Revisiting Political Participation Of Southern Kaduna: The Role Of Youths

By Bishop Joseph D. Bagobiri 

INTRODUCTION: First, I wish to SALUTE the Southern Kaduna Youth Forum over this commendable initiative of a sensitization programme of this nature, as part of our Region’s preparation towards effective engagement of the political order and active participation at the next elections at both the State and National levels. Strategic preparation and planning of this nature is crucial for achieving positive results. As the wise counsel goes, those who fail to plan are by such neglect planning to fail. 

We the Peoples of Southern Kaduna have passed through painful political experiences under many political dispensations in the past, but not has equal the contempt, neglect and direct ostracization in political and other relating sectors like the economy and social development as we have been subjected to in the last three years under the current government at all levels of governance in our nation. This, as we all know is as a result of our poor judgment and apathy in addressing the political challenges that were before us AT THE LAST General elections in Nigeria. We gave ourselves out so cheaply, and we are paying dearly for our sins of omissions and commissions today. But all this is history now and we cannot continue to stay in darkness and be cursing it. We should endeavour to light the candle instead. This means, we shall not allow the luxury of repeating the same kind of mistakes we have been making in the past, especially that of engaging the electoral process as divided and fragmentary block.

I therefore see some hope in the horizon as the Youth of Southern Kaduna are coming together this time to plan on how to pull our resources together towards building consensus around a political agenda that reflects our collective aspiration as a people. We have been told several times by experts that those who through apathy renege in their CIVIC responsibility of active political participation and those who exercise their political franchise wrongly by electing into office people of dubious characters who are corrupt, deceitful, avaricious, and are of evil disposition will, in their pains and hardships under such office holders, not be treated as victims of bad government but as accomplices that helped midwife them into office.

THE PLACE OF POLITICS IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: Politics is an important human endeavour upon which depends the welfare, happiness and development of people. Therefore it must be approached with all seriousness by the civil society.  Christians should not label politics as the realm where corruption flourishes, but should engage in politics as an instrument for building up a society worthy of man. Politics is a Demanding Form of Charity. It is a serious issue for Christians,” he said, because it is “an essential place and fundamental instrument to build a society worthy of man. When we have good people in political offices, a lot of good could be done through politics. But also, when we entrust political power to evil and corrupt people, the destruction the carry out through it could be immense.

From our experience in Kaduna State and the world at large, we have seen examples how the society progresses when it is blessed with God fearing political office holders. These usually commit themselves to serving the people selfless, and devoting resources belonging to the common good for the development, general welfare of the people that they are called to serve. But we also know what it means to have bad political office holders as leaders. Not only do they set themselves out to wage war by antagonizing those they are called to serve, but they care less about their welfare, security and such evil politicians misappropriate resources meant for the common for their selfish, sectional and very parochial purposes. We do not need to go far to proof this. For three years running now in Kaduna State, the People of Southern of Kaduna have been completely excluded from the happenings in the State. But the injustices against us were only heightened and taken beyond the red line in terms of exclusion in the current political dispensation, but it has always been there, that is why out of the almos80 federal institutions present in Kaduna State, the southern part of Kaduna can hardly boast of one.

It is therefore because of the overwhelming importance of leadership or of holding political offices, that calls such as the current one by the Southern Kaduna Youths to active participation in politics are to be taken very seriously. Central among the many reasons for the Church’s constructive engagement of the temporal and political order is the promotion of the Common Good, which is defined by the Magisterium as the sum total of the conditions which allow people either as groups or as individuals to reach their fulfilment more fully and more easily (Gaudium et spes no.26). Politics serves to promote and protect the Common Good, and in view of this, followers of Christ, have not only the responsibility but also the duty to be interested in this realm of our human existence.

