Discussion
Details
Stakeholders and security agencies in the respective geo-political zones were invited to Ibadan on January 20, in Port Harcourt on January 26, in Abuja on January 30, and Kaduna and Jos on February 3 and 5, 2015 respectively.
The stakeholders were to find ways of preventing and addressing violence before, during and after elections in their zones. Among the stakeholders at the town hall meeting s were traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth associations, the state Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Okada Riders’ Association, National Union of Teachers, Vigilante groups, market women association, State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), The Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Prisons Service, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigeria Army, and also the NSCDC officers.
Each Town Hall Meeting hosted from 250 to 300 participants.
The town hall meetings were important to stakeholders because the experience after the elections in 2011 is still fresh in their memories. A large part of Nigeria was plunged into post electoral violence which caught many people unaware. As the 2015 elections are coming nearer, most Nigerians living in different places started relocating to their state of birth to avoid the violence and ethnic clashes.
The traditional rulers and religious leaders are confronted with the task to convince their citizens not to panic. The Chief Imam of Ibadan land has called on all Muslims to go to the prayer grounds on a particular day to pray for violence free elections.
The security agencies reiterated their readiness for the violent conflicts in case they occur. They used the opportunity of the town hall meetings to assure the ordinary citizens not to panic, while the citizens were given the opportunity to dialogue with the security agencies, which does not happen regularly.
NSCDC and KAS were recommended for their efforts to bring the stakeholders of the Security Forces and stakeholder associations of the citizens together for the dialogue on the benefits of Violence Free Elections.
