The Parliament Diary

In a move to bring lasting peace in Udege Development Area of Nasarawa Local Government Area, Governor Abdullahi Sule has taken decisive measures to bring to an end the crisis engulfing the area leading to the loss of lives and damage to property.

Accordingly, Governor Sule has banished contending families from Odu and Embu from the control Mararaba, to pave way for the appointment of an administrator who would work towards peaceful resolution of the conflict in the area.

The Governor took the decision during an expanded security meeting involving Afo stakeholders, at the Government House on Monday.

He announced the decision of his administration to appoint an administrator for Udege Development Area, with two members each to be drawn from Odu and Embu communities.

“As a government, we have to take a decision for the peace of the land. We cannot allow things to continue the way they are. We decided that as far as government is concerned, none of the two contending houses would be recognized as in control of Mararaba in Udege Development Area.

“We are going to appoint an administrator in that particular area who would assist the government to come up with the final solutions,’ he stated.

While appealing to the warring factions to sheath their swords and to give peace a chance, especially with current developments in Udege, with mining activities taking centre stage, he said the decision taken by his administration is based on the various reports submitted in the collective efforts to end the mayhem in Udege.

“Our decisions would be based on all these reports and not just on one report. We have to look at the reports in totality. I want everybody going back to go and remember that the small village you knew as Mararaba is no longer a village. It has expanded. That is the reason why the entire Afo land was just one district under Udege. But now you have six. It will not be surprising to create another chiefaincy in Mararaba itself. It has grown to that level. If we create that, we will work with the administrator that we are appointing in line with the reports that we have received, to make sure that everybody is represented,” he said.

He called on the stakeholders to consider Mararaba as belonging to the Afo Nation, not minding their differences.

“According to history, Mararaba has always been under Odu. Mararaba has grown more than Odu to the point that Mararaba should be independent. Or Mararaba should have a different status. Mararaba has grown. It is even bigger than Odu,” he said.

Speakkng on his recent trip to China, Governor Sule emphasized the need for peace in the area, particularly with more discoveries of mineral resources such as lithium and tantalite, with Kenyang Mining Company committed to establishing a $250m tantalite processing plant in Udege.

Earlier, in an opening remarks, National Legal Adviser to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Abdulkarim Kana (SAN), lamented that the crisis engulfing Afo land has reached to the point that Afo stakeholders have to be summoned before the Governor.

Professor Kana therefore appealed to the Afo people to lay down their arms and embrace peace in order to support the administration of Governor Sule that is bring development to the area.

Yahaya Owuna, a retired Navy Commodore, listed several reasons why Afo people should lay down their arms in order to allow peace reign in the area.

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