The work of charity in terms of providing for the social welfare of citizenry and the promotion of a just social order can better be accomplished and can be better carried out in a large and substantial manner when we have the right people holding political offices. The Church does not see politics as dirty, evil, corrupt, unwholesome and unworthy of her involvement as some persons are given to think. The Church sees politics as a portent and strong force, that when employed positively and responsibly can advance the common good in no small manner. When politics is truly employed, it can make the provision of food, water, shelter, health care, compassionate care for the needy and indigent in society etc. much better and in a larger and more expansive manner than this could be done by “spirited individuals and private organizations like NGOs.

The Church has often taught s that there are two extreme views of viewing politics that must be avoided by us: that of considering politics as a cure-all, the medicine for all human diseases and that of rejecting it wholeheartedly as a negative reality. Christians are called to establish a “balanced relationship with the two. It can contribute towards curing many of our human social ills, but it needs religion and ethics to keep it on shape or serve as its conscience and soul. We must also recognize that though it is not evil in itself, but by its very nature it is susceptible to corruption. Christians in politics must never subscribe to the axiom that we could commit injustice, involve ourselves in corrupt and irregular practices in order to clinch political power. The saying that the end justifies the means is neither valid not applicable to Christians in politics.

NEED FOR CIVIC EDUCATION IN BUILDING BROAD BASED CONSENSUS INORDER FOR OUR VOTE TO TRANSLATE TO POWER:

We have heard many Christians say publicly and proudly, that the Church has no place in politics or that she is maintain a neutral role, even when the issues at stake for given election borders on serious moral and ideological consideration. A church that maintains neutrality in the face of an election that its results can have serious negative repercussions on life and mission and that of majority of others, will be seen not as a victim but an accomplice in bad government should this turn out to be the case as we witnessing in Nigeria today. This to me is naivety of some sort. They tell Catholics/Christians, vote your conscience. A good statement indeed! However, statements of this nature should first and foremost be preceded by sound civic educational programmes for members of our fold, if they are to produce the desired results for the Church and society. Telling poorly informed people on the issues at stake in a given election to vote their conscience, without this conscience being properly informed is politically suicidal. Such talk (vote your conscience) should be preceded by a civic educational programme that had distilled the key issues of each round of elections and from this embarked on the needed formation that would help bring about a sound social Conscience that is well grounded on the core issues about the election. In other words, the precondition to telling people to “vote their Conscience” should be a sound civic education programme. Neutrality about what becomes the outcome of an election such as the one that was before us in 2015, and the forth coming one in 2019, in the light of the mountain of challenges facing the Church, especially in Northern Nigeria, would be ill-advised. A position of neutrality of this nature has the danger of leaving the “flock” confused, and scattered over the hills and in plain fields, as “sheep without a Shepherd (Mk 6:34). As the wise saying states: “THE ONLY THING NECESSARY FOR EVIL TO TRIUMPH IS FOR GOOD PEOPLE TO DO NOTHING” (or to be neutral).

