The Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development (PAPSD) has urged governors of the North West geopolitical zone to accelerate the development of the zone through education, wealth creation and social amenities that will impact the lives of the people, and stop dissipating energy and resources in organising peace and security summits and conferences within and outside Nigeria as they are not the solution to the insecurity confronting the zone.
In a statement by the executive director, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, the group said the problems in the zone require political will and pragmatic actions, not empty rhetoric as obtainable in the past 12 years which has not changed the narrative.
It that it is on record that the North West geopolitical zone has the largest land mass and also 30% of the total population of Nigeria, saying the zone equally has the highest number of registered voters and produced three democratically elected presidents – Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and General Muhammadu Buhari, adding that it also produced three military heads of state – General Murtala Mohammed, General Muhammadu Buhari and General Sani Abacha.
It noted that from the First Republic North West zone has produced prominent citizens who have served in various capacities in the Federal Government, yet the region is grossly undeveloped and lags behind in education, saying the zone has the largest number of out of school children and the highest number of Almajiris, poorly equipped schools, hospitals, bad roads etc.
It observed that agriculture which is the mainstream of the region is neglected in spite of abundant, fruitful land mass, saying there is no political will to engage in large scale farming and that there is no commitment from state governors in the region to invest in commercial farming and livestock development.
“The region has abundant solid minerals including gold, copper, rhodium, gem stones, kaolin, berates and lithium. Sadly, there is no political will to develop these mineral resources since the discovery of oil.
“The recent North West summit on security of life and livelihoods was a welcome development if governors would be spurred to implement people-oriented projects, ensure the security and welfare of the people for rapid development of the zone. It is obvious that the UNDP and other development partners cannot solve the problem of insecurity in the region.
“The remote causes of insecurity in the zone include corruption, poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, poor governance, weak judicial system, weak security apparatus, porous borders, drug abuse, weak traditional institutions, influx of illegal Fulani aliens through land borders and proliferation of small and lighter arms and ammunition by unauthorised persons,” it said.
The group said it is amazed that governors in the region have been receiving monthly statutory allocations from the Federal Government since the inception of democratic governance in 1999, yet the region is underdeveloped, noting that the resources are carelessly misappropriated, misapplied and siphoned for personal enrichment.
“Illiteracy is one of the major causes of armed banditry and related crimes. Most of the bandits are uneducated both in western and Islamic education. Leaders in the zone failed to invest in education, in building primary and secondary schools, adult education and Almajiri schools. They left the children to roam about the streets begging, sadly many of them were recruited into armed banditry, terrorism and other social crimes. The existing schools are not renovated and equipped let alone building new schools. School teachers are not motivated and are underpaid. Many governors stopped paying NECO and WAEC fees and scholarships to local and international students. It is evident that the lack of political will by governors to develop the education sector in the region gave birth to the high rate of illiteracy in the zone,” it said.
It also observed that the influx of illegal Fulani aliens is another cause of insecurity in the North West, saying these alien Fulanis smuggle in arms and ammunition, encroach into farmlands by open grazing, destroy crops resulting to frequent herders – farmers clashes. “Unfortunately, most traditional rulers do not check the influx of these Fulani aliens in their communities to identify if they are criminals until it is too late,” it said.
It said state governors in the zone should proffer home-grown solutions involving traditional rulers, religious leaders, leaders of Fulani association and leaders of farmers association to engage in peace dialogue with bandits who are willing to lay down their arms unconditionally and be reintegrated into the society. “Social amenities should be provided in most of the Fulani settlements including ranches, grazing reserves, cattle routes, farm settlement, veterinary clinics, potable water, access roads, schools and cattle breeding loans,” it added.
It advised governors in the region to be proactive and create jobs for the youth to reduce unemployment and poverty, saying that there should be a death penalty for armed banditry and related offences duly passed by State Houses of Assembly in the region. It added that the judicial system should be overhauled for expeditious prosecution of suspects.
“Governors should constitute peace and security trust funds to support security operations in various states including Niger State in North Central which shares border with Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina and Kaduna States. The security trust funds should be used to purchase patrol vehicles, pay security allowances, fuel and maintain vehicles, procure communication gadgets etc.
“There should be total overhaul of security agents and operations in the borders. Modern security equipment should be provided including scanners, CCTV, surveillance drones, communication gadgets, operational vehicles and quarters in the border areas,” it said.
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