Politics
Lessons From Rwanda
In 1994, the unwarranted and gruesome genocide unleashed on the minority Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda sent shock waves across the globe as the end result was over 800,000 people killed in just 100 days.
Those killed included men, women and even babies in the cradles. Also an estimated 250,000 women and girls were raped with some of them infected with HIV.
How did these killings start? The Kingdom of Rwanda was a peaceful place until the advent of colonialism which saw it placed under the rule of Belgium after the first World War. The policies of the colonial Belgian governors later ensured that there was class division along ethnic lines by even issuing identity cards stating one’s ethnic affiliation and these identity cards were used in terms of employment, and admission into schools.
Consequently these absurd policies were inherited by the post independent government in 1962 and never abolished.
However the history of Rwanda has never been that peaceful as in 1959 Hutu revolution had forced about 300,000 Tutsis to flee the country. And by 1961 the King who was of Tutsi origin was sent packing, the country was declared a republic; the monarchy abolished, and a Hutu, Gregoire Kayibanda, elected as president.
Kayibanda’s presidency was shortlived as he was overthrown in 1973 by juvinal Habyarimana, who ruled till he was killed with his Burundian counterpart Cyprien Ntayamira, when the plane they were on board was shot down over kigali, which later triggerd the orgy of killings, the killing was put to an end when the Tutsi led Rwandan patriotic front which had been fighting the government took control of the capital, Kigali, on July 6 1994.
25 years after the killings how far has the country gone to mend the wounds of the past? Today in Rwanda nobody is talking about one’s ethnic background as the obsolete identify card with one’s ethnic classification or social status has been abolished.
Everybody is now a Rwandan by classification. Immediately the Rwandan patriotic front took over the reins of power it also began the process of reconciliation whereby those who took part in the killings of their neighbours and friends had to visit the survivors to apologise, for the role they played in the sordid history of the country. And for those top government and military officers the consequences for their actions were just terms and apologies.
These efforts by the government today have brought about tremendous change in the society. Also memorabila of what took place could be seen in museums in the capital Kigali and other cities with the slogan “Never again”.
For killing to take place in such a speed and the huge number of casalities, quite a number of factors were involved such as hate speeches, government support, religious leaders indifference and sometimes encouragement of one segment of the society against another and foreign power conspiracy to create chaos in the African society. France, Belgium were specifically blamed by the Kagame administration, for aiding and being indifferent to the killings the Catholic Church in Rwanda.
There was a stage when even the Canadian born UN Peace Commander had to emotionally beg for the UN and other international bodies for assistance to stem the killings but found no support, only silence until when the magnitude of the crime was revealed to the world that people started making-half-hearted statements on the genocide.
Initially, France denied complicity but just recently French President, macron has set up a high powered body to look into France’s role in the 1994 genocide. Former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali said “The failure of Rwanda is 10 times greater than the failure of Yugoslavia, because in Yugoslavia the international community was interested, in Rwanda nobody was interested”.
Hate speech, discrimination and killings do not just start in a day, it has been going on over the years in many countries. In 1913, over a million Armenians were butchered by the Turkish government, with their churches desecrated. The indigenous population of Turkey, the Greeks today are not more than 5,000 in a population of about 80 million people. The second genocidal incident in modern times was the holocaust of 1939 to 1945 during the second World War instigated by Adolf Hitler, that of Cambodia under Pol Pot. But that of Rwanda was the worst as 70 of the Tutsi population was wiped out in just 100 days.
What are the lessons we, as Nigerians can learn after fighting a bitter civil war, following a similar bloody history of hate speech and genocide which saw to the death of one million Nigerians mostly from the South Eastern part of the country?
Although the Nigerian situation was better, for the past five years there has been bloodletting, killings and destruction almost on weekly basis in parts of the country.
Book Haram is still committing atrocities in the North West, with bandits holding swart in Kaduna Zamfara and Katsina and the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
According to the governor of Zamfara State, within the past five years 3,526 persons were killed by armed bandits with 500 villages destroyed, yet the country is not at war.
Hundreds of thousands of Nigerians are living in refugees’ camps in their own country with the government doing literarily nothing to stop the violence.
If the Rwanda Patriotic Front under Paul Kagame can put a stop to killings within one week of taking over power with virtually no resources at his disposal under a civil war situation, why can’t the Nigerian government with huge resources at its disposal unable to put an end to the menace of Boko Haram and armed bandits are they spirits?
For too long, the menace of armed groups have been overlooked and it begins to look suspicious that there are fifth columnist groups who want instability and another round of civil war to occur in Nigeria.
The government should take the issue of security seriously, otherwise what is seen as insignificant will one day snow ball into something more dangerous, that will affect the whole country. Killings by so-called herdsmen are still on with no serious attempts made to arrest the culprits.
If we reflect back when the issue of Boko Haram and the banditry in Zamfara started, a lot of Nigerians especially in the affected states were playing politics with it. Today some personalities can’t go to their villages even duns public holidays or weekend as their communities have been razed.
In Nigeria let the truth be told, we don’t value human life. There is no difference between the living and the dead. Our leaders don’t have empathy.
Is it today that the presidency will sit up and realise that the killings in Zamfara State had to do with the mining sector?
There is this suspicious feeling that the killings in part of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna Benue parts of Adamawa Kogi and Enugu states are not herdsmen/farmers clash but a well thought out plan to eliminate the indigenous population of those area because the land there abound with precious mineral resources.
Today these suspicions have been partly proven by the recent statement by the president that all foreigners in all mining sites in Zamfara should quit the area and mining activities be suspended.
