Southern Kaduna and ‘self-destruct’ syndrome
Even without the ongoing crisis in the area which frequently turns bloody, Southern Kaduna would still have been in the news most of the times. The topography and the demography of the area as well as the differing and, in some cases, conflicting cultural backgrounds, religious persuasions and political orientations of its resident communities are […]
Even without the ongoing crisis in the area which frequently turns bloody, Southern Kaduna would still have been in the news most of the times. The topography and the demography of the area as well as the differing and, in some cases, conflicting cultural backgrounds, religious persuasions and political orientations of its resident communities are elements that would have definitely made an interesting study to the same extent that they have new been turned into instruments of violence.
It is evident that the communities in Southern Kaduna have created a worst situation out of what would have ordinarily been the best or perfectly normal one. They have, through the sustenance of inter-ethnic and inter-religious conflicts, succeeded in creating a certain version of Southern Kaduna that is sharply different from the original.
What is even particularly frightening and unbelievable is the fact that many leaders and elders of the area as well as some concerned outsiders are now no more than story-tellers whose sole vocation is both the narration of the nice experiences of the past and the lamentation of the present circumstances. All their narratives indicate, on the one hand, an utmost cordiality that characterised past inter-relationships among the communities and, on the other hand, a deep hostility that continuously defines the present interactions among the members of the same communities.
In the course of their narrations, such leaders and elders repeatedly mention certain constraints which consistently weaken their tendency and/or capacity for intervention in the crisis. This reality reduces personalities who would otherwise have been competent mediators to mere spectators and helpless, if not hopeless or even useless, story-tellers.
In such a situation it is only the machinery of government and the instruments of relevant non-governmental organisations that are applied to either avert the occurrence of crises or manage them whenever they erupt. The non-availability of communal mechanism for the resolution of conflicts makes the multiple tasks of crisis prevention, mediation as well as the rehabilitation and re-integration of victims unbelievably enormous.
The insecurity in Southern Kaduna is one issue that is particularly challenging to Kaduna State government especially because of the combination of the resolve of some elements to sustain it and the incapacitation of most of the instruments of reconciliation. This clearly explains the renewed determination of the state government to get to the root of the problem with a view to finding lasting solution to it.
The current conflicts in Southern Kaduna are not different from the ones that preceded them. All the issues that are associated with the disagreements between the feuding communities which, most often, lead to violence have always been the same with the so-called natives, on the hand, claiming some superiority in terms of rights over certain natural endowments such as land and the settlers, on the other hand, alleging a ploy to exterminate them.
Whenever any violence happens, the two sides will begin to sing their familiar songs; all in an effort to win public sympathy. While the scenario prevails, the area continues to lose most of its well-cherished endowments.
Southern Kaduna, by the nature of the attitudes of some of its communities which are characterised by absolute hostility and outright violence, looks like it is afflicted by a self-destruct syndrome. Almost every single utterance and action of many key elements in the area smacks of ethnic jingoism and religious bigotry which are major tools of violence.
The most recent conflicts which resulted in the imposition of curfew in Zangon Kataf, Jema’a and Kaura local government areas are a testimony to the fact that negative sentiments have already constituted a major influence on the sponsors, planners and perpetrators of violence in Southern Kaduna. The champions of such sentiments are evidently blind to the historical facts and socio-economic realities which, in the normal circumstances, should guide and regulate the communal inter-relationships in the area.
As just an inheritor of the problems in Southern Kaduna, the present state government under Governor Nasiru Ahmed el-Rufa’i has so far vigorously embarked on the exploration of all possibilities for the return of peace and security in the area. It has, by adopting effective measures towards the resolution of the feud, gone beyond lip-service that in the past largely characterised the basic attitudes of some of the previous governments.
The determination of el-Rufa’i administration in this regard came out early in the day when shortly after its inauguration it set up a committee on proliferation of small arms under Lieutenant General Martins Luther Agwai (Retired). This particular approach is an improvement on the earlier ones which were merely about investigations that never led to anywhere and reconciliation that never resulted in the return of cordiality among the communities.
Both the personality of Agwai and the manner in which the committee carried out the assignment rapidly created huge confidence that the State government means business. The confidence is even continuously being re-enforced by the steps being taken by the state government to implement the recommendations of the committee.
Moreover, Governor el-Rufa’i, on two occasions, moved the meeting of the state security council to Southern Kaduna which was the first such initiative in the history of the state. Although it somehow resembled Northern States Governors’ forum’s strategy which once shifted its meeting from Kaduna to Plateau state capital, Jos, when the state was boiling, this particular one by el-Rufa’i appears to be an unrivalled expression of sincere intention to make the clearest of differences.
Kaduna State government is effectively utilising every instrument at its disposal to make peace and security real phenomena in the state. Apart from the Operation Yaki which is a security maintenance outfit and which is easily getting all the necessary incentives for work, the state administration has also set up the Kaduna State Vigilance Service.
The new agency, as the name implies, is meant to ensure the conduct of vigilance within and among communities all in a bid to identify sources of conflicts and agents of crimes. The activities of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service will definitely serve as re-enforcement to the operations of conventional security and law enforcements agencies.
One other encouraging step is the increased engagement of the relevant groups and individuals in the search for peace in Southern Kaduna. The consequence of the effort is the creation of more avenues for consultation between the state government and all the stakeholders in the area.
Although some of the groups, rather than play the role of peace-makers, indulge in the manipulation of sentiments which further fuels the tension in Southern Kaduna, the state government has still succeeded in discovering more peace sources. This is an achievement that will, in the shortest possible time translate into better understanding of issues and the restoration of normalcy in the area.
On the whole, the Kaduna State Government has so far and in several ways demonstrated complete readiness to, simultaneously, deal with the high volatility in Southern Kaduna and drastically reduce the frightening vulnerability of its peoples to all the dangers that the on-going crisis represents. Enough steps which however need to be complemented by all the stakeholders are being taken by the state government to rid Southern Kaduna of avoidable crises whose crippling effects are simply unimaginable.
Gimi wrote this piece from Kaduna