Not Just Local Matters

SOMEONE has to nudge President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua into more immediate actions over the violence the local government elections produced in various parts of the country. He just acknowledged the problem, but woefully failed to attend to it decisively, a trait he must acquire if he is to do this job with acceptable distinction.

From Kano State, where many people lost their lives over the polls weeks earlier, to last weekend’s incidents in Edo, Enugu, Oyo, Ogun, it was clear the violence in Kano left no lessons.
After the violence in Kano, which took the military to quell, we had thought the security agencies would have known the trouble spots and prepared to counter any moves that would have encouraged violence. If they did, the efforts were ineffectual. More need to be done.

Politicians were at their best seeking advantage in the do or die manner that has become their common creed. Opposition parties boycotted the elections, a regular feature of elections at that level since 1999. One thing is certain - if cases at the tribunals go the way of some of the litigants, new state electoral bodies would be constituted and the newly elected officials sacked. Oyo State is an example in this direction. The constitutional rigmarole over control of the local government councils is steeped in permanent disputation.

The violence is of immediate concern to us. What happened to the security organisations? Why could so much violence and loss of lives be perpetrated over elections and the President is doing absolutely nothing?

He has summoned the governors and political leaders to a meeting. The meeting would be at an undecided date in January. The action is perfunctory. Why the delay if this is important?
Why is he going through the officious routine of summoning governors who barely have any control of the security situation in their states? The governors would come to the meeting and tell Yar’Adua what he knew in his eight years as governor: security instructions, the ones that are to be obeyed, issue from the central command in Abuja. The President is in charge!

The delay in holding the meeting underscores its unimportance, and a certain under-rating of the extent of the violence and the implications.

Government thinking must be that there are holidays, so the convenience of those who should be at the meeting must not be compromised. Their pleasure is too important to be disturbed.
Leaders of a country under security cloud do not go on holidays. The meetings should be held immediately, not in January, especially at an uncertain date.

Localised violence has deeper implications and spreads faster. Contenders for local government polls usually live within close distances of each other. Revenge for losses at the polls would also draw some fuel from outstanding communal feuds, which are never in short supply.

Nigerians deserve peace. Government should tackle the violence now.