When the “Body of Christ”, engages the temporal and political order first, by identifying the key issues at stake about each round of elections, and then move a step further to educate the faithful about these issues, as a prerequisite to asking them to vote their conscience, such a commendable endeavour should not be viewed as partisanship or a meddling in partisan politics, AS SOME HAVE WRONGLY INFERRED. Giving the vital importance of politics in the life of each society, the “task of distilling the core issues for each election, and then forming members of our fold accordingly”, must In truth, be seen as a patriotic endeavour for two things: (i). It is for the socio political advancement of our Nation and (ii). It is the surest way of guaranteeing the future survival of the Church. The Church has not only the responsibility but above all the duty; either through the laity, or through the Clergy or through both of them, to identify the main issues at each election, and seek to build broad-based consensus among the faithful as the surest way of engaging the political process with the hope of attaining maximum results that would eventually translate into maximum benefits for both the Church and the Nation. Our civic education programme anticipating any serious election should also aim at galvanizing our members to form broad based consensus that could translate into political power, in the hands of politicians that we trust and can vouch for, to deliver on core values of the Catholic Social Teachings. Because of the vital and fundamental nature of politics in the promotion of holistic and integral development, the Church (as Clergy and Laity), has a duty to influence (directly or indirectly), who gets the peoples’ political mandate to govern the Nation. An important decision like this should not be left to chance. When people vote haphazardly and in a non-coordinated manner, they will be said to have exercised their franchise, but such form of “exercise of franchise” may not translate to political power. We can make the following distinction here: we can say, your VOTE is political power, when it joins with other votes of like mind to provide a mandate to a trusted contender. In this case ones vote becomes power given to an elected representative of the community. Here a vote will be said to have produce Political Power. However, we do not say, your VOTE is YOUR Political power. What this also means is that, your vote indeed can produce political power, but when it is cast in an un-discerned, careless, haphazard and un-coordinated manner, it is as good as a wasted or thrown away vote. It will fail in its bid to confer power. This is because it fails to be part of the broad based consensus that is required to clinch political power, or worst still, it goes to favour the wrong side of the political divide/spectrum. It will not therefore necessarily produce the political power you desire. It will contribute in giving political power, but probably, to the side that does not share (for example), your core ethical Values as enshrined in the Catholic Social Teaching manuals, as would be explained below. The Church in Nigeria has a very large voting constituency, we must work hard in building broad based consensus, so that the act of voting will not merely be a matter of exercising our franchise for the sake of exercising franchise, but an exercise of franchise alongside many other co-believers, so that this excise of franchise will also translate into acquired political power that will for instance, guarantee freedom of worship for every Nigerian. Therefore, to leave this kind of undertaking to mere chance, or to leave this to the whims and caprices of each member of the Community/Church, without any effort to build broad based consensus on core Ethical/Christian values such as the Social Teachings, will amount to an abdication of our chilling responsibility as agents of social transformation.

THE PLACE OF CATHOLIC/CHRISTIAN SOCIAL TEACHING IN POLITICS:

Christians in politics must serve as a leaven to make politics something pleasing to God. They are to be to it what the soul is to the body, or what ethics is to market forces, and what conscience is to the human person. Theirs has to be a politics that puts the human person at the centre, respecting his fundamental rights, especially that of life; a politics that serves the common good, defends the rights of the poor and marginalize, inspires an integral and solidaristic humanism, which is subsidiary to the intermediate social bodies, and promotes especially sound family values in the society. A politics that is opened to the transcendent and is enriched by the values of truth, justice, liberty and charity.” To achieve this, the Catholic Social doctrine is a fundamental ‘strategic instrument’ in the political task of Christians,” as “it links politics to charity, in a network of theological, spiritual, ethical and cultural connections,” he stated.

TWO WAYS TO ENGAGE THE POLITICAL ORDER:

In politics within a diverse and complex setting such as Nigeria, we must devise two ways of speaking. We must know what we say to carry everyone along regardless of our ethnic and religious affiliations. Here, our conversation and the values we seek to promote must carry an appealing tone of universality, since it is being done in “open and public forum. But we must also know what we say in the internal or family-like-forum. Our language at the open forum must have a national appeal, be all inclusive and finally be one that is laced with tact and diplomacy. But we should not speak with the same kind of tone at the internal forum. This distinction is important. It is not being pretentious and hypocritical. It is simply wisdom. Many of us on the matter of Security and Politics remain only on the open forum. Some of us have a penchant of wanting to be seen as people with a national or global appeal, even when this is at the expense of our primary constituency. And the people on the other side of the divide know how to take advantage and exploit this goodness of ours. They will stand with us at the “open forum” and talk the way we talk, and then they go back to their “internal forum” and plan well for their constituencies.

It is in the light of the above, that we see that our going into a very important political exercises of this nature, without first articulating what our goals or interests are, will make our engagement of the political process, not as a united and formidable front but as a “divided house” and this will do no one any good. Approaching election without a clearly defined position will not help our course. On the contrary, it will only scuttle our quest for the social advancement of the Church and society towards the realization of our political aspirations in the Nation. That is why I am happy with the goal and objectives for this conference namely: to develop a political agenda that positions Southern Kaduna youth to attain political relevance and attract meaningful development to the region.

