By Stanley Nkwocha
Insecurity has been a major challenge in Nigeria for more than a decade now, leading to the loss of lives, the displacement of people, and the disruption of economic activities. It has also undermined the country’s democracy and development.
Without apportioning blame or tracing the causes of insecurity, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office last year with a firm resolve to end the vicious circle of insurgency, banditry, herders/farmers clashes, kidnapping and other forms of criminality.
Listing the fight against insecurity as a prime in the top priority list of his Renewed Hope agenda, the President outlined a number of steps to take, including, increasing the size and capacity of the security forces, improving intelligence gathering and sharing, as well as investing in technology to support security operations.
Above all, the Renewed Hope administration is not unmindful of the fact that addressing the root causes of insecurity is also sacrosanct. Insecurity in Nigeria is often driven by poverty, hunger, unemployment and food insecurity. In this regard, President Tinubu and his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, immediately identified the need to implement policies that address these issues in order to create a more stable and prosperous Nigeria.
In addressing the root causes of insecurity such as poverty and hunger, the administration saw the need for resettlement, rehabilitation and reintegration of displaced persons, who have become recruitment markets for bandits and other terror groups. The fundamental issue is, first and foremost, to see the displacement challenge completely as a humanitarian issue aimed at saving human lives.
The needs of displaced persons across Nigeria are immense, including lack of adequate protection and access to basic services, and they are at risk of violence, abduction, rape, gender-based violence, forced/child marriage, food insecurity, weakened basic socioeconomic services, destruction of the health system, and other violations of their rights.
This is exactly what the Resettlement Scheme for Persons Impacted by Conflict (RSPIC) launched in Kaduna State last Friday is set to achieve – to address the humanitarian crisis caused by internal displacements across the nation, beginning from the North West geopolitical zone.
In fulfillment of President Tinubu’s promise to improve the lives of all Nigerians, Vice President Shettima had in February this year inaugurated a steering committee, chaired by Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, to coordinate the implementation of the initiative which was initially referred to as the Pulaku Initiative.
For now, the project focuses on seven states that have been disproportionately affected by banditry and farmers-herders conflicts. They are Sokoto, Kebbi, Benue, Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, and Kaduna States. Niger and Benue States were quickly drafted in given the volumes of displaced persons in the States and the urgency to bring normalcy to the regions.
Tinubu’s decisive action towards helping conflict victims shows his dedication to creating practical solutions for the betterment of Nigeria, a stark contrast to the blind hatred of some opposition elements. The choice of North West as the takeoff point is instructive. It all started last year in December when VP Shettima visited victims of a misdirected drone attack in Tudun Biri village in Igabi local government area of Kaduna State.
After visiting victims of the drone attack at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in Kaduna State, the VP disclosed that President Tinubu has directed that the Resettlement Scheme for Persons Impacted by Conflict (RSPIC), will be kick-started in the North West, with a complete package, including houses, clinics, schools, empowerment initiatives, solar energy, among others in the Tudun Biri community as compensation for the mayhem caused by the drone attack. He noted that the Initiative is the President’s non-kinetic approach to the challenges in the North West and other parts of the country.
Keeping to that promise, President Tinubu, represented by his deputy, was in Kaduna last Friday where he officially launched the Resettlement Scheme for Persons Impacted by Conflict. He stated categorically that the state has offered his administration a launchpad to venture into the communities dislodged by conflict.
One essential feature of resettlement is for displaced persons to have recourse for proper compensation and integration in order to rebuild their livelihood activities and contribute to the long term economic and political development of the region. This is why the RSPIC is mapped out as a multi-faceted intervention that exceeds mere infrastructure development. To this effect, the President pointed out that the scheme will “construct residences, roads, schools and essential facilities for victims of conflict” as well as “a dignified environment to live and to dream.”
With adequate support, displaced persons, in the resettlement process, can form very critical and essential human resources towards the rebuilding of the region and the entire country. Their resettlement normally represents a clear end to violent conflict, legitimizes the new political order, and restores normal life for the conflict-affected population.
In line with this, President Tinubu noted the national significance of the RSPIC project. He declared his administration’s resolve to break the cycle of violence and displacement that has plagued various parts of the country for years, pointing out that “our journey to this point has been long and arduous, but today, we converge in this historic city to demonstrate our resolve to overcome adversity.
“Conflict and displacement, to us, are not merely regional issues; they are national concerns that demand a unified response. They threaten the very fabric of our society, and it is only through justice, distribution of democratic dividends, and collaboration that we can overcome these challenges,” the President added.
At the launch of the scheme, President Tinubu demonstrated a rare leadership quality – empathy. When leaders show empathy, they demonstrate that they care about the people they are leading, understand their emotions and perspectives, and are willing to work with them to achieve common goals for nation building.
In demonstrating this, the President said with an emotion-laden tone: “To those who have been displaced by conflict, I say this: We see you, we hear you, and we stand with you. Your strength and resilience inspire us all, and under my leadership, we commit to bolstering our nation’s security infrastructure and advancing peace. Now is our time for permanent solutions. This intervention is ours together”.
The launch of the RSPIC which came barely two weeks after declaring open the North West Peace and Security Summit organised by the North West Governor’s Forum, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at Government House, Katsina State, reveals President Tinubu’s governance proficiency. It is quite clear that his approach and strategy in addressing the security challenges he inherited is holistic.
The timing for unveiling the RSPIC just after the security summit in the region underscores the synergy between the government at the centre and federating units. Because issues of reconciliation are closely related to issues of justice and demands for restitution or compensation for losses which have been experienced, there is no way insecurity can be resolved without addressing the plight of those affected by the menace.
The way and manner in which these issues are resolved will have a major impact on the sustainability of peace in the region and country at large. Helping displaced populations to reintegrate can simultaneously address the root causes of insecurity and help prevent further displacement. The return of displaced populations can be an important signifier of peace and the end of conflict return can play an important part in validating the post-conflict political order.
The import of the RSPIC launch in Kaduna is that President Tinubu and his deputy, Vice President Shettima, are adamant in their pursuit of economic transformation with all the vigour available to it. And their target is a significant cut-down on insecurity, poverty, enhanced transparency in the conduct of government affairs and management of the nation’s commonwealth, increased provision of infrastructures as well as enhancing the economic condition of Nigerians.
For Senator Shettima whose office is directly driving the RSPIC, posterity will judge him fairly as the Vice President from the North who worked assiduously and relentlessly with his boss, the President, to turn around the dwindling fortunes of the region. Without any political posturing and grandstanding in tackling the region’s security and economic plight, the Vice President has shown a rare devotion and commitment.
Indeed, as the scheme moves to the other regions of the country in no distant time, it is expected to be an added master stroke in the gradual and total restoration of human dignity and insecurity that affected areas desire. At the long run it is the Nigerian nation that will be the winner.
(Nkwocha is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, in the Office of The Vice President)
