News
Establish Peace Commission, CITAD Tells FG
By Sule Aliyu, Bauchi
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has stressed the need for the review of the national peace architecture to provide for the establishment of a National Peace Commission with the mandate to promote peace building, resolution conflicts and engendering a culture of community dialogue at all levels.
Apart from that, the NGO also called for the enactment of a bill that would regulate preaching as well as provide clear framework for the teaching of religious studies that would be in consonant with national aspiration for a peaceful and united country.
Such a commission, it said, should support communities to engage in dialogue with a view to resolving their conflicts than leaving them to spiral violent confrontations and bloodshed.
CITAD Executive Director, Yunusa Zakariya Ya’u in a press briefing in Bauchi weekend, also spoke of the need for mainstreaming peace education in the civic education component of secondary school education curriculum in the country.
Director Yunusa Ya’u, was speaking shortly after a one day Hate Speech Project Evaluation meeting held at the Command Guest House, Bauchi with participants from various tertiary institutions and peace ambassadors/peace club advisers from different states of the federation.
The Centre similarly want a review of media regulatory framework with the revision of National Broadcasting Code to ensure that agencies mainstream strategies and mechanism to effectively deal with hate speech in the regulatory frameworks.
The meeting which was also attended by CITAD partners of ministries of education from Kano, Yobe, Jigawa, Bauchi, Taraba and Gombe states said that government must be consistent, impartial, transparent and consultative in the way in which it is prosecuting its programmes, including the anti-corruption agenda.
It noted with dismay that drivers of hate speech provide the context and even the substance for the generation and spread of hate speech in the country, stressing that hate speech find outlet in social media, the print, broadcast and increasingly in religious spaces such as mosques, churches and shrines, as well as secular places of markets, schools and community halls.
“Hate speeches are centered on our religious and ethnic diversities. More than before, the country is becoming more and more divided. Unless all stakeholders work against this trend, it will continue to expand as we move towards 2019 general elections”, Ya’u said.
Such expansion, he observed, if not checked would make the elections to become violent and compound the situation already seeing many communities clashes in the country, in addition to the continuing mayhem by the Boko Haram in the Northeast.
Alhaji Yunusa Ya’u gave major drivers of hate speech that include perceived marginalization by different groups of people and communities, and the failure of government to carry on with its anti-corruption agenda in a transparent and impartial manner.
Others, he enumerated, are the opacity in government in spite of the Freedom of Information Act which make people to consume rumours as they seek to make sense of government actions, and the rising level of poverty in the country that is pushing many people to the marginal spaces of hopelessness and criminality.
Also in the drivers of hate speech are the inability of government to help communities to resolve communal conflicts such as farmer-herdsmen conflict, and deliberate capitalization by some politicians to profit from the current difficulties in the country by encouraging hate speech.
Ya’u therefore called on political parties to not only shun hate speech but also sign up to the voluntary campaign declaration on hate speech which, he said, CITAD will soon launch to commit them disqualify any politician seeking nomination on their platform for election for engaging in hate speech.
CITAD urged the National Human Rights Commission to continue with hearing and documentation of cases filed against some politicians who deployed hate speech in the 2015 general elections with a view to prosecuting them, as well as enrolls them to a halt of shame that will serve as disincentive for hate speech by politicians.
The director also called on civil society organizations to continue to promote and support inter-faith and inter-ethnic dialogues aimed at promoting national understanding, inter-faith solidarity and national cohesion, as well as keep monitoring media regulatory agencies to ensure that they discharge their mandate impartially, effectively and promptly.
The meeting noted that hate speech catalyze violence only if citizens indulge it or are provoked by it, and called on people to not indulge in hate speech and not be provoked by it, as the key principle for inoculating people against hate speech that ultimately is the most effective anti-dote against hate speech.
“Unless all stakeholders work against this trend, it will continue to expand as we move towards 2019 general elections. Such expansion if not checked would make the elections to become violent “. The Centre cautioned.
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Member representing Ekiti/Isin/Irepodun/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Raheem Tunji Olawuyi Ajuloopin, has strongly condemned the recent attack in Idofin Odo-Ashe, Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara State, describing it as a cowardly act that seeks to disrupt the peace and stability of the community.
