By Musa Tanimu Nasidi
In every community, there is a thin line between exercising one’s right to celebrate and infringing on the rights of others. Unfortunately, that line appears to be disappearing in some of the traditional communities of Lokoja, particularly Unguwan Fawa, Ward D, where the blockage of roads for social ceremonies has become an increasingly worrying phenomenon.
There is nothing wrong with weddings, naming ceremonies, receptions, religious gatherings or other social activities. Communities are built around such occasions, and celebration is part of our social life. But celebration should not become an excuse to take over public roads and prevent other residents from moving freely.
The situation in Ward D has become particularly disturbing. Hardly does a week pass without reports of roads being blocked for ceremonies. What should ordinarily be occasions for happiness are sometimes transformed into sources of hardship for residents, motorists, pedestrians and, most importantly, people who may need urgent access to health facilities.
Imagine a pregnant woman being rushed to hospital, a patient requiring immediate medical attention, or an emergency involving a child or an elderly person, only to discover that the only access road has been taken over by a ceremony.
Who takes responsibility when precious minutes are lost?
This is why the issue should no longer be dismissed as a minor community inconvenience. It is a matter that concerns public safety, fundamental human rights and responsible citizenship.
The road to the cemetery
The matter becomes even more sensitive because the Unguwan Fawa road also serves as the access route to the Unguwan Kura Muslim Cemetery in Ward D.
This means that the consequences of road blockage go beyond inconveniencing residents. It can also affect the movement of corpses being taken to their final resting place.
Imagine a bereaved family preparing to perform the final Islamic rites for a loved one, only to discover that the road leading to the cemetery has been taken over by a private social ceremony.
The dead deserve dignity in death, just as the living deserve access to their homes, hospitals, workplaces and other essential places.
A road leading to a cemetery should therefore be treated as an essential access route. It should not be casually blocked for private celebrations.
As at the time of writing, the Unguwan Fawa road leading towards the Muslim cemetery through Unguwan Kura-Kabawa to Mahadi was reportedly blocked. The concern is even greater because this is the route used to access the Unguwan Kura Muslim Cemetery, where members of the community are buried.
What happens when an ambulance needs to pass?
What happens when a pregnant woman is being rushed to hospital?
What happens when a patient requires urgent medical attention?
And what happens when mourners are taking the remains of a deceased member of the community to his or her final resting place?
These are not theoretical questions. They are situations that can arise at any time.
This is why the issue requires urgent attention from community leaders, traditional authorities, Islamic clerics and other stakeholders in Ward D and the wider Unguwan Fawa community.
Community leaders must act
The responsibility for solving this problem should not be left entirely to government agencies.
Government has a responsibility to enforce the law and protect citizens, but communities also have a responsibility to regulate themselves. We should not expect government to do everything for us.
Just as security is everybody’s business, maintaining order and protecting access routes should also be a collective responsibility.
Community leaders, traditional authorities, youth leaders, women’s groups, religious leaders and other stakeholders in Unguwan Fawa and neighbouring communities must come together and address the problem.
Our Islamic clerics, in particular, have an important role to play.
There is nowhere in Islam where an individual or group of individuals is permitted to arrogate to themselves powers that deprive others of their fundamental rights. The right to celebrate does not confer the right to inconvenience an entire community, obstruct essential routes or potentially endanger lives.
Our clerics should use Friday sermons, lectures, wedding ceremonies and other platforms to educate residents that one’s happiness should not become another person’s hardship.
There are alternatives
Another irony is that some people who block public roads for ceremonies eventually move their receptions to expensive hotels or event centres.
If a hall can be hired for the reception after taking over a road, why not organise the entire event at an appropriate venue from the beginning?
Lokoja has event centres, halls, schools and other suitable spaces that can be used for social gatherings without completely paralysing public roads.
The argument that “everybody does it” cannot justify a practice that creates hardship or danger for others.
Community traditions must evolve when certain practices begin to threaten public safety.
Your right ends where another person’s right begins
There is a need to remind residents of a basic principle of responsible citizenship: you have a right to celebrate, but you do not have the right to deprive another person of his or her legitimate rights.
A wedding ceremony should not prevent a neighbour from going to work.
A naming ceremony should not prevent an ambulance from passing.
A reception should not block access to a cemetery.
A social gathering should not prevent mourners from taking a corpse to its final resting place.
A night party should not create a security nightmare for an entire neighbourhood.
And no individual, regardless of status or influence, should behave as though public roads belong exclusively to him or her.
The authorities should therefore establish clear rules for the use of roads during social ceremonies, while community leaders should ensure that residents comply with such regulations.
Where temporary use of a road is absolutely unavoidable, adequate arrangements should be made for alternative access and emergency passage. But permanently or recklessly blocking major access routes should not be tolerated.
When celebration becomes a security risk
There is also a security dimension to the matter.
When roads are blocked and loud music continues late into the night, particularly where there is unrestricted movement and poor control of crowds, the environment can become difficult for security personnel to monitor.
Night parties and DJs should not become avenues through which criminals, cultists or other miscreants exploit crowded gatherings to cause trouble.
Lokoja has had experiences where community-based cooperation proved that security challenges could be addressed without waiting for government alone.
The late Maigari of Lokoja, of blessed memory, in conjunction with his Hakimis, vigilantes and other community stakeholders, used a combination of traditional leadership, community vigilance and prayers to confront security challenges in parts of the metropolis.
That experience remains instructive.
Community leadership matters.
The role of traditional and religious leaders
The traditional institution in Lokoja has historically played an important role in maintaining peace and order. That role should be strengthened.
The Maigari, Hakimis, ward heads, community elders and other traditional stakeholders should summon residents and organisers of ceremonies to agree on acceptable guidelines for social gatherings.
Islamic scholars and Imams should complement this effort by reminding the faithful that good neighbourliness, respect for others and preservation of life are central to responsible living.
The police, civil defence and local government authorities also have a role to play in enforcing existing regulations and preventing the obstruction of public roads.
But enforcement alone will not solve the problem.
The real solution begins when the people themselves agree that enough is enough.
Let celebration bring joy, not suffering
Unguwan Fawa and other traditional communities of Lokoja deserve development, peace and a good quality of life. Social activities should strengthen community bonds, not create resentment among neighbours.
Nobody is asking residents to stop celebrating.
The appeal is simple: celebrate responsibly.
Do not block the only road to a cemetery.
Do not prevent emergency vehicles from passing.
Do not obstruct the movement of a corpse being taken to its final resting place.
Do not turn public roads into private event centres.
Do not allow loud night parties to become security risks.
And do not wait for government to intervene in every matter that communities can resolve through dialogue, discipline and responsible leadership.
The current situation in Unguwan Fawa, particularly around Ward D, should serve as a wake-up call.
Community leaders and Islamic clerics must act before an avoidable road blockage turns into a tragedy.
The people have a right to celebrate.
But they must also respect the rights of those around them.
That is what responsible community living demands.
– Musa Tanimu Nasidi writes from Lokoja.
