Share/Tsaragi Communal Crisis: Gov Ahmed denies taking sides

By Demola Akinyemi

ILORIN—Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, has denied being partisan or partial in the communal crisis between Share, his home town, and Tsaragi as he had sworn to be impartial, irrespective of ethnic or religious beliefs.

Abdulfatah Ahmed

The Tsaragi community had last Friday at a press conference in Ilorin accused the governor of taking sides with his town people of Share in the communal clash that had claimed lives and properties.

But, Governor Ahmed in a press statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Abdulwahab Oba, said the allegations levelled against him by the people of Tsaragi, was a shocking, unfair and inappropriate representation of what transpired during a peace meeting he had with the people of the community.

Oba said the governor had told both parties that the people of Share and Tsaragi have to learn to co -habit peacefully and draw strength and inspiration from their diversity for infrastructure and economic development of both communities.

He noted that for the fact that the governor is from Share cannot in any way influence his decision on matters of state, especially security related matters.

The statement reads in part: “For the avoidance of doubt, Gov. Ahmed swore to an oath of Office as the Governor of the state to be impartial to all, irrespective of ethnic, religious beliefs and other persuasions, he can, therefore, not take sides on the matter at hand.

“It also clarified that on the advice of the governor that all shades of views on how to resolve the recurring crisis between Share and Tsaragi, including, if need be, the application of the concept of ‘give and take’, it is painful that such advice is seen by some party in the dispute as ‘threatening land owners,’ when in fact the governor expressed the same view when he had peace talks with the people of Share after the session with the people of Tsaragi.”

“It is also on record that the leader of the Tsaragi delegation, Dr Muhammed Haruna in public glare said to the effect that both communities must live together in peace. This is on the same page with the position of Gov. Ahmed, rather than the tar of partisanship that the people who claimed to have addressed the Press attempted to paint him.

“For the umpteenth time, Dr Ahmed calls on communities in the state to be one another’s brother keepers while reiterating his determination to guarantee peace and harmony in the state,” the statement said.