A former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai, Rtd, on Tuesday, charged Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, to take proactive measures towards ensuring that the persistent crises in the southern part of the state are resolve during his tenure.
The former CDS, who acknowledged that the crises in the southern Kaduna predated his administration, General Agwai noted it is possible that God would want to use governor El-Rufai to end the crisis.
He observed that the government needed to do more in its primary responsibility of protecting lives and property in the state.
General Agwai, who spoke at a Peace Summit organized by “Friends of Southern Kaduna” in collaboration with Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission held in Kafanchan on Tuesday, said Governor El-Rufai might be the one God has decided to use to end the crisis in the area.
Represented by Mr Ishaya Dare Akau, General Agwai said the crisis in Southern Kaduna is an old one and enjoined governor El-Rufai, “Why doesn’t he take a chance and write his name in history so that what many people have failed to do by the grace of God he could do it?”
The peace summit with its theme: “De-escalating violence in Southern Kaduna”, the Executive Secretary, NCPC, Rev. Yakubu Pam, while declaring the summit open, said that the commission views the programme necessary in order to provide a platform for the warring groups to dialogue to attain a common goal of realizing peace and understanding.
He noted that anytime he hears of killings, banditry anywhere in the world, it brings him vision of catastrophy, pains, trauma and agony that God’s creation are subjected to.
He explained that the mission of the peace summit was to facilitate a peace process through dialogue and negotiations as well as enhancing participation and cooperation among all stakeholders.
He observed, “This is intended to bring out those critical salient differences that you believe are the root causes of this conflict and for you to proffer means of resolving them.”
Rev. Pam noted that by the positions the participants occupy in their various communities, they have capacity to influence decisions among their subjects and others.
Also speaking, the Executive-Secretary of TETFUND, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, enjoined participants to be frank in their submissions as only then could a solution be found.
Bogoro, a Security and Conflict consultant, advocated for more Federal and State presence in Southern Kaduna.
