Perspective

Joseph Gbagyo.
Legal Officer CORAFID/Publisher

The quest for peace and communal coexistence has received wide attention. This is so because of the growing cases of crises in the society. In this special interview, powered by NEEM Foundation with support from KARUNA Center for Peace Building (Protecting Our Communities Initiative) Barr. Joseph Gbagyo Legal Officer CORAFID/Publisher, spoke  on: “Religion dynamics to communal Clashes and how we can resolve it”. The Excerpts:

What do you think is the problem?

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Gbagyo: Conflicts in Benue State centers primarily on issues of farmers/herders clashes. There are also pockets of criminal activities going on in the state, which should also be seen as conflict issues or conflict situations. Basically, in Benue State, what we are confronted with is not a religious crisis but conflicts surrounding farmers/herders. I think it is good for us to separate these dynamics, most especially people who misinterpret kidnapping to farmer/herder clashes. When people decide on their own to engage in criminal activities such as arm robbery, kidnapping, hostage taking, belonging to secret societies, these are entirely different criminal activities which the law is clear about.

How does religion play a role in creating or resolving this conflict?

Gbagyo: well, if you say religion plays a role in solving the farmer/herder crisis, you will be absolutely correct. However, religion alone cannot solve it, because religion is one component amongst numerous stakeholders involved in proffering solution to conflict. When you talk of religion, when you talk of faith-based organizations: Christian Association of Nigeria, Ja’amatu Nasir Islam, The Women Wing of CAN and Federation of Muslim Women Association, the whole component of these providing insulating messages to calm down the tension in the state, you can rightly say religion is playing a role through the messages that have been coming from these organizations. The hallmark of all religion is peace building. The various religious components involved are doing a whole lot. Where we see a deviation from the preaching of the peace message, that is where we say the action of a particular religion is capable of triggering another form of crisis.

Can you say other roles others are playing in conflict resolution?

Gbagyo: There is crisis and perhaps. Historical dimensions of the crisis are unknown; it becomes difficult to know the nature of the crisis we are trying to resolve. Are we trying to solve a political or religious crisis? But if we are solving farmer/herder crisis, we must look at it from different dimensions. Different dimensions because, we have dimension of the law, dimension of critical stakeholders engaging in dialogues across the different communities. We have other organizations with religious backing doing theirs. It is not one components; there are many critical stakeholders when it comes to solving the farmer/ herder crisis. The government must lead the way for other stakeholders to follow, because, when it comes to implementing the policies, it is the duty of the government. When it comes to enacting favourable legislations, it is the government. So, government must take the role of major stakeholders and in the driver seat. Two, you talk of Civil Society Organizations and you know the role CSOs have played in Benue State in providing solutions to this crisis, that is another critical stakeholder. There are certain individuals who are expert and  opinion leaders, the traditional institution, the private sector. This is the gammons of critical stakeholders who should lead the way in providing solutions to the farmer/ herder crisis and if one is disconnected, there will be leakages.

Is there need for religious leaders to strengthen conflict resolution, mediation, resolution and peace building mechanisms?

Gbagyo: The role of religious leaders in conflict resolution and peace building cannot be overemphasized. The messages from the pulpit has a strategic role to play in conflict situations. Christians, Muslims and the traditional religious worshippers have reverence to the messages emanating from the places of worship. Efforts should be intensified to entrench mediation avenues in all sub-organizations in the church, the mosque and even within the traditional setting in order that the scope of conflict resolution will be broadened.

How can we strengthen security in the communities?

Gbagyo: I was involved in a dialogue meeting with critical women stakeholders. The project is Nigeria Women Mediation  Network. The program seeks to raise women who are major stakeholders in carrying out mediation activities that will help solve the problem of farmer/herder crisis along gender dimensions. The questions of other ways of solving the security challenges will be answered. There are numerous ways of solving the problem. The farmer/herder issue started around 2011 through 2013, 2014 and we saw the peak in 2018. In 2017, Benue through the actions of major stakeholders in the state came up with a law known as Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Act, 2017 which was assented to by Gov. Samuel Ortom in May 2017. The implication was to enable both parties in the conflict adjust to new ways of practicing crop production and animal husbandry, and also to see how the law could be implemented with human face and that was why the government delayed the enforcement of the law. Now, the law has come to stay. Looking at whether the law is effective or not is a discussion for another day. But to throw more light, it is true that to some extent, we can say the law has worked by recent revelations showing that, in as much as the law is doing good, it still has some string attach to it. A lot of people have the opinion that because of lack of proper training for those enforcing the law; the Livestock Guard, a lot of issues of extortion are going on and that is in a way affecting the implementation. The issue of inadequate awareness creation about the law, it was until 2019 that an organization came to Benue State, Search for Common Ground, which sought to expand awareness of the law. Much of Benue population does not know about the law. The effort of another organization International Centre for Peace, Charity and Human Development (INTERCEP) WITH SUPPORT OF PEACE Direct and Peace Initiative of Nigeria (PIN) which recently saw its translation into Hausa Language is a bold step in the direction of awareness creation. The challenges are numerous. The enactment of the law is an instrument of the law solving the crisis. The effective or ineffective nature of the law is 50/50 on both divides. On the other hand, we can say that the law has been tested and what are the available opportunities.  Let us go to the drawing board and see where we have done well or not and where should we make amends. It is important to take stock of the warring parties in a bid to identify the causes of the incessant clashes. Competition for scarce resources is the likeliest reason behind the conflicts. It is clear the climate change effects have resulted into drought within the Sudano -Sahel and it has resulted into massive influx of herders into the country who are constantly in search for water and vegetation for their cattle. When these issues are identified, how do we now solve them?  The effects of the crisis have gone beyond usual atrocities of war. A recent document from the Central Bank of Nigeria indicates how food supply chains have been truncated as a result of the crisis. It is high time we think outside the box regarding the crisis.

Talk more on awareness of the law?

Gbagyo: The awareness I refer to is not about hearing, it is about knowing the content of the law. What is the law saying? The awareness must first of all, stripped the law of the prejudices which has followed it since the enactment. People must not understand the law outside the context that is a law against the herders. People must also understand that livestock includes all kinds of animals and act accordingly. Yes! The media has done excellently well in educating the populace on the extent of the law but it will be more useful should the government and other critical stakeholders make available copies of the law so the public can read and understand every direction of the clauses therein.

What does the program, Protecting Communities aim to achieve?

Gbagyo: The program aims to step in among warring parties through mediation to find lasting solutions to security challenges especially as it has to do with herders/farmers clashes. It also aims to increase vigilance in order to detect early warnings of conflicts and insulate potential causes of crisis among communities. Currently, we are taking advantage of radio programs to extend the messages of peaceful co-existence.

How do the program access parties involve?

Gbagyo: We don’t bring people; we go to them. There are Field Officers and Liaison Officers in communities who serve as Mediating Officers. They provide useful information.  Rumors cause conflict in the state and the nation at large.

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