Jimitota Onoyume
30 June 2008
THE Ijaw have expressed doubt in the ability of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission sitting in Port Harcourt to bring about the desired reconciliation and peace in Rivers State.
President, Ijaw National Congress, Prof Kimse Okoko who spoke in Port Harcourt said the state government erred when it said it was going to rely on the rule of law to deal with issues that would arise from the commission.
According to him, the state government should have assured of amnesty to those that would plead for crimes committed against the state.
The resolve of government to rely on the rule of law on issues that would emanate from the commission, he said, was largely responsible for why many that had so far appeared before the commission claimed they can't recall their roles in some of the crisis that rocked the state.
Prof Okoko also dismissed arguments by some that the Rivers State government misfired to have set up the commission, claiming that it should have been the task of the Federal Government to set up the commission.
His words, "I do not accept the comment by some people that it was wrong for the Rivers State government to set up the commission, saying that kind of thing can only be done by the Federal Government. That is a very lazy way of thinking.
There is a problem in the state. And the government wants to find out what went wrong. Again, this goes to underscore the perverted federal system we have in the country. Everything is centralized. Why must a unit within the federation not carry out reconciliation when the problem is within the confines of that unit"?
"They want everything to be done at the centre that is a perversion of federalism. The Rivers state government was right to set up the commission but they derailed with the pronouncement that regardless of what happened those found guilty must be subjected to the rule of law. That statement has subverted the utility of the entire process.
If you are saying that through the process those found guilty will face the law then they are not going to come and tell you what they have done.
That was a big blunder on the part of the state government. Immediately that statement was put out the panel itself had failed because the true reconciliation will be difficult to achieve. Now we hear the major actors saying they can't remember what had happened. When they say this what then are you going to reconcile. This is the tragedy of the commission."
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Vanguard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
