The sheer magnitude of the problems thrown up by the riots and the mass killings which followed the Presidential elections in Kaduna State will intimidate the bravest and most clear-headed leadership. Yet they have to be confronted and dealt with, because every day they live with us, they compound the difficulties in the search for short and long term solutions. These solutions will not be easy to find, given the complicated nature of the conflict, and in particular, given the fact that a solution in one area is quite likely to trigger a problem in another. This, unfortunately, is the lot of Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa and the Federal Government, who are expected by the millions of citizens of the State and other Nigerians to find solutions to these problems which have very deep roots and very sensitive dimensions. These moments are what leaders exist for: to find the courage and wisdom to lead the search for solutions and lasting peace in times of crises. Every citizen who means well for this country will pray that answers are found quickly to the many problems confronting governance and the citizens of Kaduna State.
The biggest casualty of the recent elections in Kaduna State is public security and peace in the State. The biggest challenge is therefore to win them back. In immediate terms, government must focus on reducing current levels of tension, and improving the standards of security of life and property. The State government may need to consider lifting the curfew, or substantially reducing it, if for no other reason, than to test whether there is indeed a security threat which the curfew is meant to eliminate. Security agencies now know flashpoints and other areas which are vulnerable to security breaches and failure; so security personnel could be deployed there. The point is that the curfew compounds the siege mentality among the population and reinforces the fear that there are still major threats to security waiting for the curfew to be lifted, to strike.
The government also needs to deploy all its resources, and in addition requires massive support from the Federal Government to address the problems of the refugees sheltering in many camps across the State. It is important that as many of them as possible are resettled or assisted to relocate from the refugee camps in the next few days. The continued existence of these camps is both a drain on government resources; as well as evidence that government is unable or incapable of dealing with the symptoms of underlying insecurity in the State. The people in these camps have suffered horrendous losses in lives of loved ones, or possessions. No amount of compassion or resources deployed to them will be wasted. Government needs to actively engage them, and the many communities into which they may relocate or locate back into, to settle them without delay.
The issue of detainees from the riots and the mass killings also needs to be addressed with some flexibility and firmness. It is safe to assume that there are hundreds of people, mostly young persons, being detained in police stations and military barracks awaiting trial. The stories of torture and death among these detainees, and the delays in arraigning them or taking other decisions on their fate is likely to gain them sympathies in many quarters. Already the clamor for some sort of general amnesty is gaining ground; and yet the same people demanding for pardon for young people who burnt down houses of people who belong to a particular political party may oppose the same treatment for those responsible for the mass killings in Zonkwa and other parts of the State. This is the danger in allowing narrow public opinion to pre-empt a firm and fair decision from government. Perhaps it might be useful if government considers releasing many of the detainees on bail to responsible citizens pending a decision on their fate. This way, it will limit the damage being done to its determination that people who kill or maim or destroy other people’s property must be made to answer for their actions. In any case, government needs to be sensitive to protecting the rights and privileges of all detainees, including their rights to be protected against torture and illegal detention.
There is also the very difficult decision on whether government intends to inquire into the immediate and remote causes of the riots and the mass killings and who did them or instigated them or participated in them. It will be difficult to see how government can avoid some sort of enquiry into how the riots were triggered, and who is responsible for the killings in Zonkwa, in Kafanchan, in Zaria and Kaduna, in Soba and many other parts of the State. With every new day, communities are likely to retreat into protecting their own in these shameful deeds; and hearts will harden. Yet many people will want to know who targeted their homes for destruction and why; who attacked and killed them in hundreds and why; and how an entire State can be caught up in a frenzy of killings and arson within twenty four hours. The magnitude of the conflict is such that it cannot be swept under the carpet. Yet either an administrative or judicial inquiry is likely to be swamped in the same source of the conflict: distrust and suspicion and a pervasive sense that no justice or fairness can come from the other side, and that the government always has an agenda against a particular community. In the next few days, the State and Federal government need to make public how they intend to handle the issue of finding answers which have been asked by many who lost lives and limbs, by the loss of hundreds of millions worth of destroyed property; by the thousands of refugees or displaced persons; and by the heightened levels of distrust and hate in the hearts and minds of ordinary citizens. Whatever decision the Governments arrive at, it must meet the most minimal standards of acceptability and transparency by all sections.
In the longer term, Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa must rise above partisanship divides and win the peace for the people of the State. It is obvious that the pattern of voting has reflected the very deep divide between the north and south of the State. He must be a statesman, not a politician, and resist the temptation to satisfy a section of the State which voted for him; or his partymen who worked for his victory. There are many PDP people who want their pound of flesh after a hard-fought battle against an opposition, and many days in hiding after they were chased out of their burning houses. There will also be many people from the southern part of the State who may want a government that will reward their support and loyalty for Governor Yakowa’s election; and who will make the case that the north does not deserve sympathy or support from the Governor. There are yet others who will be scared away from assisting by the intensity of the bitterness and rancour which is likely to characterize the jockeying for the attention of the government at this time. Whole sections of the State are likely to stay aloof, and thus reinforce the dangerous divide in which citizens presently live.
Governor Yakowa can win the trust and confidence of the bulk of the citizens if he does not allow the hawks to hijack his government. He should be a strong leader who should reach out to every citizen and community; who should build bridges across communities and heal wounds; who should be compassionate without being weak; and a leader who will be his own man, and not the product of a partisan divide.
The task of rebuilding the trust, peace and security which the citizens of Kaduna state and the government worked so hard to achieve in the last seven years will be made easier or more difficult by the manner Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa handles his new mandate in the next few days. He has many difficult decisions to make, and in spite of a lot of goodwill from many quarters, they will be his to make. Of all the decisions to make, the most important one which will help him to earn the trust and confidence of most of the citizens of the State is how he deals with the issues which have been thrown up by the post-election violence. To make it more difficult, he has no luxury of time to make some of the most difficult of these decisions. But he has to make them; and in making them, he will be sending a signal to the people of Kaduna State in terms of what type of Governor he is going to be.
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