin- CRY OUT TO JESUS WITH ALL YOUR HEART TO SET YOU FREE FROM YOUR SIN.

     

    I was once in the kingdom of darkness. I did not fully understand the significance of the death of Jesus; I only had head knowledge of the story and believed it my own way. The full knowledge of my sin, its guilt, and consequences changed all of that, for I continually cried out to Jesus in my sin to set me free, I trusted Him completely for my deliverance, and He delivered me. I had an encounter with Him that forever changed my life. Now I can boldly say ‘there is power in the blood of Jesus’ because…He touched me and made me whole. Now I am in the kingdom of God, I belong to the family of God. I was blind but now I see, I was dead but now I live!

     

                   SONG:        AT CALVARY

    1.       Years I spent in vanity and pride,
    Caring not my Lord was crucified,
    Knowing not it was for me He died
    On Calvary.
    Chorus:     Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
    Pardon there was multiplied to me;
    There my burdened soul found liberty,
    At Calvary.

     

    2.       By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;
    Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,
    Till my guilty soul imploring turned
    To Calvary.

     

    3.       Now I’ve giv’n to Jesus everything,
    Now I gladly own Him as my King,
    Now my raptured soul can only sing
    Of Calvary.

     

    4.       Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
    Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
    Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span
    At Calvary!

     

    TEXT: Ephesians 6:10-18, Ephesians 5:11, John 8:32, Jeremiah 29:13.

    FROM: FAITH NWACHUKWU

  • Peace returns to Ife after bloody clash

    Peace has returned to Ife in Osun State, following the Wednesday bloody clash between the indigenes and the Hausa, where many people lost their lives.

    However, many Hausa residents who fled the ancient town in the wake of the clash neighbouring communities like Garage Olode, Yekeemi, Abata Egba, Ifetedo, Iyanfoworogi, Mefoworade among others, are yet to return to their base in Sabo, Ife.

    Also, some of the Hausas have relocated to Osogbo and Ilesa to join their kinsmen.

    A petty trader, Abubakar  Mohammadu, was among those that relocated to Ilesa, a neigbouring town of about 25 kilometers from Ife, to join their friends and continue a new life.

    Meanwhile, the Osun State government has extended the two-day dusk to dawn curfew it imposed on the town till next Monday.

    There was heavy presence of security men in strategic areas of the town  yesterday as noticed by our correspondent.

    Meanwhile, markets and commercial centres, including banks, shops and schools could were shut as residents kept indoors.

    The Senator representing Osun East in the National Assembly, Senator Babajide Omoworare, has appealed to indigenes and residents of Ile-Ife to end the ongoing feud in Sabo area of the town.

    In a statement by his media aide, Tunde Dairo, said warring parties should allow dialogue to end the clash.

    According to him: “There is no alternative to peace, we must collectively live in atmosphere of peace for mutual prosperity, this has been the long standing practice and must be sustained in the interest of everyone. This is with a view to find a lasting solution to the present imbroglio and prevent another one in future.

    “I sympathize with everyone affected by the crisis and implore the law enforcement agents to intensify their effort to bring the situation under control and restore peace and harmony to Ile-Ife. I am in touch with the Governor of Osun State who is putting in place every measure to ensure lasting peace.

    “I have also spoken to Ooni of Ile-Ife and collaborating with other Senators in this respect. With this collective efforts and maximum cooperation from everyone, a lasting solution will soon be achieved.”

