Catholic Bishops to El-Rufai: Southern Kaduna people feel abandoned
The Catholic Bishops of Kaduna Ecclesiastical Province have told Governor Nasir El-Rufai that the people of Southern Kaduna feel he has abandoned them amid the incessant killings in the region.
The bishops said they were saddened by the way and manner the insecurity in Southern Kaduna was being handled by the governor, saying in the face of the attacks, neither el-Rufai nor his deputy, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, had yet to visit the affected areas.
The bishops also decried the spate of killings in the north occasioned by the activities of bandits and Boko Haram terrorists and called on governors in the region to henceforth stop negotiations with criminals.
The bishops’ words were contained in a statement titled, ‘Dark clouds of violence over our land,’ issued at the end of their meeting during the week in Kafanchan, Kaduna State.
The statement was signed by the Secretary of the Ecclesiastical Province and the Bishop of Kano Diocese, John Niyiring.
The province comprises Kaduna, Kano, Kontagora Minna, Sokoto and Zaria dioceses of the Catholic Church.
According to the bishops, El-Rufai ought to show more empathy to the Southern Kaduna people over the attacks on their communities, urging him to “visit the scenes of the attacks and use the opportunity of condolences to scold as well as appeal to the hearts of his people.”
They said, “At times like this, a leader must seek support by adopting the twin track of diplomacy, using backroom channels and keeping an eye on restoring peace.
“Like the mother of twins, a leader, at times like these, must not be seen to be sleeping on one side! As with the Federal Government, we believe that the state government could do more in terms of showing empathy to the victims of these crises.
“The people of Southern Kaduna feel abandoned by their governor in their grief. We appreciate that these times test the will of any leader, but there is no substitute for sobriety, calm and focus.”
The bishops called on el-Rufai to “consult across the spectrum, have the patience of listening even to those who do not agree with him and focus on persuasion and consensus-building across the divide.”
“We encourage him to visit the scenes of these tragedies and use the opportunity of condolences to scold as well as appeal to the hearts of his people. These gestures are a mark of good politics. Bad politics divides, good politics unites,” they added.
The bishops also called on politicians in the state to close ranks towards finding a lasting solution to the attacks and killings in Southern Kaduna. Punch