THE CHURCH AND POLITICS:

Politics, it must me noted here, because of its overbearing effects on the lives of all of us, cannot become the sole reserve and prerogative of a handful of people that call themselves politicians. Just as politicians can become interested on religious matters without necessarily being Prelates, Priests and Religious; and just as the issue of securing our nation cannot just be the business of the tiny fraction of those in the various security outfits of our nation, but of all Nigerians,  in the same vein therefore, politicians must be magnanimous in allowing religious leaders the right to political opinions in a way that benefits the people and society without being accused of being partisan. Given the fact that politics touches the lives of all, whether we like it or not, this makes it too important an enterprise to be ignored by the Church. Therefore, the Church’s involvement in politics is not an option but a duty. And duties impose obligations on the conscience of believers.

Now is the time to exercise our franchise in voting. Non-Partisanship, as I have had course to state firmly at different fora, and severally so, is not synonymous with political neutrality or being position-less in political matters. In advanced democracies such as USA and Europe, the Church after following campaigns on the issues being canvassed for by politicians, have often move out from the comfortable zone of neutrality to one of taking a position. I have many examples to buttress this point even as it affects politics in the USA and in Italy and many parts of Europe. So those in the face of very serious and important elections, proudly declare, at such critical moments, that our community/church is neutral and has no position are doing serious disservice not only to their flock but also to the larger society. And if they are prelates, then they are guilty of Jesus’ indictment of shepherds in Mark 6:34… when he spoke of a crowd that wondered like sheep without a shepherd. We cannot at such critical moments was our hands as Herod did and allowed Jesus to be unjustly crucified by his adversaries. This will make us to become a Community/Church that is neither “cold nor hot” (Rev. 3:15). Neutrality at critical electioneering times is tantamount to pitching our camp with evil. As it is said, the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to say nothing. In other words, it is for them (good people) to remain neutral and indecisive, allowing themselves and their flock to be hobnobbing now on the right leg and after on the left leg. When we want to talk of serious sins in the world today, we are tempted to talk only about: fornication and adultery; murder and stealing; deceit and corruption. But there is one that is worse than all these: It is OBEDIENCE AND ACQUISCENCE to evil. It is submission either tacitly or openly to the biddings of the forces and perpetrators of evil.  No party is a holy or saintly party. All of them have large dosage of deceit, and propensity to avarice. They all stink. Just get closer to any and you can’t stand the stent of corruption in each of them. But we still have to judge from among them, which can provide us the liberty and freedom to practice our religion unhindered. I am not saying taking a position at an electioneering period like this will necessarily make us carry the day at elections. No. The Republicans in the USA have lost severally to the Democrats, even when the Church will come out and say, Catholics should vote for the party that is prolife and pro-family. Here we are saying we should vote for a party that stands for these two, but more importantly for religious liberty. I am not oblivious of the fact that we have in our midst, some who hold a different opinion to the one being presented/canvassed for here. That’s why I am happy with one of the objectives contained in the concept paper for this conference, which is ….to unite behind a common political agenda regardless of our diversity in political, ethnic and religious  affiliations.

Let me say here that, we respect the views of those in our midst who hold an alternative position. However, we have a duty to forewarned and educate on how to responsibly exercise our franchise in voting in a way that will advance our political interest as a people. It is better to take a position based on facts regarding the forth coming election than to take none at all.  If at the end of the day we lose, it will still be on record that we played our role as sentinels of the people.   I therefore wish to call on all of us to ally ourselves on the mainstream position, to articulate at this conference.

