At the eve of this year’s Ramadan, precisely on July 19, President Goodluck Jonathan lifted the emergency rule he imposed on 15 local councils across four states namely, Borno, Niger, Plateau and Yobe.? ACHOR ABIMAJE, Jos, ABU NMODU, Minna and UCHE F. UCHE, Damaturu report that residents of the councils concerned have since heaved a sigh of relief, even as they queried the worth of the December 31, 2011presidential fiat:
Plateau: Residents of Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Jos North and Jos South local councils in Plateau state have continued to enjoy the respite that came their way following the end of emergency rule. However, workers in the four councils have entered a fresh phase of crisis by joining their colleagues in the rest 13 local councils on a strike to press home their demand for the payment of the N18, 000 minimum wage.
LEADERSHIP WEEKEND called at the Jos North and Jos South councils in the state capital but met their secretariats’ gates firmly under lock and key with only security personnel at the entrances.
A security man at one of the councils said: “As you can see yourself nobody is inside. For the past three months, the workers here have been on strike.”
Speaking on the emergency rule, Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Plateau North: Senatorial District, Rev. David Bamidele, said: “It has achieved nothing. It only put sour taste in the mouths of the people, not only the residents of the four councils but the state as a whole. I said this because it has brought untold hardship on the state in its entirety”.
Bamidele lamented that the salaries of the affected council workers were suspended during the emergency rule, with dire consequences. According to the cleric, “some of the workers’ children dropped out of school and marriages hit the rock as fathers and husbands could not meet their obligations to their families. Some of the workers even became beggars because of the non-payment of their salaries throughout the emergency rule.”
He submitted: “As far as I’m concern it has not solve the problem. Instead, it brought retrogression to Nigeria. It was an unpopular decision by the President and his administration. It is a setback to Plateau in particular and I know that many people today and in the future will count the decision against the President and his administration”.
Also, Director of a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Centre for the Advocacy of Justice and Rights, Peter Gad, aligned with Bamidele on the effectiveness of the emergency rule.
Gad said: “The situation has not improved. Rather, we’ve witnessed more killings and lawlessness even during the state of emergency. Many of us have even questioned the rationale behind the declaration of a state of emergency when nothing extraordinary was done to protect lives and property. I think it is a good development that the federal government, in its wisdom, saw the need to lift it.
“The lesson for all of us is that we must look for alternative means of solving the crises on the Plateau and other parts of Nigeria, rather than military approach and declaration of state of emergency, because clearly they’ve not solve the problem and they may not solve the problems. It is good that it has been lifted and we hope that we will not see another state of emergency in Plateau again.”
The Plate State government also faulted the emergency rule decision through the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Yiljap Abraham.
Yiljap said: “No matter how well intentioned, it did not bring the expected result. There is a difference between a good intention and a good action behind the good intention. Mr. President has clearly seen it now that it didn’t bring the expected result. Instead, more people were killed, harassed and people became despondent. We are glad that he has taken it off; it’s a big relief.”
The commissioner added: “We have to also understand that Mr. President had good intention for security lives and property all over the nation, but good intentions don’t necessarily lead us to good actions or good results. So at the end of the day, Mr. President has seen it very clearly that the declaration did not bring the expected result. We know that we have to work harder now to ensure the security of our people”.
Yiljap stressed: “In the first place, Plateau State should not have been included in that declaration because at the time it was included, these parts of Plateau State had relative peace and we were building up on that.”
But the commissioner assured that the state government would continue to work with the Special Task Force (STF) to keep the precarious peace in Plateau state.
He also said the populace would be enlightened on the need to be more vigilant and security conscious.
In the same vein, Chairman, Management Committee, Barkin Ladi Local Council, Emmanuel Loman, told LEADERSHIP-WEEKEND that the declaration of emergency in the four councils did not achieve much.
According to him, “we witnessed more attacks and killings during the imposition of state of emergency and it only worsened the suffering of the people.”
Loman also lamented the failure to pay the council workers during the period following the suspension of statutory allocations to the councils, saying this exposed many families to avoidable hardships.
Lastly, he condemned alleged harassment by the STF personnel during the period.
Similarly, National President, Middle Belt Youth Forum, Pius Attah, alleged that the emergency rule only aided well executed genocide in the areas, thereby creating more problems that it solved.
And, former vice chairman, Jos North Local Government, Sani Mudi, told LEADERSHIP WEEKEND that lifting the emergency rule in the four councils came as a big relief to residents, stressing that it did not yield the desire result of stopping the killings and destruction of property in the state.
Borno
Residents of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) Gamboru Ngala, Banki Bama, Biu and Jere local councils could not hold back their joy over the suspension of the emergency rule.
Many said the suspension liberated from alleged “military bondage” the emergency rule foisted on the areas, even as they faulted its effectiveness in stopping terror attacks.
“We thank Allah for the suspension of this state of emergency because we did not see the impact at all. Instead, it has compounded the issue. Even when the state of emergency was in force, it did not stop the Boko Haram men from unleashing terror almost on daily basis here in MMC and other local governments where the emergency rule was imposed. Honestly, the soldiers’ presence had made the lives of our people more miserable,” an MMC resident who pleaded anonymity said.