  • Makarfi gives terms for peace in PDP

    Makarfi gives terms for peace in PDP

    A peace plan has been drawn up for the troubled opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
    It includes conditions for a national convention to be presided over by the National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff. The convention is tentatively slated for June 30.
    According to the party’s Reconciliation Committee, the National Convention Planning Committee (NCPC) to be set up by Sheriff must draw its membership from all the organs of the party and other key stakeholders.
    The chairman of the committee, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, submitted its report to Sheriff at the party’s secretariat yesterday.
    Speaking with reporters shortly after submitting the report, Dickson said an acceptable convention remained the ultimate resolution to the party’s leadership crisis.
    Listed as members of the NCPC are seven governors, seven senators, 12 members of the House of Reps, six members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and six national vice chairmen.
    Others are 18 zonal chairmen, six speakers of state assemblies; six former governors, former presiding officers of the National Assembly, six prominent women leaders, six youth leaders, six former ministers and 12 others to be nominated by Sheriff in consultation with key stakeholders.
    The governor added that even after the Supreme Court must have ruled on the appeal filed against Sheriff by the Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee, the party must go for the convention.
    He said Sheriff too was in support of the proposed convention, just like other stakeholders, adding however that mutual mistrust and lack of faith in the present leadership of the party remained an issue.
    The governor urged other elective party office holders who are still holding on to their positions to let go and seek a fresh mandate in the planned convention.
    The Dickson report was however silent on whether Sheriff would be eligible to renew his mandate through the convention, where new party leaders are expected to emerge.
    Dickson restated the party’s determination to explore every avenue to resolve its crisis through political solutions, without prejudice to the appeal pending at the Supreme Court.
    Sheriff said the report/proposal submitted by Dickson would be considered or reviewed by the National Working Committee under his leadership.
    Virtually all the party organs and stakeholders listed by Dickson as members of the convention planning committee are opposed to Sheriff’s chairmanship of the party.
    Also yesterday, Sheriff called on workers at the party secretariat to resume duties.
    The secretariat was opened for Sheriff last month after it was sealed off by the police in June 2015, at the peak of the leadership crisis.
    A statement yesterday by Mr. Bernard Mikko for Sheriff, described the Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee as a “dissident group” that has been proscribed by the law.
    It accused the workers of taking sides against their condition of service, which requires them to be apolitical and loyal to the leadership of the party.
    It said: “Members of the PDP Welfare Association and indeed all committed staff of the national secretariat who have not resumed duties should immediately get back to work, as they are neither on trial nor involved in any crisis or litigation necessitating any form of political or legal solution to resolve.
    “The belligerent stance and the series of communiques issued by some members of staff indicate clearly that they have positioned themselves at the centre of political conflagrations involving their bosses against their terms and conditions of employment.
    “The dissident group which they pretend to profess their loyalty had been proscribed by law and legally dead. Any attempt to resurrect a dead horse will only amount to superstition and largely futile.”
    “Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and the entire NWC are committed to bringing the party to fame to the realisation of the dreams of the founding fathers and should be supported to do so”, the
    “Failure to heed this call will attract disciplinary procedures as the staff are deemed to be conversant with their terms and conditions of employment, particularly the PDP Establishment Manual that stipulates that they remain apolitical,” the statement added.

  • Defeating Boko Haram: We must act now to save lives and build peace

    We are delighted to be visiting Nigeria this week, especially during the UK’s Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

    We agree with new UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that the UNSC must prioritise preventing conflict and sustaining peace. That is why we are focusing our Presidency on conflict prevention in Africa, starting with a UNSC visit to the Lake Chad Basin. Nigeria itself has long played a major role in international efforts to tackle conflict and build peace. Many Nigerians will be familiar with images of the famous blue helmets and berets worn by UN peacekeepers. But they may not know that more than 2,100 Nigeria military and civilian personnel are currently deployed on UN peacekeeping missions in countries including Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    We applaud Nigeria’s contributions to UN, ECOWAS and AU efforts in support of peace. The world saw the value of Nigerian leadership in this respect again in January, when President Buhari played a leading role in brokering a peaceful resolution to the political crisis in The Gambia.

    Of course, Nigeria also faces its own threats to national and regional peace and stability. The UK strongly supports Nigeria’s campaign to tackle the scourge of Boko Haram’s violent extremism and terrorism, and its cooperation in this fight with neighbouring Lake Chad Basin countries.  We are very proud that the UK is training Nigerian troops fighting Boko Haram. The UK is also providing life-saving assistance for those affected by the conflict. In 2016, £70 million in UK aid for North-East Nigeria provided food to more than 1 million people, treatment for 34,000 children at risk of dying from malnutrition, and access to clean water and sanitation for more than 135,000 people.

    Nigeria and its neighbours must maintain their military efforts to defeat Boko Haram, and do all they can to ensure that aid reaches those in need. But lasting security and stability will require a broader approach. As the UN Secretary General said in his first address to the UNSC this year, we cannot take peace for granted – it requires difficult decisions, hard work and compromise.

