by Tosin Adesina

The recurrent crisis in the Southern Kaduna area of Kaduna reared his ugly head again on the 19th of July 2017, and by the time the dust settled, over 35 souls have been sent to their graves. That Southern Kaduna is in crisis is not news, as the zone has been enmeshed in this crisis for decades, and it has defied solution.

The crisis has intensified since the assumption of Nasir el-Rufai as Kaduna governor. Not that el-Rufai is to blame for the long standing crisis, however, the question is as the executive governor, what is he doing to curb this occurrence?

As the Chief Security Officer of the state, the onus lies on him to protect the lives and properties of his people. It is sad that currently, we live in a country where political leaders are not accountable to those who elected them.

Public office is a burden that comes with public trust, this trust brews a smooth and harmonious relationship between the government and the governed. The crisis in Kaduna is a minus to any political prowess el-Rufai may claim to possess. An executive Governor who failed to protect his own people has no reason being in office in the first place.

Politicians like el-Rufai are seen to parade themselves as men of the people. If really the governor is a man of the people, what happened to intelligence gathering among citizens? What is the relationship between the Governor and the community development associations in Southern Kaduna?

These are some of the avenues the Governor should have used to douse the tension rather than ‘compensating’ one side with wads of cash. el-Rufai has no reason to complain as he was well and fully aware that Southern Kaduna was a hotbed before his emergence and he should have designed a framework to deal with this issue.

How long will the inhabitants of Southern Kaduna have to die? This is a question for the Governor to answer.