BY ANKELI EMMANUEL,Sokoto
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah and the Sultan of Sokoto have jointly identified improper understanding of religion and poverty as some of the remote causes of insecurity in the northern part of Nigeria.
The two respected religious leaders, who spoke at a high level town hall engagement organized by the Kukah Centre in collaboration with Global Rights, however proffered possible solutions to the lingering problem of insecurity.
Delivering a keynote address at the one-Day Peace and Security Summit that brought stakeholders from different walks of life, Bishop Kukah also listed injustice, fanatism as well as intolerance as some of the additional reasons for insecurity in not just the northern part but the entire country.
The clergyman, who insisted that the meeting became necessary looking at the spate of insecurity in the northwest region, added that the time has come for people to eschew sectionalism and focus on national integration.
“You know most of this problem at times is as a result of lack of proper understanding of our religion. When we are dealing with ourselves we should know we are dealing with Nigerians, not religion,” Kukah reiterated.
While urging the government to provide the desired funds for effective communication and dialogue that could guarantee peaceful coexistence, he also appealed for execution of people oriented projects, policies and programmes.
Registering his displeasure with the continuing insecurity in the Northwest region of Nigeria, Bishop Kukah called for all hands to be on deck as, according to him, insecurity affects adherents of all religions.
On his part, the Sultan of Sokoto, and President General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, represented by the District Head of Kilgore, Dr Jabbi Kilgore urged the government and the security agencies to intensify efforts on increased community involvement towards ending the lingering security challenges faced by Nigerians.
The Sultan also frownd at bad governance, poverty and inequality as another sustaining fuel for the insecurity confronting the country.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Executive Director of Global Rights NGO, Mr
Abiodun Baiyewu, said their mission was to promote peace and security in the North Western part of Nigeria.
The Sokoto State Commissioner of Police (CP) Ali Hayattu Kaigama, on his part,
called on all to support community policing as a means of keeping abreast with developments in every nook and cranny of the nation.
Kaigama, who was represented by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Ibrahim Adamu assured of their continued inter agency collaboration towards bringing to an end the insecurity in the region and beyond.
Looking at the history and the factors promoting insecurity in Nigeria, the Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, Professor Tukur Baba admonished government to wholistically look at the land use act, taxations and other global, regional, national approaches to dealing with the challenges.
Lending their voices to the discussion, both the Executive Secretary of Zaki’s GEM Foundation, and the Permanent Secretary, Sokoto State Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Dr Nafisa Zaki and Hajia A’isha Dantsoho, urged government at all levels to be concerned about girls and women education and welfare, adding that they are the mothers of the nation.
They further called for the promotion of gender equity, education and inclusive budgeting as some of the measures to guarantee the needed peace.
Sokoto State leader of community dialogue committee and District Head of Gagi, Alhaji Sani Umar-Jabbi, said religious misconceptions, gender based violence and other associated societal ills should equally be addressed.
