Permit me to express my opinion on the Zamfara state security matters, even though I’m not an indigene of the state, neither am I a security expert. Nevertheless, a fight to end insecurity is a fight for all, regardless of any difference.
It has been observed that the incumbent administration of Governor Bello Matawalle inherited insecurity problem from the immediate past administration of Governor A. A. Yari because the issue first arose during Yari’s first term precisely in 2012, and it lasted up to the end of his last term in office.
However, when Governor Matawalle came on board, he met the sector in a state of mess, because refugees were all over the state, people were being killed by bandits.
When Matawalle realised that things were going beyond control, and if care is not taken more peoole would be killed, he initiated a programme called “RUGA PROJECT.” The aims of the project was to bring to an end the lingering conflict between herdsmen and farmers, which is the genesis of the security issue.
Based on our perspective, the RUGA PROJECT will serve as a relief to the Fulani, because the project comprises their houses, market, schools and hospitals, among many more social amenities, as they are no longer interested in living in urban areas. The project took off immediately Matawalle assumed office.
Moreover, a year after the flag off of the project, Sheikh Gumi, an Islamic cleric, visited Zamfara state where he met with the bandits and some government’s officials. The purpose of the visit was to broker peace between the two parties. For, the bandits agreed to lay down their arms, but with the condition that the state government will grant them amnesty.We all agreed that security matters are beyond a state government’s control, because it doesn’t have any right to deploy security personnel, instead it can only lobby and seek federal government’s intervention.
If Governor Matawalle knows that the RUGA PROJECT will help to minimize some insecurity problems in the state, by now the programme would have been completed.Therefore, Matawalle should understand that the only possible way to end the insecurity in the state is to complete the project, so as to enable the herdsmen to have access to government’s facilities.
But if the problem is far beyond completion of RUGA PROJECT, then he has to voice out, may be some external security experts will intervene in the matter, since our domestic ones seem to have failed.Abubakar Muhammad Sani[email protected] 07036807559