    Communities and governments will need to find ways of working better together to address a range of underlying causes of conflict: countering extremism; addressing the effects of climate change; protecting and promoting human rights; tackling corruption, and creating economic and educational opportunities. Nigeria’s recent pledge at the Nigeria and Lake Chad region conference in Oslo to spend US$1 billion dollars supporting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and reconstruction in the Northeast of Nigeria is welcome. Such leadership is required from Nigeria to help address the urgent and longer term needs the North-East faces.

    Building peace also requires wide participation, starting at the grassroots and engaging civil society, faith leaders, youth and minorities. The involvement and empowerment of woman and girls at every level will be indispensable.

    All too often, women and girls suffer most in conflict, and are not represented in the pursuit of peace. But we know that when they are involved in negotiations, the chances of peace increase by 20% to 35%.

    The UK will continue supporting Nigerian-led efforts to counter violent extremism and terrorism and build peace, just as we support Nigerian initiatives to tackle corruption and achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth.  The UK is committed to standing by Nigeria’s side as a friend and partner in difficult times, because a more secure, stable and prosperous Nigeria is good for Nigeria’s citizens, good for the UK and good for the world.

  • A code for peace from Jos

    A code for peace from Jos

    At a meeting in Jos, the Plateau State capital, religious leaders from the Northcentral states fashioned out a formula for much-needed peace. YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU reports

    Why were youths the focus of a meeting held in Jos, the Plateau State capital, by religious leaders in search of peace in the Northcentral states?

    The answer is not farfetched. Youths have become a veritable tool in the hands of unscrupulous elements who foment trouble.

    Take Plateau State, the venue of the meeting, for instance. Between 2001 and 2011 when the state momentarily lost its homely and peaceful status due to incessant crises, it was youths who were at the forefront of the destruction. They targeted churches and mosques, burning them down, amid other acts of violence.

    Plateau was not the only theatre of violence. Crisis has also engulfed several parts of the North, even when you take Boko Haram out of the picture. Wherever trouble broke, youths were readily recruited to perfect the plan, and worship centres have almost always been worse-off.

    That was why the clerics made youths their focus, arguing that if you give them a good orientation not just about the dangers of bloodletting but also the grave error of attacking spiritual centres, there would be peace.

    The religious leaders had a lot of help from a Jos-based international organisation known and Search for Common Ground (SFCG) which has been building peace in the state since 2011.

    The NGO identified major causes of religious violence in the North and initiated moves to tackle them. To tackle them, it engaged the clerics from several Northcentral states, knowing their prime role in the society.

    In fact, it was the NGO that noticed that churches and mosques and other sacred religious centers like cemeteries, even praying grounds are often attacked when violence breaks.

    In a two-day meeting organised by the NGO for religious leaders of the Northcentral zone, participants unanimously adopted a universal code of conduct which aims to protect and preserve holy sites even during crisis.

    A communique issued after the meeting which was attended by religious leaders from Niger, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Plateau states, pointed out that, “The North-Central Zonal meeting examined the provisions of the Universal Code of Conduct on Holy Sites. The Code contains 10 articles on the protection of Holy Sites, defined as ”places of profound significance and holy religious attachment such as mosques, churches, cemeteries, synagogues, etc, whose special character and integrity are to be preserved and protected against all violence and desecration.”

    The adopted code encourages religious leaders, traditional institutions and other interfaith bodies to see it as a template for cooperation in protecting holy sites. In the spirit of the code, the participants suggested the adoption and implementation of the code.

    How is the code to be implemented? By education, monitoring, documentation, joint visits and denunciations by religious leaders of attacks on holy sites, among other activities.

    As part of the strategies agreed by the religious leaders in the zone, the adopted universal code will be translated into local languages, while worship centres will be used for conducting research on faith-based issues. This means that holy sites shall be promoted as centres for learning for religious adherents. The sites will also be made a role model to religious practitioners while both religions will be made to empower families especially mothers as the first and best teachers for the restoration of family values.

    The religious leaders who have already formed an inter-faith group also resolved to facilitate key religious leaders to advocate for the inclusion of religious studies in schools. They also made a strong case for the education of youths as well as teaching them relevant entrepreneurial skills.  Even social media will be used to  counter misinformation and indoctrination.

    The increasing use of hard drugs among youths was also an issue at the meeting. To solve this, the group wil liaise with relevant government agencies to prohibit these identified drugs.

