Ethno-religious crisis: Senate to address indigene/settler dichotomy
By John Alechenu, Abuja, Published: Friday, 9 Apr 2010


     

View All (0) Comment(s) 




As part of measures aimed at ending the recurring ethno-religious crisis occasioned by disputes over residency rights, a bill seeking to correct the anomaly is currently before the Senate.



The piece of legislation, which is a bill sponsored by Senator Abubakar Sodangi (PDP, Nasarawa West), is aimed at bringing to an end, the indigene/settler dichotomy often blamed for recurring violence across the nation.



Our correspondent gathered in Abuja on Thursday that the bill had been slated for second reading as soon as the Senate resumes plenary next week.



Hundreds of Nigerian lives had been lost to ethno-religious conflicts since the return of civilian rule in 1999.



The bill is titled “A Bill for an Act to Provide for Residency Rights for Every Citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who has lived or resided consecutively and paid taxes to the relevant local government of the area where such person has lived or resided for a period of not less than five consecutive years and for any child of such person who is less than 18 years of age and who has lived with such citizen for the same period of time, and for other related matters.”



But a member of the civil society, Mallam Auwal Musa, said while such legislation was welcomed, a lot more needs to be done to improve public perception of the concept of nationhood.



He said it was unjust for any state in Nigeria to discriminate against a fellow Nigerian who had lived and worked all his life and contributed meaningfully to a given society over time to be discriminated against.



Musa, who is also the executive director of the Abuja-based Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, explained that Nigerians also required reorientation to see one another as stakeholders in the Nigerian state.



He said, “We need a leadership at all levels that can elicit confidence in Nigerians as a people.



When leaders truly lead with justice and fairness, every Nigerian will feel free and safe in any part of the country they find themselves.”

  --------- Culled from the Punch.

Finally it is begining to sink in but I don't think this bill is necessary as the question of citizenship is already addressed in the Nigerian Constitution. It just needs to be implemented.

I thought what would have been a better bill is to pass a resolution demanding all illegal prectice of state religion to be abolished or the concerned states will face court action.

Mr Abubakar and Auwal are getting nearer the truth but they should face the truth squarely and stop papering around the edges.

Those are my thoughts, what do you think folks

NO NO NO NO HELLLLLL NOOOOO

Until there is NO sharia Law in Nigeria as a whole, state of origin is needed!!!!

With this Law the whole midde belt can fall under sharia easily- and we will see even more violence and death between sharia supporters and non sharia folks.
Why are naija senators sooo senseless?

Do away with religous laws- I don think they can unsharia the north- these radical muslim will go crazy and take it out on christians/southerners like they did when sharia came.

igbo people no fall for am- dis law no favor una politically

at least someone is doing something or at least attempting to do something, its always very easy to point accusing fingers

sjeezy8:

NO NO NO NO HELLLLLL NOOOOO

Until there is NO sharia Law in Nigeria as a whole, state of origin is needed!!!!

With this Law the whole midde belt can fall under sharia easily- and we will see even more violence and death between sharia supporters and non sharia folks.
Why are naija senators sooo senseless?

Do away with religous laws- I don think they can unsharia the north- these radical muslim will go crazy and take it out on christians/southerner.

igbo people no fall for am-

you are waiting for a nassarawa senator to bring up a debate about sharia law in nigeria?
what happen to the other senators that act like it doesnt affect them?

Dis Guy:

at least someone is doing something or at least attempting to do something, its always very easy to point accusing fingers


you are waiting for a nassarawa senator to bring up a debate about sharia law in nigeria?
what happen to the other senators that act like it doesnt affect them?

Exactly I still don't know why someone has not pointed out that the practice of  State Religion is alien to the Federal Constitution and thus illegal. That the state voted for it at state level does not make it legal because Federal laws take precedence over state laws and where there are direct clash of laws, state laws simply become null and void.

Why has'nt anyone pointed out that the practice of Sharia as a state religion is illegal.

see section 10 of 1999 constitution below.

10. The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion.

Sharia is only recognised in 1999 as a customary law of choice used to settle customary disputes like divorce, inheritance and family disputes. Most importantly all parties to the dispute must agree to this law being used. It does not say Sharia law should be acceptable as a way of life or practice of religion in any state.

The 12 Northern States practicing Sharia right now are actually committing a criminal offence.

Nigeria is finished and will break up if this is passed periodu,

There is no need for the bill. The constitution has already settled this issue when it says in section 42 below

42. (1) A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person:-

(a) be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government, to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions are not made subject; or

(b) be accorded either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any such executive or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions.

The problem is not with the Nigerian constitution. The problem is with implementation.

There is no place for indigene/settler dichotomy in the Federal Constitution. We don't need more legislations. What we need is honest implementation.

But I believe Mr Abubakar has raised an important topic which can help spur a serious debate.

I think we will get their

But if Nigerians were polical active, all the need to do is to innundate all their Senators will e-mails demanding of them what to do.

Somebody somewhere will talk about it.

indigene/settler dichotomy originated during the biafran war as a weapon against the biafrans.many nigerians stay stuck to their ancestral land and do not believe in greener pastures elsewhere.why nigerian cities apart from abuja look like enlarged villages is because people refuse to give up their ancestral land for meaningful planning and development.they sell them plot by plot to poor developers.this is highly evident in port-harcourt.

Wait a minute, so this means that someone that has not paid taxes and has not lived in a place for 5 years will be what?

Fhemmmy:

Wait a minute, so this means that someone that has not paid taxes and has not lived in a place for 5 years will be what?

according to Mr Abubakar you will be classified settler