Hon. Ajuloopin, in a statement personally signed by him, expressed deep concern over the unfortunate incident and sympathised with the victims, their families, and the entire community affected by the dastardly attack, emphasising that acts of violence have no place in a civilised society, and therefore urged security agencies to intensify efforts in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
While commending the swift response of both the federal and Kwara State governments, as well as the security agencies and local vigilante groups, the lawmaker reiterated that the fight against insecurity requires collective responsibility, calling on traditional rulers, community leaders, and residents to remain vigilant and cooperate fully with security operatives by providing timely and credible information.
“Security is everyone’s business. We cannot afford to leave the safety of our communities solely to government agencies. Every citizen must be actively involved in safeguarding our environment and ensuring that peace prevails,” Hon. Ajuloopin admonished.
He reaffirmed his commitment to continued collaboration with relevant authorities to ensure that lasting peace in all parts of Kwara South and beyond.
Hon. Ajuloopin also appealed for calm, assuring that both the federal and state governments are working tirelessly to address the root causes of insecurity and prevent future occurrences.
End
From Hassan Taiye
Governor Umar Namadi is currently in Cairo,Arab Republic of Egypt, attending the Third High-Level Ministerial Meeting on Rice Self-Sufficiency, holding from October 7th to 9th, 2025, in Cairo and Sakha.
The meeting, themed “Towards Rice-Based Agri-Food Systems Transformation and Delivering on Rice Self-Sufficiency through Peer-to-Peer Learning: The Case of the Arab Republic of Egypt,” is jointly organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, AfricaRice, the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD), and other key continental partners.
This high-level gathering brings together African Ministers of Agriculture, State Governors, and agricultural leaders to share practical experiences on achieving rice self-sufficiency and agricultural transformation.
The event will showcase Egypt’s remarkable progress in achieving rice self-sufficiency despite its limited water and land resources, offering valuable lessons adaptable to other African contexts.
Namadi is participating alongside top policymakers, agricultural experts, and private sector players from across Africa to discuss innovations, policy reforms, and strategic investments aimed at strengthening food security and transforming the agricultural sector on the continent.
Over the three-day programme, delegates will engage in high-level ministerial sessions, technical discussions, and a field visit to Egypt’s renowned Rice Research and Training Centre (RRTC) in Sakha.
During the visit, participants will interact directly with Egyptian scientists and farmers to learn about the country’s advancements in high-yield rice varieties, efficient irrigation systems, and modern post-harvest technologies.
Jigawa State’s participation in this important forum underscores the state’s commitment to agricultural transformation, food self-sufficiency, and consolidating Jigawa’s position as one of Nigeria’s leading hubs for rice production and agribusiness development.
The meeting is expected to conclude with a Ministerial Declaration setting a continental roadmap for achieving rice self-sufficiency through collaborative research, policy coordination, and targeted investment across the rice value chain.
Governor Namadi is accompanied by senior officials from the Jigawa State Ministry of Agriculture and related agencies.
By: Fabian Apechihin
Sociopolitical activist Aisha Yesufu has accused Nigerian political leaders of perpetuating what she described as a “political genocide” against Christians in Northern Nigeria.
Yesufu made the remark on Tuesday in response to American comedian and TV host Bill Maher, who recently alleged that Nigerian Christians are facing coordinated attacks.
Maher, speaking on his HBO show, said, “I’m not a Christian, but they are systematically killing Christians in Nigeria. They’ve killed over 100,000 since 2009 and burned 18,000 churches. These are the Islamists, Boko Haram.”
Reacting via her X handle, Yesufu criticized what she called hypocrisy among Nigerian politicians who express concern over Christian persecution yet supported the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket during the 2023 elections.
“You are shouting that Northern Christians are being persecuted, but you championed a Muslim-Muslim ticket! Their Christianity was not Christian enough for you during the 2023 election,” she wrote.
She concluded by calling for greater attention to what she termed the “political genocide” against Northern Christians, urging consistency in both words and actions when addressing religious and political marginalization in Nigeria.
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