Residents of Zamfara State have commended the peaceful hosting of over 3 million adherents of Tariqa Order for the 36 edition of the birthdate celebration of Sheikh Ibrahim Nyass.
Some of the residents of Gusau interviewed said the peaceful hosting of the event at a time when the state is faced with lots of challenges is down to the state Governor, Dr Bello Matawalle’s strategies for fostering peaceful coexistence in the state.
The celebration took place at a time the state is facing security challenges which made it unthinkable to believe that a gathering of such magnitude can take place in Zamfara state because of the activities of bandits and kidnappers.
The residents believed that the peaceful hosting of the Maulud event is an indication that the peace initiative introduced by the governor when he took over the mantle of leadership of the state is yielding positive results.
One of the residents, Mr Tajuddeen Aliyu, described the governor as a courageous man for daring to host such a crowd.
“This man is a different specie altogether. He came, took over as governor, starts a peace process that nobody thought will work because of the magnitude of the security problem at that time; but look at it now.
“Look at the number of people that came to Gusau for this Maulud celebration. Not even a fly was hurt. There was not a single attack, even on the roads leading to Gusau. It’s like magic”. He said.
Musa Tanko, another resident of the city, said the governor needs to be praised for the wonderful feat of accepting to host the Nyass Maulud celebration.
He added “What if something had happened to even if it’s one individual? What would they have said? His opponents were there waiting for something to happen so that they can rubbish the whole gathering and blame it on Matawalle.
“See, let me tell you something; even the introduction of the Sharia gathering that attracted a large crowd is not anything near the crowd that came to this city for the Maulud. I only pray that it will continue like this; and I’m begging all these politicians that don’t see anything good with anybody except themselves, to please allow this man to work. Sometimes they’re the problem.”
In his response, a regular visitor to Zamfara from Kano, Ahmadu Danliti, who also attended the Maulud celebration said “look, this road is very familiar to me, and to many other travellers; just like Gusau is our second home. But at a point, I had to forget about going to Gusau for fear of what may happen to me on the road. That was when the kidnapping thing was happening almost on a daily basis.
“When the governor took over and introduced the peace initiative with bandits, things started changing for the better and I started travelling to Gusau again. But after sometimes, the kidnapping and the killings started happening again. Nobody understood what was happening.
“Some people are saying that it is the politicians that don’t want the man to succeed and others are saying that the bandits were not getting what they were promised and you know they are used to collecting big amount of money as ransom when they kidnap; that is why.
“But no matter how you look at it; see this celebration, nothing happened and it is an indication that the opponents of governor Bello Matawalle are misleading the general public through their social media handles to portray that there’s no peace in the state, in order to demonstrate to the world that the Governor has failed. But he is now vindicated.”
He noted that “A lot of people came and went back safely and peacefully. So let’s cooperate and support him, as well, pray that it will continue like this and kidnapping will be history in Zamfara and other places”.
“Although some people are still sceptical and not too comfortable about the present situation of things in the state, it should be noted that it is not always easy to end a conflict of this magnitude within a short period. We, therefore, need to give the governor our total commitment and support in order for the government to gain more success in the fight against the armed banditry.”
Another resident of Gusau, Tahir Sulaiman, while giving his opinion said “In as much as I want 100% peace for my state and all other states where this insecurity of a thing is happening, I don’t want Gov Matawalle to relax or be deceived that the kidnapping and banditry in Zamfara state has finished, but put more effort in the fight against the monster.
“Yes, the Maulud celebration was a success, a huge one for that matter, and there is no doubt about that, but the government should not relent in its efforts as it is not an indication that the insecurity has completely come to an end. In fact, this is even the time that the government should be more proactive about looking for other solutions to this problem of bandits because you cannot fully trust these wicked criminals.
“Again, I want to advise the governor that just like he hosted the Maulud celebration, let him organize a national prayer in Zamfara on the insecurity matter. Yes, let him invite all the people and Malams’ from even outside the state, or even outside the country. Let us all gather where the people gathered to pray to God to expose all those that are having a hand in this insecurity and killings, for God to punish them and relieve us of their devilish ways”.
Mustafa Marwana, who also resides in Gusau, in his view suggested that sanctions should be placed on all those social media handlers, saboteur politicians, informants who are found supporting or helping the bandits in committing these atrocities against us.
“No matter the case, people are of the opinion that the governor has been committed to the fight against the bandits as he has achieved this feat within a short period of three years of his government, something his predecessor could not achieve in the eight years that he was in the saddle. He should therefore be commended for a job well done.” He said.