So government knew all along that the killings in these areas were economically motivated and had kept silence. What a shame!
Tonye Ikiroma-Owiye
The state chairman of the party, Dr Babandi Gumel, disclosed this in a statement signed and made available to journalists on Saturday.
According to the statement, the Jigawa PDP received news of Alhaji Lamido’s suspension with “profound shock and disappointment”.
The statement added that the suspension, which was reportedly based on allegations that Alhaji Lamido attended meetings capable of undermining party unity, amounts to an affront to justice, internal democracy and the reconciliation efforts recently championed by the PDP leadership.
The party stressed that the exercise of legal and constitutional rights within the party should not be interpreted as an act of disunity. It recalled that Alhaji Lamido approached the court after he was allegedly denied the opportunity to purchase a nomination form to contest the position of National Chairman of the PDP.
The statement further noted that the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, ruled in Alhaji Lamido’s favour by restraining the PDP from proceeding with its national convention until his right to contest was determined.
The Jigawa PDP argued that the suspension appeared to be a punitive action against Alhaji Lamido for seeking judicial redress over an issue on which the court had already found merit.
The party also faulted the decision of the BoT for contradicting recent public statements by its chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, who had emphasised reconciliation within the party, admitted past mistakes and appealed to aggrieved members to return fully to the PDP fold.
However, it maintained that suspending a founding member who sought justice through legal means runs contrary to the spirit of reconciliation and healing publicly advocated by the party leadership.
The chairman said the suspension was premature and prejudicial, as the matter remains before the courts. He also described Alhaji Lamido as one of the few founding fathers of the PDP who has remained loyal to the party without defecting, warning that punishing such loyalty sends a negative signal to other committed members.
The party further argued that the action undermines party unity at a time when the PDP requires cohesion to effectively challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). It also insisted that there is no provision in the PDP constitution that allows for the suspension of a “life member”.
The party called on the BoT to immediately and unconditionally withdraw the suspension of Alhaji Lamido.
It also demanded that the BoT publicly affirm the right of all party members to aspire to leadership positions in line with the party’s constitution and the laws of the country, without fear of victimisation.
It further urged the BoT to retrace its steps, align its actions with its reconciliation agenda, and tender an apology to Alhaji Lamido.
The Jigawa PDP reaffirmed its commitment to a united, democratic and law-abiding Party.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, CISLAC warned that if proven, such actions would amount to a serious breach of constitutional order, legislative integrity, and public trust.
The organisation noted that Nigeria’s law-making process is clearly defined by the Constitution, stressing that any alteration of a bill after parliamentary passage undermines democratic governance and the principle of separation of powers.
CISLAC further emphasised that taxation has direct implications for citizens, businesses, sub-national governments, and the overall economy. It stated that uncertainty or a lack of transparency in tax legislation could erode investor confidence and raise concerns about accountability and the possible abuse of executive power.
The organisation described the situation as particularly troubling given the rare inclusive, and thorough public consultation that shaped the law’s final provisions prior to its passage.
“This process brought together taxpayers, civil society groups, professional organisations, the private sector, labour unions, local governments, and technical experts, ensuring that diverse viewpoints were considered and carefully balanced.
“Any unilateral changes to these agreed-upon provisions, made outside the established legislative process and without renewed public engagement, not only breach public trust but also violate the fundamental tax principle of representation, which holds that citizens must have a meaningful voice in shaping the laws that govern how they are taxed. Such actions undermine democratic accountability, weaken the legitimacy of the tax system, and risk eroding public confidence”, it noted.
CISLAC expressed particular concern that uncertainty surrounding the authenticity of the tax law, coming at a time when a new tax regime is expected to take effect, could exacerbate the economic hardship already faced by many Nigerians.
It observed that citizens are contending with rising living costs, inflationary pressures, declining purchasing power, and reduced access to basic services, warning that implementing a disputed tax framework under such conditions, risks deepening inequality, discouraging compliance, and fuelling public resentment.
The organisation stressed that tax reforms must be anchored in clarity, legality, fairness, and social sensitivity, cautioning that any tax system introduced without full transparency, adequate public communication, and legislative certainty undermines voluntary compliance and weakens the social contract between the state and its citizens.
As part of its recommendations, CISLAC called on the Presidency to urgently publish the exact version of the tax law assented to, alongside the authenticated copy passed by the National Assembly, to allow for public and institutional verification.
It also urged the leadership of the National Assembly to promptly exercise its oversight powers to determine whether the assented law reflects the will of the legislature, including a review of the enrolled bill process.
The organisation maintained that any discrepancy discovered should be treated as unconstitutional and addressed through lawful means, such as the re-transmission of the correct bill or judicial interpretation where necessary. It further called for an independent review of the process by relevant institutions, including the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and, where required, the judiciary, to establish the facts and assign responsibility.
CISLAC noted that the controversy highlights the urgent need to strengthen safeguards at the legislative and executive interface. It recommended measures such as digital tracking of bills, public access to enrolled legislation, and more transparent assent procedures.
CISLAC emphasised that the issue is not about partisan politics but about safeguarding the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic institutions. It warned that allowing any arm of government to unilaterally alter laws passed by another sets a dangerous precedent and weakens constitutional democracy.
The organisation urged all parties involved to act with restraint, openness, and fidelity to the Constitution, noting that Nigerians deserve laws that reflect due process, the public interest, and the collective decisions of their elected representatives.
CISLAC added that it will continue to monitor developments and engage relevant stakeholders to promote accountability, transparency, and the rule of law in Nigeria’s governance processes.
