Bello Matawalle, Zamfara state governor, has called on his
northern colleagues to wake up and fight insecurity in the region.
The governor spoke on Sunday at the annual lecture of the
Arewa Media Writers Association in Kaduna.
Represented by his commissioner for information, Ibrahim
Dosara, Matawalle said unless the region takes decisive actions, the lingering
insecurity will consume the north-west and the country.
Matawalle also blamed the northern leaders for not being
united in combating the security challenges in the region.
“Unless we all wake up to the situation, the war against
banditry in the north-west will remain a challenge that has the potential to
swallow the region and the country at large. We need to get to the roots of the
situation and stop politicising it,” he said.
“Unless we all wake up to the situation, the war against
banditry in the north-west will remain a significant security challenge that
has the potential to swallow the region and the country. The destruction that
banditry is wreaking on the region’s people and economy is unfathomable.
“When I took over office on May 29th, 2019, Zamfara state
had already been mired in a serious security crisis for over a decade, marked
by banditry, livestock rustling, kidnapping and a host of other crimes.
“On almost daily basis, the state was in the news for
bloodletting, fire, pillage and significant displacement of people,
particularly those living in rural areas.
“The historical, economic, social and cultural ties between
the dominant communities of Fulani and Hausa were ruptured; farming activities
across the state were halted, and commercial activities were crippled.
“With poverty on the increase and food security seriously
affected by the crisis, the state was on the verge of a catastrophic social eruption
capable of destabilizing our communities and the northwest sub-region.
“Rural banditry in Zamfara and other parts of the north, in
my opinion, is a result of the progressive degradation of our moral standards
and a culture of greed fed by an unfettered need for material goods.
“It is evident, therefore, that we, the leaders, are
responsible for the plight of the north. The north lacks responsible leadership
to steer it through our time’s uncharted waters.
“Reluctance by the affected states to embrace peace
dialogue, which would have deprived the recalcitrant bandits currently
tormenting our people of safe corridors in the region.
“Our ruling elite has no vision for the region beyond
gaining political power. We have all seen how the elites in the south-east and
south-west respond in unison to all matters concerning their regions’
development. We have seen how they have a defined agenda and are relentless in
their pursuit of regional development.”
The governor added that the “reluctance by the affected
states to embrace peace, dialogue, lack of support from a section of
politicians” is slowing down peace efforts in the region.
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