The new executive of the Atyap Community Development Association (ACDA) in Zangon-Kataf local government area of Kaduna state has assured of their readiness to roll out strategies to ensure lasting peace, progress and development.
Newly inaugurated President of ACDA, Comrade Dr. Silas Adamu, gave the assurance after their inauguration at the Agwatyap’s palace on Wednesday January 13, 2020.
“As new executive members of the Atyap Community, we intend to roll out strategies, in conjunction with the peace committee set up by the palace, our brothers and sisters that we have been together for years including the Hausa and Fulani communities and other ethnic nationalities in our land alongside government agencies to find lasting peace in our land.
“We reject the impression that our land is a land that devours its inhabitants and shall work hard to reverse the trend to make it a land flowing with milk and honey,” he said.
The ACDA President noted with extreme joy the history making epoch to have witnessed the inauguration of the new executive committee of ACDA.
“Glory be to God first for making us to be found worthy of being reposed with so much confidence by our people.
“Realising the challenges posed by the insecurity in Atyapland, bedevilled by conflicts and crises, one would say we need the total orbit of God’s light to be able to weave through the complex situation we find ourselves in,” he said.
He however said they were glad that their paramount ruler, the Agwatyap 3, Sir Dominic Gambo Yahaya, in consultations with well meaning sons and daughters of Atyapland as well as the state government and other patriotic Nigerians has already shown them the way to go by taking the gauntlet of the search for peaceful coexistence amongst the belligerent groups in their land.
“We are going to tow this line by concentrating first and resolving to change this narrative of bloodletting and war to that of peaceful coexistence for development and progress of our people.
“Efforts at peace building have been difficult and will continue to pose very grave challenges because of internal contradictions placed by human blockade.
“In the first place, we as a people are finding it difficult to accept that the only solution to the carnage is to attune our minds to the search for peace, yet no one has come out with any meaningful alternative to to the peace efforts initiated by the palace some months ago.
“It is this effort that we are presently enjoying the litlle understanding we have at the moment. While commending all parties that have made themselves available as change agents for peaceful coexistence, especially the Agwatyap himself and other patriots of our land,” he said.
Dr. Adamu challenged those who are yet to appreciate the need for peaceful coexistence to queue hehind the efforts initiated by the palace.
He pointed out that another problem that is acting against quick return to peace was that the main belligerents, the primary parties in the conflict, have not been faithful to some of the terms of the peace summit held to broker peace in their land.
Dr. Adamu said some parties have not refrained from incitements and actual altercations which have put some doubts that the summit was a failure.
He said, “While we show extreme objections to these breaches leading to loss of lives through skirmishes occassioned by guerilla tactics, we hasten to call on all parties to sheathe their swords as conflict is an ill wind that blows no one any good.
“We hasten to note that another hindrance to the peace efforts is the dangerous aspect that these primary parties involved in the conflict are being controlled by secondary parties whose interest in the conflict is more sinister with economic and political undertones but standing aloof and pretending not to be part of the conflagration.
“This has further exacerbated the problem at peace building. With interests that are very different from the main belligerents but more sinister to our brotherliness, this almost intractable problem needs to be taken headlong by identifying these shadow parties to the conflict and in order to stem the killing and maiming of our people.”
ACDA President emphasized that they can no longer continue to pretend that the best form of leadership they can give to their people – Atyap, Hausa, Fulani and all is to continue to allow blood flowing in the land, “with deaths dotted here and there, houses and other property being burnt, while the sponsors of the conflict or merchants smile to the bank and feasting on the blood of our people.”
He was optimistic that total return of normalcy was achievable within a very short time if all hands are on deck in the search for peace.
“And this can actually be escalated first at our level of understanding of the problems that brought about the problem and get the conflict enterpreneurs out of our land for good.
“Accordingly, we call on all well-meaning sons and daughters of our land, Atyap, Hausa, Fulani and other nationalities both within Nigeria and the diaspora to support every effort at reconciling, rehabilitating and reconstructing our people and land for genuine peace,” he added.
“In the same vein, the Kaduna state Government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, has continued to give us tremendous support in the search for peace and very soon, our new executive shall further strong bonds of consultations in this regards for a quick return to peaceful relations amongst the ethnic groups who have lived peacefully for years and created good economic-political environment that led to the growth of so many flourishing individuals that have had their mark in the progress of our people and the state in general.
“We commend the efforts of the out-going Executives led by Professor Lucius Bamaiyi that has done so much to hold the thin threads of unity and peace together and we hope to tap from your wealth pf experience in moving our people to the promised land.
“The efforts of the security agents so far is very commendable towards maitaining law and order and we appeal to all our people to remain peaceful by eschewing violence.”
