Kaduna Land Recovery: Good Intention, Wrong Approach - Workshop Participants
Kaduna Land Recovery: Good Intention, Wrong Approach - Workshop Participants
By Alex Uangbaoje
Participants at the “Capacity Development training workshop on Peace Building and Establishment of Early Warning signs of conflict” has said the land recovery gesture and demolition embarked on by the El-Rufai government is well deserved, but the approach was wrong.
The participants after an exhaustive education and deliberation agreed and established, that the motive behind the recovering of government properties illegally acquired by individuals in the State was a gesture well deserved, but that government should have followed the process before the demolition.
They identified the ongoing demolition exercise in the Kaduna State as an early warning signs of conflict.
Organized and supported by Alfacare Organization and Nigeria Stability and Reconciliatory Programme (NSRP), the two days training workshop noted that notice for demolition was so short and could lead to untold hardship, internally displaced persons, unemployment and crises.
While they blame those affected persons for acquiring lands originally earmarked for government Schools and Hospitals, they said government would have temper justice with mercy by providing alternative and compensations especially for those with legal documents for the lands, among other suggestions made.
In an interview, the workshop organizer Alhaji Hassan Abubakar said the essence of the capacity development training workshop was to equipped participants with basic knowledge of early warning signs of conflict in other to ensure response that nip it at bud and to avoid escalation of disagreements that would lead the State to chaotic situation.
He said internationally, the world is shifting toward signs rather than conflict management having realised the cost implications.
Explaining further on what informed frequently organised training on peace, the coordinator said “The world has now realised that conflict management is very expensive”.
“A situation whereby violence has taken place, destructions have happen, lives have been lost, then your managing the situation, instead of preventing it is untenable”.
He noted that crises prevention is otherwise cheaper compare to management situation when people would be counting lives and properties that have already been lost.
The workshop outcome, according to him, intends to form a network of people trained from various communities to help identify early warning signs and report to the appropriate authority for quit responses.
Also speaking, representative of NSRP Hanatu Essein said their NGO worked and support any programme that help Nigerians to manage violence in non-violent manner because lesions learnt from the insecurity in the country shows that loves, lives and economy have been lost.
She said “NSRP is currently working in 8 States with high incidence of violence in Nigeria.”
Traditional rulers at the workshop expressed happiness for been part of the training and pledged to put the knowledge acquired into better use for the benefit of the State.
The participants who were drawn from Badiko and Mekera community in Kaduna South Local government area of the State, were made up of traditional rulers, district heads, clergymen, NOA, SEMA, NGOs, women and youth leaders.
