Katsina: What’s peace got to do with it?

This has been so even long before the creation of the state from the old Kaduna State in 1987. To date, it is still one of the states in Nigeria, where relative peace reigns. This is borne out of the early realization among the people that no development can take place in any society in […]

This has been so even long before the creation of the state from the old Kaduna State in 1987. To date, it is still one of the states in Nigeria, where relative peace reigns. This is borne out of the early realization among the people that no development can take place in any society in an atmosphere of chaos and rancour.
 Peace can come through various avenues, but all these must flow directly from good leadership, which provides every citizen with a sense of belonging, and in return the governed will certainly reciprocate the gesture by way of supporting those at the helm of affairs to succeed in their onerous task. The citizens will be law abiding and not do anything that could jeopardize the peace enjoyed by all in the interest of the community they all live in.
Successive governments in the state, whether military or civilian, had done a lot in laying a solid foundation in this regard, by being alive to their responsibilities. Katsina being one of the early provinces to have contact with western education is certainly a home of fairly educated citizens who, more than ever before, know the significance of peaceful coexistence.
You may not like the person of Ibrahim Shehu Shema, the governor of Katsina State. In fact some might consider him vain or even feel put down by his conduct.  But you cannot deny his administration’s determination to ensure that the legacy of peace that he met when he took office is maintained and built upon in all parts of the state. Even Shema’s staunch critics attest that the current peace being enjoyed in Katsina is a big credit to the administration.
Of course Shema was able to accomplish that when he took a cue from his predecessor Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua whose noticeable achievements as Katsina governor between 1999 and 2007 tremendously made the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to pick him as its candidate for the 2007 presidential election, which he eventually won. There are also educational, vocational and other social development projects that kept the youths and unemployed engaged and out of mischief.   
The legion of unemployed youths that had been a problem is now a thing of the past because workable strategies aimed at making all youths from the state useful to the society have been evolved. Some are being employed in the services of government while others trained in various trades and skills acquisition are now gainfully self employed. This is in addition to the provision of funds and other essential tools to all those who acquired the needed training for self employment. This is basically because of the governor’s belief in the popular adage that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
It has been established that most crises take place as a result of unemployment, poverty, illiteracy and poor leadership. Neutralising factors that give rise to such crises has been the aim of the government, and with persistent and faithful implementation, that commitment has paid off very well. Various poverty alleviation programmes were established all over the state; many new schools have also been established with several blocks of classrooms constructed all in an attempt to improve education in the state.
Only recently, the governor approved a certain amount of money depending on one’s grade level for workers to acquire rams for sacrifice during the last eid el kabir festival. He also approved 300 Saudi Riyals for each pilgrim from Katsina to this year’s hajj in Saudi Arabia to cushion the hardship they may likely face during the all-important religious exercise. And this is besides the subsidy approved in securing decent accommodation very close to the Holy Mosques in Mecca and Medina for all Katsina pilgrims.
One more thing worth mentioning that greatly contributes to the peaceful coexistence in all parts of the state is the good rapport the government has continued to maintain all these years with a number of opposition parties. Some members of the opposition even joined his government to contribute to the development of the state at the governor’s invitation. So no matter what resources are available are being doled out, it requires leadership to do the right thing and the right time in the right proportion. This is vital for peace and overall development of any community.  It is in this area that katsina has been lucky.

Rimi wrote from Rimi, Katsina State <[email protected]>;