Hyacinth Alia of Benue has commended the Federal Government initiative of setting up community-based peace structures across the 23 local government areas to end perennial crises
By Onyeje Abutu-Joel
Gov. Hyacinth Alia of Benue has commended the Federal Government initiative of setting up community-based peace structures across the 23 local government areas to end perennial crises in the state.
Alia gave the commendation on Thursday during a workshop with the theme ‘Building Social Cohesion and Peace in Benue’, organised by the office of the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Community Engagement (North Central).
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Dr Sam Ode, thanked the FG for the engagement, describing it as a sound initiative.
He said his administration has also not rested on its oars to ensure that permanent peace is achieved in the state.
Alia noted that peace is sacrosanct to the development of any society, saying that it was the reason that his administration has tirelessly engaged with security agencies and ALGON to return peace to the people of Benue.
The governor promised to ensure that the FG’s peacebuilding structures cascade down to the villages, saying that the villagers would be sensitised on early detection of the danger of crises so that they could speak up.
He called on ALGON to ensure that the peace initiative of the FG is preached even in the hinterlands, saying that the burden of ensuring peace in the villages rested heavily on them.
Alia alleged that they knew the people causing insecurities in the state but would not call names.
“We know those causing insecurities in our state, but we are not here for name-calling but to find solutions to the problems,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the council of traditional rulers, the Ter Ukum, Chief Orkar Kave, expressed concern that people were still being killed on a daily basis.
Kave hoped that their meeting with the FG and setting up of community-based peace structures would yield different and better results.
The traditional ruler said that it has become normal for people to attend meetings on tackling insecurities but return home doing nothing.
“Our people are still dying, farmers cannot go to farms, women cannot go to the stream, and people just come for workshops on solving the problem of insecurities but go back home to their different businesses.
“Some people are even feeding on the crises, and that is why it’s not ending,” Kave alleged.
He, therefore, appealed to Tinubu to stop the people from killing Benue people, saying that he had the capacity as the chief security officer of the nation to do so.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was attended by traditional rulers, religious leaders, security agencies, women groups and civil society organisations, among others (NAN) (www.nannews.ng).