Thumbs up for Kano peace builders

Malam Mudi Danladi, who hails from Kumbotso Local Council of Kano State, has contributed immensely to the peaceful coexistence among the citizenry in Kano State.

As a member of the Community Partnership Peace Building Group (CPPG) charged with the responsibility of promoting peace in the local council, he recalled the way and manner he intervened in the resolution of conflicts between the natives and the management of an industrial outfit in Challawa.

But for his timely intervention, the conflict held the prospect of pitting the natives against the non-natives in the industrial layout, which used to be a flashpoint of ethno-religious crises in the Kano metropolis in recent years.

He noted: “I can remember, we had a town hall meeting in Zawachiki with 500 youths who complained that the industry was fond of recruiting non-indigenes anytime there are employment opportunities. In fact they even complain that even some of them who got the job were sacked for one flimsy reason or the other.

“So we formed a sub-committee at the end of the meeting to engage the industry owners to resolve the issue amicably and even address other issues revolving around the compensation of those that were sacked.

Thanks to Allah there is now peace as non of our youths who could have taken to smoking of Indian hemp and other criminal acts out of frustration are complaining again.”

Saying that he resolved series of other domestic squabble among couples and business partners in the area, he recalled an instance whereby he had to intimate officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) of the presence of Nigerien nationale residing in the area illegally.

Malam Hassan Mohammed who is the CPPG chairman of Doguwa council of kano state who spoke in the same vein related how his team saved lives and properties worth billions of naira by averting the occurrence of bloody clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the council which shares border with neighboring Plateau and Kaduna states.

He recalled how his team in liaison with the council chairman, district head, security operatives as well as the members of the farmers and pastoralist association and Miyetti -Allah in Doguwa resolved the spate of farmers /herders clashes by retracing pastoralist routes in Doguwa area council of kano state.

The duo were among the 30 member CPPG committee who recently recounted how they resolved conflicts non-violently during the public presentation of the project documentary on community partnership for peace building and stability in Kano State held at the Grand Central hotel. Kano.

The CPPG, established by the Justice, development and Peace /Caritas Advocates (JDPCA), in collaboration with Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN) and Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) in six select communities in Bichi, Doguwa and Kumbotso area councils of Kano State were charged with the responsibility of promoting peace in the communities through mediation and intervention in the resolution of conflicts within their domains.

The Community Peace Building: Security and Governance is specifically a component of the Nigerian stability and reconciliation programme (NSRP) for peace building and stability in kano state funded by the British council under the auspices of the department for international development (DFID).

The JDPCA’s Director , Mr Mark Asu-Obi who spoke at the occasion explained that the 30 member CPPG committee collaborated and worked closely with 21 project implementation committee (PIT) which comprises JDPCA, FOMWAN, JNI, women groups, the police , NSDC, Hisba, various vigilante groups, and local council officials to achieve the desired goal.

He further stated that no fewer than 16,208 were trained in the art of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) while the project which covered the three senatorial districts of Kano lasted between the second quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2017.

Saying that at least 3.7 million persons were now better informed than ever before on the need to keep the peace, he maintained that the project which covered a ratio of 45 percent female to 55 percent male was a huge success by all standards as far northern Nigeria was concerned.

Stakeholders who were visibly impressed with the successes recorded during the pilot stage of the project canvassed the need to consolidate the achievement recorded across the 44 councils of Kano State.

They were of the view that as they go about the task of building peace and preventing conflict, the idea of local ownership need to be well established in order for a sustainable peace to stand any chance. They stressed that those affected by — and involved in — conflict must own and identify with the responses and solutions to it with the support of the government.

Asu-Obi who expressed appreciation to stakeholders that facilitated the success of the project enjoined the authorities to facilitate the replication of the initiative to cover the entire 44 councils of Kano state.

An offcial of FOMWAN, Hajia Aisha Ahmad Alhassan also reinforced the view noting it was incumbent on those who have the wherewithal in Kano state to come to the rescue since over -reliance on international donor agencies to fund such project would not serve the interest of the people.

The Kano state police commissioner, Mr Rabiu Yusuf, represented by Assistant superintendent of police (ACP), Mr A.O Abimbola who underlined the need for collaboration among the citizenry to keep the peace in Kano State aligned himself to calls for the sustainability of the project across the 44 councils of kano state.

The Kano state Commissioner for Local Government, Alhaji Aminu Sule Garo who chaired the occasion also lauded the initiative noting it behooves on the citizenry in kano state to sustain the trend of collaborating with one another to ensure the peace and stability of Kano State.

Hajia Jumai Alhamdu while reviewing the documentary remarked that the JDPCA led by the Bishop of Kano Diocese, the Rt Revd Dr John Namaza Niyiring have left a footprints and legacy that the funding partners can see value for money well spent.