DELINEATION OF CONSTITUENCIES, FOR TRUE STATEMANSHIP IN KADUNA STATE:

During his short term as Governor of Kaduna State, Late Mr. Yakowa resisted the temptation of wearing a garb of religious bigotry or that of being an ethnic supremacist. No one tonsured with these credentials will succeed as a leader in Kaduna State. Yakowa saw himself as a catalyst in making Muslims respect and appreciate Christians and their faith, and Christians on their part seeking to build bonds of fraternity and solidarity with their Muslim counterparts. Yakowa and the likes of the Makarfis and Namadis and the Jonathans at the Federal level taught us that in exercising leadership in a plural society our trust should not be limited to only those who worship with us, speak like us, and are of the same mind set with us. We want a Nigerian and a Kaduna State where those entrusted with public offices see themselves as Servants of the people and not masters or lords, true statesmen must be able to rise above ethnic and religious affinities in a heterogeneous and pretty complex society like ours. They must be Leaders who truly love their people, and are honest, compassionate and just in their governance of the people.

In this light therefore, I want to appeal to all of us in Kaduna State (Muslim and Christians and peoples of the various ethnic nationalities in the State) to rise to the challenge of building one united Kaduna State and Country, different from the current distrust that has led and still leading into fatal consequences today. Let us join hands together to build a Society where indeed we see and respect one another as God’s children. We must rise up to build a Society where we see ourselves as human beings, citizens with inalienable rights, and not allow ourselves to be held hostage by religious bigots ethnic chauvinists.

Now I have a word of encouragement to all those who are the victims of the Fulani Herdsmen massacres in Kaduna State and beyond. Those who regrettably and unfortunately suffer mayhem, yet are being treated as the aggressors. I enjoin you to rise up and not give in to defeatism.  As Bishop Kukah said to you in the homily: fear is dead and it will never rise again. Before Yakowa, you were afraid; you were poor and felt defeated. Now, after Yakowa, the world is yours to conquer. Rise up, get ready to light your candles because we have seen the light of a star in Kaduna. Go forward and meet up with other young men and women like yourselves. Free yourselves from religious prisons, dream big and beautiful dreams. A wonderful, peaceful, just and non-discriminatory, unselfish world lies ahead of you. Conquer fear, take the torch and march forward; whether you are Christopher or Mustapha, march on. Whether you are Mary or Maryamu, march ahead. This is why Mr Yakowa has died for you.

DISMANTLING STRUCTURES OF DISCRIMINATION AND MARGINALIZATION:

The responsibility of every Government (Kaduna State is not exempt), is to ensure fairness and equity to all in the dispensation of our commonwealth and common paternity. This should be manifest in the area of political appointments, sitting of developmental services in the form of public institutions and the enthronement of a fair and transparent electoral structure to guard against what is often described as rigging election from the source. A situation where about 48 Federal establishments are located around Zaria and Kaduna axis alone with the Southern Part of the State having none is not only disgraceful but a crude manifestation of a mentality that governs through the instrumentality of discrimination and marginalization. Those who govern through policies that are discriminatory and marginalizing are cowards that cannot stand a fair contest or play.

The second example is the much compromised electoral structure foisted on the State by people with dead consciences that are lacking also of any semblance of morality. Under this, many communities are denied fair and proportionate political representation because the system has been so skewed to give excess polling units to communities with lower population density, while those that are densely populated are given a few. Within Kaduna South LGA for instance, settlements of one ethnic group (which has minority presence in the area) have been allocated 339 polling units, while others with the majority in terms of landmass and population are given mere paltry 68 units. And that is why the majority cannot produce a Local Government Chairman there no matter how they may tried. Such injustice cannot ensure fair political representation in the State. This skewed unjust political structure foisted on the people by some greedy people must not be allowed to continue. Here we see a serious disproportion in the delineation of Constituencies and distribution of polling units, where the outcome of every election could be decided upon a long time before a single vote is cast. Those who headed the KADUNA STATE INDEPENDENCT ELECTORAL COMMISION – KAD-SIECOM committed a lot of injustices to the people. They should bury themselves in shame for the rest of their lives and ask God for forgiveness, with concrete measures towards reparation for their sins. The last adjustment of the electoral structure was made with no reference to population distribution rather it was done based on satisfying sectarian interest. I therefore call on government to revisit this abnormally with a view to providing a level playing ground for all communities within its domain so as  ensure healthy competition and guarantee the right of all to actively participate in the political life of our State. Upto 1997 the principle of North-South balance prevailed in the political equation of the State. That ceased with the last adjustment. A State that operates under structures and institutions that are unjust to a high spectrum of its society cannot serve the course of peace and harmonious coexeistence. Let us join hands in building a just, fraternal and egalitarian Kaduna State as panacea to the avoidable conflicts and bloodshed in our midst.

