Only justice can build enduring peace in Nigeria, says Danjuma

The Chairman, Presidential Committee on the Northeast Initiative (PCNI), Lt-Gen. Theophilus Y. Danjuma (rtd), has stated that only justice can guarantee an enduring peace that would sustain democracy in the country.

Danjuma, who spoke yesterday in Yola at a two-day stakeholders pre-leadership summit on peace and development in the northeast, noted that the aim of the summit was to mobilise leaders at all levels in the area to brainstorm on how to build an enduring peace in the region.

The chairman, who was represented by his deputy, Alhaji Tijani Tumsa, said the summit was to remind the leaders of the importance to restored peace in the zone for development to take place, adding that peace cannot exist if there is lack of good governance, pointing out that a government that cannot give equal opportunities to its citizens would breed crises when those that are denied their rights use what they can afford to protest for their survivor.

According to him, justice to all is the pillar to build peace in any community, noting that leaders should create enabling environment for the promotion of social justice, with traditional, religious and community leaders as major components in peace building.

He called for the prosecution of those in the habit of using their positions to market crises for their political gains to serve as deterrent to others and reduce politically-induced crises in the country.

Vice Chancellor of Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH), Prof. Mohammed Kyari, said the destruction of the local government system by state governors was breeding crises in the country, adding: “Governors have captured local governments and turned them into their private companies. They select their houseboys and give them designations as chairmen, but they don’t see allocations for the councils.”

He said the only way to restore permanent peace in the country is to return to full democracy at the local government level by granting them autonomy to be run as third tier of government.

Kyari further noted that the use of security agents for political manipulation has worsen the security situation, pointing out that since security officers are becoming members of ruling political parties, the country is heading to calamity if the dangerous trend is not curtailed on time.
He noted that structural crises and the dearth of institutions that are supposed to build pillars of peace have left the country and must be tackled if peace is to return to the northeast and other parts of the country.