El-Rufai assures all ethnic groups of equal rights in Kaduna

AS part of his government’s effort to ensure harmonious relationship among residents in Kaduna State, Governor Nasiru El-Rufai has assured the various ethnic groups of equal rights in the state.

The governor gave this assurance while receiving the report of General Martin Luther Agwai’s special committee on Southern Kaduna crisis at the Government House last week.

El-Rufai pointed out that every Nigerian living in the state now has equal rights just as the indigenes, saying, “We have abolished the settler/indigene dichotomy. We took the decision in order to ensure that every Nigerian living in the state will no longer feel like a stranger.”

While speaking on the report of the committee, El-Rufai explained that his administration was optimistic that the recommendations made would assist the government in ending the lingering crisis involving settlers and indigenes in the state.

“I am confident that this committee may be the final peace committee because I have absolute believe that what is contained in the report will bring peace in the state,” he stated.

Earlier, General Agwai traced the southern Kaduna crisis to the early 1970 when the first crisis broke out, noting that after this there was Kafachan crisis of 1987, Zangon Kataf in 1992, Sharia crisis of year 2000 and the post-presidential election disorder of 2011.

According to Agwai, “all the crises resulted to the lost of thousands of innocent lives, while property worth billions of naira were destroyed.”

He stated that pastoral grazing, land and border disputes, drug abuse as well as settler/indigene dichotomy as causes of crises in the state.

Agwai further disclosed that even though the people now want to live in peace with one another, “government has to do a lot to ensure that peace prevails.”

He, therefore, suggested the establishment of effective publicity media where government will be able to broadcast its policies and programmes, and the establishment of Peace and Reconciliation Commission.