A former president of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU), Dio Maisamari, has appealed to Kaduna State governor, Senator Uba Sani, to set up a truth and reconciliation commission to afford the residents and stakeholders the opportunity to discuss frankly and pave the way for genuine reconciliation among them.
Commenting on the investigation of former governor Nasir El-Rufai by the anti-graft agencies over alleged corrupt practices while in office, Maisanmari said the proposed commission would address and correct the alleged injustice meted on various communities, especially in the southern part of the state, under his administration.
He said apart from the truth and reconciliation commission, the Kaduna state government should also establish a commission of inquiry and properly investigate the alleged injustices that occurred during the former governor’s tenure.
Maisanmari, who was also the former President of Adara Community Development Association, said the past administration scrapped the first-class Adara chiefdom.
According to Maisanmari, “The truth of the matter is that our experiences under the leadership of former governor Nasir El-Rufai are better imagined. First, from the perspective of Southern Kaduna as a whole, since I also ended up being the President of SOKAPU, we all know the history of Kaduna State. Kaduna State was relatively peaceful, and there was a better coexistence between the northern part of the state and the southern part of the state”
“And there was always an equitable sharing of power and benefits, economic and political, between the northern part of the state and the southern part of the state”
Ex-SOKAPU president added, “Southern Kaduna suffered a lot during El-Rufai’s administration. And what we are calling for now is that there should be a proper investigation, an inquiry into the kind of injustices that occurred.”
“We feel that government, both at the state and the federal level, should set up a high-powered commission of inquiry to find out the truth about what actually happened so that justice can be done”
“I believe what happened in South Africa at the end of apartheid, when a truth and reconciliation committee was set up, Kaduna State is also right for something like that so that we can for once and for all, address all these issues that are pending and that if they are not addressed to, then it means that we have not started doing justice to the situation that we found ourselves in” Maisanmari advocated.