  • ‘Ganduje’s a man of peace’

    ‘Ganduje’s a man of peace’

    Prince Abdullahi Abbas is the Acting Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State. He was the Political Adviser to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. In this interview with KOLADE ADEYEMI, he sheds light on the feud between Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and his predecessor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso from the perspective of the governor.

    What caused the political feud between Ganduje and his predecessor?

    Well, as politicians, the two leaders are bound to disagree to agree. In my own opinion, as the Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state, I believe they have no problem, because it is part of the game in politics to disagree over certain issues. However, there is need for party stakeholders and members to respect the hierarchy of leadership. The governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, is a man of peace. He remains the leader of the APC in the state and I think there is the need for everyone of us to accord him that due respect. It is not in the interest of the party for one person or a group of people to begin to work against the party leadership and the leader of the party. If you look at the position of the party, you will understand that first and foremost, the former chairman, Haruna Doguwa, has problem with the party. The Elders Committee and the party executive committee met and deemed it right to suspend him for anti-party activities. He was subsequently removed, because he dishonoured the constitution of the party. Later, I was appointed as the Acting Chairman. I had expected Doguwa and his group to show remorse for their actions, but they chose to foment trouble within the party.

    The Kwankwassiyya group has insisted that you are not the authentic chairman. What section of the party’s constitution are you banking on to remain on this seat?

    If you look at Article 21, you will see that at the state level, the elders committee and party stakeholders has the right to suspend or remove any member of the executive who is found wanting. Party stakeholders have the right to pass a vote of no confidence on that person and they also have the right to appoint somebody as a replacement, before a congress is held. So, that is what happened in Kano. The stakeholders, which comprise members of the state and National Assembly, local government chairmen, ward chairman and other stakeholders, held a meeting and took a decision to suspend Doguwa for anti-party activities. This decision is constitutional and I believe people should respect it.  We wrote a letter to the national headquarters to that effect and they referred us back to the zone. At the zonal level, the whole thing was trashed out and letter was further sent back to the state to authenticate my position as the Acting Chairman. So, why are people disturbing themselves over a very simple matter? The Zonal Committee also appointed a fact-finding committee under the leadership of Senator Magoro. They came to Kano and spent seven days. They met with the former chairman (Doguwa). They also met with the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee and all other people concerned and you know we had a congress in Dutse, Jigawa State, where about five governors from Northwest zone attended. Two deputy governors also attended and I was confirmed by the Northwest stakeholders as the Acting Chairman, following the report of Senator Magoro. So, that is why I am proud to tell you that I am the chairman and nothing changes that, unless when we have a congress.

    Ganduje recently said he and Kwankwaso need each other. Do you concur with that statement? 

    That is very correct. We need all of them, not only Kwankwaso. We need Doguwa, we need all party members, but I believe there is need for them to be loyal to the party, because the affairs and interest of the party is bigger than an individual or a group of people. You know, the APC is a very big political party, so, we need each other.

    Do you believe that there is division in the Kano APC leadership?

    No! There is no division. There is no division, because here in Kano, we have only one chairman and we have only one party, which is the APC. We have only one office and we have only one Exco. So, who is telling you there is division?

    So, why is Doguwa insisting that he is the chairman?

    Well, his insistence is laughable. I only recognize him as my former chairman. Doguwa was the APC chairman in Kano. As far as the party is concerned, Doguwa is no longer the chairman now. I am very sure he knows he is not the chairman. He is only acting out a script by his godfathers and I don’t think he has engaged in a good venture. I have never seen him in any of our gathering, posing as the chairman of the APC in Kano. So, I don’t take this very issue of Doguwa being the chairman serious, because it is not even an issue. However, he can say whatever he wants say, because this is democracy. But, everyone knows he is not the chairman.

    What advice do you have for Doguwa?

    As a former party chairman, Doguwa is supposed to be loyal to the party; I mean 100 per cent loyalty.

    Are there moves for reconciling aggrieved members of the party?

    Of course, yes. As a responsible Exco, we have started moves to reconcile those who feel aggrieved. I have constituted a reconciliation committee about a month ago. They are still working and we are waiting for the report of the committee. After the report, we will chart the way forward. We will not relent in our effort to reconcile the aggrieved members.