Crime & SecurityNational SecurityNewsTongue Lashing: Politicians, Retired Public Servants Behind Conflicts Across Nigeria

There are accusations and counter-accusation of those behind the various forms of conflict in Nigeria as the national president of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural organization, Alhaji Bello Bodejo, says desperate politicians were the brains behind ethnoreligious crises in the country.

However, Bakut Bakut, Director General Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has accused retired public servants of causing communal conflicts across Nigeria.

The duo made their positions in different fora.

Bodejo during the national Fulbe conference, hosted by his organization in Yola, Adamawa state on Monday, particularly accused some politics waging war and hatred against Fulani ethnic nationalities living in Benue State.

“Nigeria is facing serious challenges from desperate politicians. In some states in South-south and South-west, Fulani’s and their cows are being killed on daily basis but in those states you only hear shouts of Fulani Kidnappers.

“Enough is enough. We are asking other ethnic nationalities to henceforth stop the carnage against Fulani ethnic nationalities.

“I’m calling on northern governors to bring back our grazing reserves. They should not behave like governor of Benue State. The governor of Benue state has carried anti-grazing law and hatred against Fulani as a state policy.

“He has politicized a social crisis which by virtue of his position as a leader, should have used wisdom to resolve,” Bodejo said.

However, Bakut Bakut, Director General Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) while delivering a speech at a stakeholders’ meeting Abuja on Tuesday accused retired public servants of causing communal conflicts across Nigeria.

Bakut said the claim was based on the institute’s findings, noted that the workplace peace initiative was informed by the need to minimize the increasing labour-related conflicts that negatively impact workers’ productivity, morale, and economic development.

“Sadly, a thorough observation of the list of conflict stakeholders across Nigeria has revealed that a sizeable number of our retired civil personnel are the forces behind some difficult and perennial conflicts in communities across Nigeria.

“Our country is burdened by debilitating issues of conflicts in the six geo-political zones, ranging from herders-farmers conflicts to ethnoreligious violence and terrorism, which have led to the death of very resourceful Nigerians.

“It has also been observed that most sectors of our national life, including the work communities (public and private) are suffering from one form of conflict or the other caused by a sharp decline in the culture of peace in our communities and organizations.”

Bakut stressed that the lack of a peaceful work relationship between government and trade unions and professional trade unions had resulted in consistent frictions, loss of revenue, brain drain, and capital flight.

“Intra- and inter-professional trade union wrangling had become pronounced in the health sector, culminating in unending disagreements among trade unions, managements of institutions, and individual workers.

“Most of the industrial conflicts that led to colossal economic waste in Nigeria started as minor workplace conflicts, owing largely to the fact that their regulatory documents did not formally mainstream peace into their operations.

“As a result, development programmes, such as infrastructural designs and constructions, city and road expansion, relocation and resettlement programmes and the likes, rather instigated more conflicts than they would have naturally happened”, Bakut added.