PDP chieftain asks Gov. El-Rufai to reinstate district heads to attain peace in Kaduna
Ja'afaru Sa'ad, on Monday urged Gov. Nasir El-Rufa'i to reinstate the
more than 4,000 districts and ward heads recently sacked in order to
restore peace in the state.
Speaking with newsmen in Kaduna on the recent mayhem in Kasuwan
Magani, he observed that traditional rulers are key instruments in
conflict resolution at local level, as such their sack by the governor
has created a huge vacuum in the security architecture of the state.
"Our traditional leaders are closer to the people than the government,
and the structure of the traditional system made it possible for
disagreement to be resolved even at ward head's level," he said.
Sa' ad expressed the belief that the reinstatement of the sacked
traditional rulers would help in averting crisis and attendant loss of
lives and properties as witnessed in Kasuwan Magani.
The PDP chieftain, who is also a governorship aspirant under the
party, urged the National Orientation Agency, NOA, and other relevant
state organs to intensify campaigns on peaceful coexistence among
communities in the country.
He said that the Kasuwan Magani crisis, which led to huge human and
material losses, was a clear indication that much needed to be done to
reorient the psyche of Nigerians against any form of tribal or
religious violence.
According to him, NOA and other relevant state organs must step up
efforts to promote tolerance and mutual respect for religious,
traditional beliefs and values in the country.
"We are in a democratic system that guarantees freedom of religious
practices and other fundamental human rights, as such, people needs to
know their rights and how not to infringe on other persons rights.
"It is not healthy that we are still divided along religious lines,
which push us to fight each other at the slightest provocation. This
is not helping us as a nation and as a people.
"We must intensify awareness campaign on virtues such as forgiveness,
tolerance and love, and learn to embrace dialogue whenever there is
disagreement," he explained.
Sa'ad also called for the creation of inter-religious forum at the
community level to discuss issues affecting unity and conflict
resolution.
He stressed that only dialogue would prevent physical lashes because
of disagreements, adding that the absence of a forum for dialogue
makes many multi-religious and multi-ethnic communities in the state
vulnerable to conflicts.
"Traditional, religious and youths leaders could meet from time to
time to discuss and agree on matters affecting their mutual interests
and forestall conflict.
"This is because conflict of whatever nature, usually takes religious
dimension in this country with unimaginable consequences," he noted.
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