STATISTICAL PROFILE OF VOTING CARD OWNERSHIP IN THE 12 LGAs of SOUTHERN KADUNA ( by JF DABO):

The sum of the 12 LGAs that make up Southen Kaduna  has a population of about 3,945,000 and only 1,787,674 (48.39%) has the PVCs, a population of 2,157,326 (51.61%) don’t.

Jubal Dabo shared this information. If at all it is true, how then can we claim to have a voting power? How do we complain of rigging when we have rigged ourselves out by our voter registration apathy? Frs, I think we can do a lot by encouraging the people. Take a look:

DO YOU KNOW?

1. Chikun LG has a population of about 372,272 and only 212,601 (57%) has the PVCs, 43% don’t.
2. Jaba LG has a population of about 155,973 and only 66,697 (42.76%) has the PVCs, 57.24% don’t.
3. Jema’a LG has a population of about 278,202 and only 146,922 (52.81%) has the PVCs, 47.19% don’t.
4. Kachia LG has a population of about 252,568 and only 133,120 (52.70%) has the PVCs, 47.3% don’t.
5. Kaduna South LG has a population of about 402,731 and about 399,096 (99%) has the PVCs, only 1% don’t.
6. Kagarko LG has a population of about 239,058 and only 89,103 (37%) has the PVCs, 63% don’t.
7. Kajuru LG has a population of about 109,810 and only 79,840 (72%) has the PVCs, 28% don’t.
8. Kaura LG has a population of about 174,626 and only 82,952 (47.5%) has the PVCs, 52.5% don’t.
9. Kauru LG has a population of about 221,276 and only 105,889 (47.1%) has the PVCs, 52.9% don’t.
10. Lere LG has a population of about 339,740 and only 229,829 (67.64%) has the PVCs, 32.36% don’t.
11. Sanga LG has a population of about 151,485 and only 85,339 (56%) has the PVCs, 44% don’t.
12. Zangon Kataf LG has a population of about 318,991 and only 156,286 (48.99%) has the PVCs, 51.1% don’t.

 The sum of the 12 LGAs that make up Southern Kaduna has a population of about 3,945,000 and only 1,787,674 (48.39%) has the PVCs, a population of 2,157,326 (51.61%) don’t.

CONCLUSION: Our challenges are in the area of Politics, Security and Economy. We have not got any of these three right. Whatever common agenda we may arrive at for our region, must aimed at providing the way forward for Southern Kaduna and consequently Kaduna state and Nigeria at large. In politics we should define our interests and endeavour to work in peace and harmony with one another towards actualizing our goals and objectives in this sector. In the area of security, we must ask ourselves whether we are to confine our response to the war that has been brought right to our door steps to mere statements of condemnation or we should courageous evolve effective ways of self-defence to counter the current trend that is aimed at decimating our population. On the economy, we must seek help both within and abroad towards boosting agriculture in large scale using modern techniques of farming, as a way to self-reliance and self-propagating.

Being a keynote address delivered by Bishop Bagobiri of the Diocese of Kafanchan, at the sensitization programme for stakeholders towards 2019 National Polls that took place on December 29, 2017 in Kafanchan