The Anglican Archbishop of Kaduna Province and Bishop of Wusasa Diocese, Zaria, Most Rev’d. Ali Buba-Lamido, has endorsed the Fulani and Atyap peace agreement, describing it as big step towards peace and reconciliation in Atyap chiefdom and Zango Kataf lga.
Speaking in a statement signed by him, Lamido, said the resolutions of the peace meeting if truly implemented, will go a long way in resolving the conflict. He urged community leaders, clerics and youths to team up to achieve the resolutions, while calling for a network of think tanks and dialogues to enhance social and economic relations to promote welfare and prosperity of people in the area.
The statement reads: “The Peace Meeting between the Fulani and the Atyap people chaired by AVM Ishaya Aboi Shekari and Dr. Salim Musa Umar on 20/8/2020 was a big step towards peace and reconciliation in Atyap Chiefdom. The meeting which had in attendance security chiefs and the local government officials was a right step in the right direction.
“I have gone through the resolutions arrived at during the meeting. I believe if they aretruly implemented, they will go a long way in resolving the conflict. The communityleaders, the clerics and the youths must team up to see to the realization of these ideals.
“People should be made aware of how the effect of crises differentiate based uponethnicity and religion. We need a network of think tanks and dialogues to enhance socialand economic relations to promote welfare and prosperity of the people in the area.
“Without such mechanisms, community leaders will be tempted to abdicate theirresponsibilities, thereby allowing external forces to cause conflicts in the area. I was impressed by that giant move to restore peace in Atyap chiefdom.
“It is a fact that the way in which a society decides to deal with conflicts determines the extent to which long-term stability and reconciliation may be achieved. Intervention efforts should be made to prevent the recurrence of conflicts while repairing the damage caused. To achieve peace, there is nothing better than communication and personal contacts.
“Dialogue is a way of peace and needed for solving interpersonal tensions. Peace andprosperity certainly depend on increasing interaction with others and building bridgesacross divides. We also need to encourage an indispensable interdependency betweendifferent groups in the area. Where ethnic and religious antagonism lead to bloodshed is usually because politicians have inflamed passions to secure their own grip on power.
“We call on the Kaduna state government to support this move in every way possible.This could be achieved through enlightenment campaigns, infrastructural development in the area to make the people have a sense of belonging and bring to justice anybody that may cause mayhem in the area. This is a success story and we hope other communities will take cue from them. Development cannot take place if there is no peace.”