Former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has said that any reorientation efforts geared toward bringing Nigerians collectively should be intentional and intentionally pursued.
Prof Osinbajo made the disclosure at a dialogue organised by the Justice Research Institute ltd/Gte in partnership with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru, to look at battle, polarisation and social cohesion in north central Nigeria with broader regional views.
The convention themed “Countering Polarisation and Rebuilding Civic Cohesion in North-Central Nigeria: Beyond Tribe and Faith—Reclaiming Our Shared Stories,” introduced collectively stakeholders to discover sensible approaches to addressing divisions and rebuilding belief amongst communities.
The former vice chairman who spoke after story telling session by victims of conflicts from Plateau, Benue and Niger states mentioned whether or not it was South Africa by its Truth and Reconciliation Commission or Rwanda, the method of reconciliation was deliberate.
“In Rwanda, over one million individuals have been slaughtered with machetes, not even weapons. Can you think about how horrendous that will need to have been? 1,000,000 individuals slaughtered with machetes. Yet, they got here again collectively as a result of there was a deliberate and intentional want, notably on the a part of the management and authorities, to make sure that individuals got here collectively. Today, by and enormous, these divisions have been addressed, and persons are working collectively.
“The Tutsis and Hutus are working together. In fact, you must not even mention tribe in certain engagements,” he mentioned.
According to him, there’s want for deliberate and intentional reconciliation and peacebuilding in Nigeria, which might solely be achieved by collaboration between authorities, civil society teams and spiritual leaders.
“Much will depend on the elite of our country: the religious elite, the political elite and other influential members of society. Civil society must come together, but government must lead because political will is absolutely crucial,” Osinbajo mentioned.
He additionally confused that there should be penalties for actions that quantity to wrongdoing and offences in opposition to the state.
“If there are no consequences, there can be no meaningful rebuilding. As they say, one of the most important building blocks of peace is justice. Justice itself requires restoration wherever necessary,” he famous.
Citing the problem of land grabbing, Osinbajo mentioned land should be restored to these from whom it has been taken.
“That process is important because it helps to rebuild what people have lost. Wherever compensation is necessary and wherever restoration is possible, it must be done. If it is not done, we leave an open wound. You cannot simply tell people to forget, especially when they can see that restoration is still impossible,” he mentioned.
Osinbajo mentioned the decision for penalties for wrongdoing results in a much bigger drawback — the state of the justice system in Nigeria.
“The administration of justice system is damaged and requires pressing consideration. Consider the figures for individuals incarcerated in Nigeria. We have about 26,000 convicted prisoners — individuals who have gone by the judicial course of and have been convicted.
“Nigeria has a inhabitants of about 200 million, but solely about 26,000 individuals have been convicted. The United States has a inhabitants of about 300 million and has over two million convicted prisoners. The United Kingdom has a inhabitants of about 67 million and over 80,000 convicted prisoners. That is greater than thrice the quantity now we have.
“This suggests that something may be wrong with our criminal justice system. Of course, there are two possibilities: either we are remarkably well-behaved people, which might explain the low number, or there is something wrong with the system,” he mentioned.
He mentioned the identical drawback extends to civil circumstances, noting {that a} survey by the Justice Research Institute confirmed that civil and industrial circumstances that go to the Supreme Court take a median of 13 to fifteen years to resolve.
Recalling his time as Attorney General of Lagos State in 1999, Osinbajo mentioned his administration carried out a survey amongst 200 legal professionals who had practised for not less than 10 years in Lagos State High Court, and 89 per cent of them mentioned judges have been notoriously corrupt.
“From 1967 to 1999, no one had even reprimanded a choose or Justice of the Peace for corruption. During that point, judges have been incomes N67,000 a month. We requested one choose about his monetary obligations — a son within the US with $12,000 tuition and one other son on the University of Lagos.
“One of the judges stopped the discussion and said, ‘Let it end. You know this thing you are doing is rubbish. You are pretending to pay us; we too were pretending to work. You know that this thing you are doing is not honest.’”
He mentioned his administration determined that judges should be paid wages enough to fulfill their wants, together with offering a private dwelling in any a part of Lagos for all times, and taking self-discipline severely.
“About 220 magistrates were dismissed within six or seven months as part of the reform. Three judges also lost their jobs. In 2007, we conducted the same survey again. Zero per cent of the lawyers said the judges were corrupt. We had moved from 89 per cent to zero per cent. It was not because we brought angels down from heaven. We had to address the issues truthfully and honestly,” he mentioned.
Osinbajo mentioned the compact developed from the sequence of dialogues, together with one held in Enugu for the South-East, represents aspirations for nationwide dialogue.
“While leadership and political will are crucial, the will of those of us seated in this room is equally important. We are privileged. We are the elite of our society. We shape opinions and influence thinking in many ways. What we agree to do as individuals and as a group will be very important in determining how things progress in our country,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the convention, the Emir of Lafia, His Royal Highness Justice Sidi Bage referred to as for discussions that may produce significant options, promote justice and tackle the underlying causes of battle.
He urged individuals to embrace new views and recognise their shared accountability for constructing peaceable communities.
Similarly, the Co-Chairman of the convention and Secretary-General of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Professor Khalid Aliyu, noticed that rebuilding civic cohesion stays a tough job in some communities, partly due to deceptive messages from some spiritual leaders. He confused the significance of accountable spiritual management in selling understanding and peaceable coexistence.
Earlier the Director-General of NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo in his welcome tackle urged individuals to strategy discussions with open minds and with out prejudice, stressing the necessity for sensible suggestions that may enhance relationships and safe a greater future for communities in Plateau and Benue States.
Presenting his analysis findings, Associate Professor Ahmed Garba recognized three vital areas for addressing polarisation: strengthening dialogue mechanisms, selling shared financial pursuits by improved livelihoods, and tackling misinformation, which he mentioned accelerates violence.
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