The Director-General, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Dr. Joseph Golwa has been saddled with the task of researching into ingredients that promote peace just as it dissects those that breed conflict.
In this interview with EMMA OKEREH, he posits that Nigeria, contrary to what people are saying cannot disintegrate as? the forces that bind the country together are stronger than those that divide it.
Nigerians would like to know what Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution does.
The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolutions is a government agency that is a think- tank on policy issues that have to do with conflict management and peace building. The mandate is for us to look at those aspects that have to do with peace building and conflict management promotion within the context of the Nigerian environment as well as the African environment.? The philosophy behind it is appropriate because, just as we are much concerned with the issues of peace in Nigeria, we should also be concerned with issues of peace and stability within the countries that are surrounding us. So, we are both concerned with issues of peace and stability, issues of conflict management within the Nigerian context and Africa.
We like to dwell more on internal peace in Nigeria: Have you been able to analyse the crisis prone areas and the factors militating against them?
Crisis-prone areas we have had in Nigeria are quite many; the Niger Delta region had at one point in time been a very serious flash point; Jos- Plateau has been another serious flash point. We also had Bauchi, Tafawa Balewa crisis; the? Ezeillo-Ezea crisis, Ebonyi Umuleri-Aguleri crisis and several others in Niger.
In each of these, we have been very much involved by way of studying to understand the and advising appropriately.
In recent times, we have had a new dimension of crises; perpetrated by Boko-Haram and they had concentrated in the North-Eastern zone initially, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, then Abuja and Kano. It is really a new dimension because apart from the violence we had seen in other conflicts, this one is involving not only detonation of bombs but we are also seeing suicide bombers emerge. Government is living up to its responsibilities and address the issues and I want to believe that the way government is tackling it will help to get to the root of the crisis.
One area that the issue becomes more complicated is the nature of the facelessness of the group. Of course, people have been suggesting that government should go into dialogue? with them; but how do we dialogue with those who are not there? As an old African proverb goes,” you don’t shave somebody’s head when the head is not there- nor do you clap with one hand; you need to have the second hand to clap.” They are not there; government has clearly expressed its sincerity of purpose to address the issue. It makes them faceless and it makes it difficult for you to understand what they are after. It shows that they are just perpetrating violence and that cannot help us in any way.?
From your analysis of these flash points, do they have a common denominator or do their agitations vary from place to place?
The agitations vary. The Niger delta for instance is something that started recently; it has been there and is mainly to do with aspects of resource control. So, it is different from the one we have seen in Maiduguri, the Boko Haram. It is not an issue of resource control and they have not come out to tell anybody why are they actually carrying out these attacks.? Not more than what they would say anytime they attack a place, they would say it is for the purpose of Islamizing the country, religious initiatives. So it is very different from the resource -based conflict that we talked about in the Niger Delta. If you come to Tafawa Balewa, it was a different type of agitation; there, it was agitation for chiefdom and it has been there for some time. So, it is a different agitation all together.?
Before crisis blossoms fully, there is always an underground agitation which may be called early warning signals. Has there been any way government has tried to address the early warning signals.
I believe government has been able to do that with the different crisis we have experienced. We have a very serious problem in the sense that early warning works when you have a people that are willing to be part of the security system to make it work. In other words, there are people that are willing to divulge information so that government would be able to use the information and act proactively. That is why we say, for security to work effectively, it is not the police alone; it is not the SSS and other security agencies alone; but that every Nigerian is supposed to be responsible for the securing of his own environment by ways of alerting the authorities; but when you have people who are perpetrating violence overtly covered and shielded sometimes by the communities they dissolve into, then, you find it difficult to find that early warning signal work.
Like others have said, these people work, eat in homes, they live in the community, they are not operating as spirits; so, they are known by people that live with them. So, government would want to know who they are; but government cannot have that information except people are willing to. Government is very much prepared to give protection to anybody that gives out that information so that we can get to the root of it.
But so long as people shield those that are perpetrating crime and violence, it makes it difficult for the government to tackle the problem.
Government would now work based on the availability of information which security agencies are getting, but the agencies cannot be at every home and clan. The different security agencies have been soliciting for information from the public where they may not reach. If we learn to work together as a people and government is carrying out its responsibilities and the people are also conscious of the need for the security of their environment and at the same time, complimenting the effort of the government we would be able to move them, while the early warning signals would be able to work appropriately.
Do you share this position that Boko Haram is faceless and can’t be reached?
Well, from all indications, it appears they have sponsors; who are behind them and they forget that they cannot continue like that because nemesis would catch up with them and they would be exposed then government would be able to apprehend the sponsors.
They may think they are leading, but they would be made to face the wrath of the law.
Because, you can’t be sponsoring evil, hiding and thinking all is well. For whatever nefarious intentions they have against our country, Nigeria is the only country we have. For those who think they can destroy it for whatever reason, then Nigeria is bigger than that individual who is sponsoring violence against the state. Nigerians should continue to work for the progress of the country as one indivisible entity, always willing to compliment the effort of the government in divulging information so that the perpetrators and sponsors of violence would be apprehended and brought to book.
It is said that Nigeria is almost sliding to the level of disintegration; there are fears and threats everywhere. These fears, are they unfounded??
I don’t know who is telling you that Nigeria is sliding into disintegration. It cannot be. Nigeria is one and it remains one. No one can disintegrate it. Nigeria is bigger than an individual or any group of people.
What gives you this confidence?
The forces and the elements that bind us together are more that the elements that divide us. I believe that so long as we work on those positive elements that bind us together, then those who are wishing Nigeria to disintegrate would remain disappointed.