Also, a council employee, Mallam Mohammed Musa, said:? “The suspension of the emergency rule in some of our local governments will bring succour to our people because the affected local government areas will henceforth get their monthly subvention from the Federal Government as when due.”
Meanwhile, on the same day the emergency rule was called off, the Borno state government also relaxed a curfew it imposed on parts of Maiduguri some months earlier.
Governor Kashim Shettima welcomed the suspension of the emergency rule and implored Borno residents to co-operate with security operatives in the state to tackle current security challenges.
The governor expressed optimism that peace would return to Borno in no time.
However, despite the lifting of the emergency rule, nothing has really changed in terms security arrangements in Maiduguri and its environs. Soldiers are still everywhere in the town. The only difference is that some of the roadblocks mounted by the Joint Task Force (JTF) have been dismantled. The JTF personnel have also stopped molesting and intimidating people as was allegedly the case during the emergency rule.
However, many residents commended the JTF, saying it would have been impossible for them, especially non-natives, to stay on in the state without the security personnel’s presence.
Mr William Tunde, a Senior Lecturer in one of the higher institutions in the state, said: “It is not easy to live here in Borno comfortably? without the presence of soldiers.”
Niger
While some residents said alleged bullying and harassment from the soldiers had reduced since the emergency rule was lifted, the situation in Suleja, Niger state has not changed much, as residents, especially commercial motorcycle riders, are still being made to push their motorcycles at checkpoints manned by armed soldiers.
However, the nightlife effectively killed off by the emergency rule is gradually coming back to life in Suleja as the 7am to 8pm curfew has been lifted.
Most of the outlawed pubs where social life has been in the doldrums are back in business and residents who fled the town out of fear are also returning. Vices like prostitution have also picked up as ladies of easy virtues return to the streets and whorehouses.
LEADERSHIP WEEKEND observed that though the checkpoint at Kwata has been dismantled, the ones at Maddalla, field base junction, second gate, General Hospital and Zuma rock are still there.
But a Suleja resident, Sule Mohammadu, said: “Though soldiers are still around, the stringent measures taken during the emergency rule have been relaxed a little, but I don’t think we can get over the emergency rule easily like that”.
Unlike Plateau state, no major security breach was recorded in Suleja during the emergency rule, as residents have become more security conscious.
Spokesman, Suleja local government, Jibril Bissalla, was optimistic that the area would soon hit its former full swing as the commercial nerve centre of Niger state.
He added that the people were relieved by the lifting of emergency rule.
Also, Mallam Habibu Mohammad Bako, chairman, Society for Peace Studies and Practice, Niger state Council stated that “from all indications, peace has returned to Suleja.”
However, Bako advised that “no step should be taken to jeopardise the prevailing peace,” stressing that “this is the responsibility of all residents.”
He said the continued presence of soldiers after the emergency rule was normal “in order to consolidate on the existing peace. If they leave immediately, those who breached security in the past could come back. It should be taken that we appreciate peace.”
Bako also posited that “the work for peace should not be left in the hands of uniform men alone. It is the responsibility of all, civilians inclusive.”
Yobe
Chairman, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Yobe State, Ahmed Dawayo, faulted the efficacy of emergency rule imposed on Damaturu, Geidam Potiskum, Buniyadi-Gujba and Gasua-Bade in the state.
His words:? “Emergency rule did not improve the security situation in the state. Look at the bombings, the killings and shootings going on. In what way could one ever say that emergency rule achieved anything here in Yobe state? In my view, emergency rule even worsened the situation because the rate of killings and bombings has increased more than before the deployment of soldiers to the state.
Similarly, a worker, Bitrus Saleh, said: “I did not see any improvement when the emergency rule was in place. The checkpoints made it harder for me to get to work in time. I always got to work late because of the checkpoints. Sometimes I left my house by 6.30am so that I would not be late for work but I still got there late because of the checkpoints.
“So, to me the emergency rule did not make things better but worse. Even today, the gunmen are still here fighting and killing both civilians and the security men themselves. Is that a sign of improvement? No. You can see the number of people who left Yobe state even during the emergency rule. Business is not going on as before.
But Pedro, Executive Director, Green Environmental Support and Development Initiative (GESDI) an NGO in Damaturu, said the emergency rule helped the security situation in no small measure.
He said: “I see the emergency rule as having had a positive impact on the security situation in the state because the presence of military men in the state, especially in Damaturu, curtailed the prevalence of crimes which people ascribe to Boko Haram. If not for these security men, some people will not even sleep in their houses.
“So it impacted well on the people and even the economy of the state. For example, at the Damaturu Sunday market, soldiers are always there to protect the people and traders feel free to transact business. If the security men, the soldiers especially, are not there, how many traders will dare come to the market? And the market is one of the sources of internal revenue for the local government and the state. So I believe that the emergency rule impacted well and achieved its purpose. It is better than not having it.”
?
?
WebRep
?
currentVote
?
?
noRating
noWeight
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?