For peace and development in the North East

I was in Gombe to attend a two-day stakeholders dialogue put together by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and support from the Government of Norway. The dialogue was on Peace and Development in the North East of Nigeria and had broad aims that […]

I was in Gombe to attend a two-day stakeholders dialogue put together by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and support from the Government of Norway. The dialogue was on Peace and Development in the North East of Nigeria and had broad aims that were geared towards finding lasting solutions to unrest, and the best ways of ending the insurgency, restoring law and order and sustaining peace and development. Former Head of State of Nigeria, General Yakubu Gowon chaired dialogue.  
In attendance were the Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo; the Acting Governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Garba Umar, Minister of the Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, who presented the Keynote Address, and the representative of the Minister for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Ibra-him Abdullahi. There were also representatives of the Service Chiefs (Defence, Army and Navy) and the DSS. The Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Dr. Ade Abolurin, Office of the National Security Adviser, the DG NOA and the Police participated; His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto represented by the Emir of Bauchi, Alh (Dr.) Rilwan Suleiman Adamu; representative of HRH the Shehu of Borno; and the rep-resentative of the Emir of Gombe.
There were representa-tives from Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, the three states under emergency rule as well as Bauchi State in the North East.  There were also representatives from the academia, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), CBOs, FBOs, NGOs, the mass media, women and youth groups. In all, there were over 200 participants at the dialogue. Hearts were emptied of contents.
Given this high level participation of government functionaries, and the fact that participants cut across society strata and were drawn from the affected area, it will be a surprise if the approach of Government towards tackling the country’s security challenges does not change to the benefit of the country.
The dialogue registered a perception that there is lack of sincerity of purpose of political office holders in the effort to restore peace and development in the North East and underlined this by the apparent failure of policies and strategies so far adopted in countering the insurgency. As I write this note, reports indicate that the insurgency has shifted significantly from its custom guerrilla tactics and is now engaging Federal Special Forces in conventional war, and taking territory as far flung from one another as Madagali in Adamawa State, and Bama in Borno State.
The dialogue drew atten-tion to a perceived mistrust and lack of confidence among security agencies and between the security agencies and the civilian population and even in the dialogue, speakers from military and paramilitary so agreed. It was noted loudly that no impression should be formed that the insurgency in the North East region would affect only the region as its far reaching impact such as population movement, reduced production of food, wider commerce and other economic losses would ensure that other parts of Nigeria were also affected equally adversely.
The reported issues of human rights abuses including extra-judicial killings, dragnet arrests, excessive use of force, disregard of the rules of engagement which do not help in the expeditious containment of the insurgency, occupied the discussions at the dialogue, just as did, the import of the country’s high level corruption, proportionate lack of accountability, extortion, and insufficiently managed check points, porous borders, et al and were underlined as militating factors.
The dialogue noted the collapsing perception of Boko Haram as a religious phenomenon given the indiscriminate visitation of communities with wanton terror, but urged that the introduction of inter-faith dialogue and urgent attention to the collapse of societal core values as they affect our political and social life were dire necessary steps.
In the end, the dialo-gue registered some recommen-dations that included a call for stronger sense of zeal and commitment in the fight against the insurgency in parts of the North East; a reassessment of the strategies being deployed to bring to an end, the insurgency involving the use of dialogue, military tactics and community participation; a more improved inter-service cooperation, better coordination and confidence building between the security services and the affected communities. Local communities, it was emphasized, could play signi-ficant roles in reinvigorating the war against the insurgency.
In all the recommendations, fundamental was the one that urged the Governments at all levels, to with all sincerity, intensify beyond mere lip service, the efforts to tackle corruption, strengthen accountability mechanisms and systems and further enhance security along Nigeria’s borders, all aimed at achieving counter narratives against the dangerous ideology of Boko Haram. Relative to the human element, political office holders, it was emphasised, must demonstrate selflessness, patriotism and statesmanship above narrow partisan considerations.
The dialogue concluded on a need for good governance (accountability, justice, equity, fairness and inclusiveness); a blueprint for the socio-economic development and reconstruction; addressing the issues of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees; addressing issues of women, children and vulnerable groups with urgency; empowerment and job creation for the youth.
Expectedly, General Yakubu Gowon, Chairman of the Stakeholders Dialogue, was asked fervently to accept to lead the dialogue between the Federal Government, State Governments in the North East, and other stakeholders in the insurgency situation of the North East, with a view to attaining sustainable peace and development.