In Ebonyi State, Nigeria’s south-eastern agricultural heartland, the lush sprawling land is not just soil; it fuses identity with livelihood, sometimes ushering a spark for violence. This is a grim reality depicted by the recent storm between the Amasiri community in Afikpo LGA and Oso-Edda in Edda LGA threatened local peace, menaced the broader credibility of subnational governance, and forebode a cycle of reprisals in a region already charred by similar clashes. Then steps in Governor Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru with measured intervention as swift as it is stern.
In a move to ascertain the extent of damage from the dispute that sprouted on January 29, Governor Nwifuru visited the ravaged Okporojo site. He subsequently imposed a curfew on Amasiri, sacked all government appointees from the community including the commissioner for tertiary education, Amari Omaka, dissolved the local development union, dethroned traditional rulers, and shut down schools temporarily. Soldiers were deployed, and a 72-hour ultimatum issued to produce the culprits. Suspects were in custody by February, and the curfew was relaxed from a near-total lockdown to between 7am and 6pm.
A bitter pill for lasting peace
Some have argued that these measures averted a bloodbath and potentially saved Amasiri from reprisal deaths given deafening whispers of vengeance. Others contend that Nwifuru’s move from a previous heavy-handed approach of a total lockdown to a calibrated relaxation is a demonstration of a governance style that is as muscular as it is mindful. Nwifuru’s Amaseri peace tonic may seem like a collective punishment to the casual observer, but intelligence information as disclosed by the governor suggested that five neighbouring communities were gearing up for a retaliation that could have killed 200 people. This then shows that his approach was preventative rather than punitive as he might have saved Amaseri from carnage by containing them. The decisive action, extoled by eminent Ebonyians like the Works Minister David Umahi, has soothed vengeful flames of fury.
Such decisiveness merits commendation from an economic lens, given the heavy toll communal conflicts exert in Ebonyi, a state contributing significantly to Nigeria’s rice production and host to deposits of lead, zinc and limestone. The World Bank estimates that violence spates in Nigeria’s rural areas cost the economy up to 2 per cent of GDP in lost output yearly, while eroding investor confidence. In Ebonyi alone, past disputes such as those between Abaomege and Ishinkwo or Ishiagu and Akaeze have razed farms, halted mining operations and subverted agribusiness investments. Thus, by acting forcefully, Mr Nwifuru stemmed immediate escalation, preserving the fragile peace that underpins the state’s ambition to become a food basket for the south-east.
Mirroring past pan-African approaches; tempering the accolades
Nwifuru’s method reflects past successful mediations in other parts of Africa. In Kenya’s Rift Valley following 2007 election violence, violence was quashed in similar top-down fashion that comprised curfews and leadership cleansings that bought time for lasting reconciliation. Governor Nwifuru’s move is built on prior peace deals including a 2003 boundary-setting gazette. What is more, the governor showed zero tolerance for collusion, likely discouraging future instigators. Early signs are promising as no major reprisals have occurred and a probes continue, enabling businesses to trickle back.
But praise must be moderated. Critics, including Amasiri leaders and a human-rights lawyer who filed a N105 billion ($65m) suit against Governor Nwifuru condemned the actions as punitive and biased and smacking of collateral punishment. With school shut, markets desolate and residents fleeing in fear of arbitrary arrests, they argue that the externalities could heighten malice and turn a boundary squabble into rooted animosity. Economists warn of “conflict traps” that could spawn long-term instability if grievances grow.
Towards sustainable harmony
The governor’s leadership has shown, thus far, demonstrated a perceptive grasp of political economy, with his restraint signalling neutrality, his engagement conveying respect, and his intervention restoring calm without recourse to wanton force. Now, the governor must steer from containment to stabilisation. First, he should implement the 2003 boundary gazette drafted during an earlier administration, which apparently offers a neutral demarcation based on historical claims and surveys. Delaying this could fuel accusations of favouritism. Clear boundaries would reduce ambiguity, same way Rwanda’s post-genocide land reforms clarified ownership and boosted agricultural productivity by almost 20 per cent.
Again, the governor must control negative externalities and cushion the economic costs of lost wages for traders, disrupted education for children and psychological trauma for families, which have arisen from curfew and shutdowns. The governor could establish a rehabilitation fund to compensate victims on both sides, rebuild homes in Okporojo, and support displaced Amasiri farmers. This way, the State’s over N10 billion per year mining sector will gain as stability attracts investors.
Third, the governor could establish a cross-community council in the mould of South Africa’s post-apartheid truth and reconciliation commissions. This will let the people air their grievances, promoting dialogue. On the economy front, shared infrastructure projects like irrigation schemes for rice paddies and access roads to disputed quarries could turn disputed land into shared assets.
The final word
By and large, Governor Nwifuru has evinced the courage for decisive action. He has exhibited the wisdom to relax as the moment allowed. He has earned the trust of the wider public and the patience of the affected communities. Now he must remove detonators can be reconnected and guarantee lasting peace. To do this, he must double as an economic architect and a security operative. binding the communities together through mutual economic fate, legally indisputable boundaries, and accountable local governance. This way, he will warrant that the only thing severed in Ebonyi’s future is the cord between its people and poverty, not between a man and his head. For as the gun has fallen silent, the moment of danger must be turned into a foundation for prosperity. This is the ultimate test of economic statecraft.
Dr. Unah is an investment banker and a public policy analyst; he writes from Lagos
