Civil Society Council Urges Tinubu to Establish Truth and Reconciliation Committee for Rivers Crisis

The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to set up an independent Truth and Reconciliation Committee to resolve the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, NCSCN President Blessing Akinlosotu emphasized the need for the committee to be composed of elder statesmen from outside Rivers, including former Presidents, Vice Presidents, Senate Presidents, and Speakers of the House of Representatives.

According to Akinlosotu, the committee should conduct an unbiased, in-depth inquiry into both the root and immediate causes of the crisis, gathering essential facts to ensure a sustainable and widely accepted resolution.

“We will communicate to the committee is set up some issues that can be made public during personal engagements and interactions with both the Presidency and the Sole Administrator, retired Vice Adm. Ibot-Ete Ibas.

“Before the declaration of State of Emergency in Rivers, we sounded words of caution and decorum, during the crisis that engulfed the state.

“The Supreme Court pre-empted the decision of Tinubu, by affirming in its judgment that there was no government existing in Rivers, following the demolition of the State House of Assembly.

“The demolition of the house amounted to destroying the symbol of democracy, adding that such an act took the matter too far,’ he said.

He warned that if the situation in Rivers had escalated into full-scale violence, the consequences would have been far more devastating than the temporary setback caused by the declaration of a state of emergency.

Akinlosotu also noted that the actions taken by President Tinubu and the National Assembly could be seen as a necessary response to prevent further instability.

“A stitch in time, they say, saves nine others. It is better to be responsive and proactive than defensive and reactionary.

“It may even be considered too extreme a measure in addressing the situation, yet it is wiser to save precious lives and valuable properties, than to respond after costly damages had been done, and irreversible loses occur.

“For us here in the Civil Society Council, the milk has been spilled already, and it is too late to cry over the spilled milk.

“However, we advice that, if possible, the state of emergency in Rivers should be terminated within next three months.

”The wisdom behind and success of the State of Emergency will be tested and attested by the level of peace, stability, progress and political harmony achieved in the state by the sole administrator,” he said.