Zaman Tare: EU, CAFOD, CARITAS Building Peace In Kaduna Communities- Varsity Sub- Dean

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA– The Sub- Dean, Faculty of Social Science, Kaduna State University and Coordinator of Zaman Tare program of the University, Dr Yakubu Haruna Ja’e has commended the laudable contribution of the European Union, (EU) Catholic agency for overseas Development, ( CAFOD) and CARITAS Nigeria in building and promoting peace in Kaduna state and the country.

The University Scholar made the assertion at the ongoing public lecture and Dissemination of information and findings by student researchers under the Zaman Tare scholarship on Thursday at the university.

He stated this while assessing the unprecedented presentations by the student scholars so far ” the students have tried, offcourse their presentations were superb and excellent; and the sponsors for the program, EU, CAFOD and CARITAS have done tremendously, well in building peace in these communities

” I wish that subsequently, we are going to have more people like them who are going to come and engage people in understanding the need for coming together and living together ” he added

Speaking further, he said the ” findings by the researchers are in a good way of building peaceful coexistence  and tolerance among the multi-ethnic or multi pluralistic society, adding ” we asked the students to go to the selected communities, the four LGAs of Kaduna metropolis, namely, Kaduna north, Kaduna south, Igabi and Chikun, to do a research about the activities of Zaman Tare in these communities.

He stressed that the researchers were instructed to remain in the community for a while to “discover their findings whether what the people are telling them orally is what is obtainable or not and their findings are very paramount and that’s why we want to publish it and the findings are geared towards peaceful coexistence among our heterogeneous society ” he reiterated

Speaking further, he also thanked JNI, CAN and other religious bodies preaching peace and cultural pluralism and tolerance among the heterogeneous communities.

One of the researchers, a MCPSS student from the Department of political science, Shaibu Adamu Shugaba, whose research work is  ” A comparative analysis of Zaman Tare in Ungwar rimi and Mararaban- Rido” said the message of Zaman Tare ( living together and peaceful coexistence in Ungwar- rimi is 70 percent a success.

He said, this was made possible in the multi religious/ ethnic community of ungwar rimi, due to concerted efforts by religious and traditional leaders, ” they are doing every thing possible to see that their people live in peace, because U/rimi comprises of different ethnic groups, with the two major religions” adding that they community holds their meetings frequently, to iron out issues that affect them, to move forward.

On Mararaban- rido community he said the issue is different, because the have a challenge of the migration of people to their community from other communities due to economic, ethnic or security reasons, according to him, that has resulted in the challenge of attacks on that axis during conflict situation. He however said the coming of Zaman Tare and the efforts of the Youth leadership has nipped in the bud these problems.

He then recommended the need for cooperation by both communities to enhance peaceful coexistence, while calling on people to open their eyes, because the problems of conflict is caused by some religious leaders, who deviate from the real teachings of their Holy Books ” we should be bold enough to correct them and insist they preach in accordance with the Koran and Bible and to help us apply them practically ” he added

While describing the project ‘Zaman Tare’ as a ” welcome idea, they are doing well, with their efforts, now awareness has been created in various places most especially in the rural areas on the message of living peacefully with one another, and the scholarship to students, has helped the less privileged to pay their tuition fees and sustain their programs” he averred

On her part, a student of the Department of Islamic studies, said her research findings on ” An assessment of the womenfolks in conflict resolution; a case study of Kaduna metropolis ” showed that the womenfolks have a great role to play to secure lives and property adding that ” women in general have a greater role to play because of their nature, owing to the fact that they are mothers, wives, grandmothers and so on

” the research also found that the womenfolks also use mediation, negotiations and reconciliation to conflict resolution and the research also found out that women use collaborative , compromising and avoiding management style inorder to create a more peaceful coexistence among people in the society ” she stressed

Recommending that the government should try as a much as possible to be just to everyone, and community leaders were called upon to encourage for more women participation in such activities, while urging religious leaders to inculcate the right moral character and preach what the various religions instruct them to teach their subjects to create enduring peace among the people

She maintained that, Zaman Tare project, has created a forum for the people of the society and the state ” because it has created more togetherness, friendship understanding, it has efficiently enlightened both religions on the importance of peaceful coexistence”

Similarly, a student of the Political Science Department, Ubaidullah Zubairu Idris, while speaking on ” The role of Jama’atul Nasir Islam (JNI) in combating intra- religious conflicts in Kaduna metropolis ” said his findings showed that”  people are aware of JNI as a religious society and also people are aware of its activities within the metropolis

” But the concerns here among my findings is that there’s political interference in the activities of JNI, also we have the issues of lack of fundings hindering its activities”  adding that, ” religious leaders aren’t doing enough in enlightening and educating their members inorder to have  peaceful coexistence among other Islamic sects” he stressed

He suggested that adequate funding be made available for JNI to carry out its activities, inclusive of capacity building training for staffers to be knowledgeable enough to tackle issues at hand. He also recommended that there should be more enlightenment by the Islamic scholars to their members on tolerance and how to live together with members from other sects”

He said the Zaman Tare scholarship program is” very useful and helpful and it has helped inculcate the spirit of unity and togetherness and unity among the communities. I strongly recommend the program should surpass its activities by spreading across all states and country at large, because it’s really helping the heterogeneous society ” he said

ZAMAN TARE is a project of Caritas Nigeria, Funded by European Union, (EU) in partnership with CAFOD and DREP, and it is presently operating in Kaduna and Plateau states in Nigeria and Niger Republic respectively