The Governors from the Southwest region of Nigeria, Engineer Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state, on Monday, met with the national leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, to find lasting solutions to the incessant killings, kidnapping, and crises between herdsmen and farmers in the region.
GOALPOACHER NEWS correspondent, who monitored the proceeding of the meeting held at the International Culture and Event Center in Akure, the Ondo state capital, reports that the governors of Jigawa state, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, and the Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu were present at the meeting while the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun were absent at the meeting.
In his address of welcome, the Chairman, Southwest Governors’ Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu, who debunked a statement credited to him that he ordered Fulanis to leave Ondo state, explained that based on a security report he received that bandits are using the state forest reserves as hideouts to carry out coordinated attacks, he directed that all illegal occupants of the forest reserves should vacate the area in a bid to further curb crime and criminality in his state and not to witch-hunt the Fulanis.
Also speaking, Oyo state Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, who promised at the meeting that his administration will not in the course of fighting criminality, commit another crime, assured all residents of Oyo state an adequate security of lives and property. His words:
“I am the only PDP person here. We are not here to play politics but to talk about a very serious challenge that we are all faced with. It is our own problem and we have to solve it our own way.”
“If you read some things on social media, there are some people who cannot even govern their own family but they talk as if they know more than the governor of a state. Quite frankly, what they are perpetrating are just ignorance.”
“I can tell you for a fact that when the Kishi area of Oyo State, which shares international border with Republic of Benin was invaded, all hands were on deck. MACBAN, Operation Burst, Amotekun all worked together to clear the bush. During my electioneering, a major decision I was going to take was to scrap all the LCDAs in Oyo State and stick with only the LGAs that are known to the constitution of Nigeria.”
” But when I got elected, all the people I met at a particular LCDA (I think it is Oriire South) were fulanis. And they told me I should not scrap the LCDA because it was the only LCDA dominated by the Fulani people, including the Chairman.”
“After I got elected, I decided I would not scrap the LCDAs again. I didn’t get such knowledge by sitting in the armchair in my house but by going out into the field and interacting with the people.”
“So, when people talk, you wonder if they have done any kind of comparison with what has happened elsewhere in the world. What are we going to do moving forward in Oyo State? Well, the first thing I will say is to tell you the things that we will not do; we will not use criminality to solve another criminality, because on the intended consequences of such an action, nobody can predict where it will end. And once you are drawn out to support criminality, you don’t know where it is going to end. So, what we are going to do is to continue to encourage our people to work together; to face our common enemies – the criminals, the kidnappers, the armed robbers and the bandits. Those are our common enemies.”
“When the new CP came to visit me last week, I told her that we have our work cut out for us because, at this particular time, it is fake new everywhere. So, we have to deal with it. When we hear or watch things on social media, what percentage of that should we believe in?
“We have to sieve whatever information people are putting out. We have to deal with fake news. There are some people who are stock-in-trade; they want power but it is only God that gives power to whomever he wants to give it to. Because they are seeking for power, they want to misinform the people and cause deep division amongst us, forgetting that as you lay your bed is also the way you will lie on it. For all of us here, our work is tenured. Those of us occupying offices will leave very soon and others will come in but our country will remain.
“So, we will continue to promote good neighborliness among our people and we will ensure that all of us go after the criminals together. We will continue to support our security agencies because they are also trying to maintain law and order in an atmosphere of pandemic and economic challenges. We will continue to provide support for the security agencies for them to do their work.
“One of the things we found out is that opportunities are very limited at the top. We will continue to do our best to strive to expand our economy and provide opportunities for a whole lot of our people. And we believe when we do that, the tension will definitely go down.
“I want to end by saying that our leaders should not be tired. They will abuse us but we should continue to strive to provide the leadership that this country require at this point in time.”
In his remark, the National President, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Muhammadu Kiruwa, whose speech was delivered by the MACBAN National Secretary, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, directed the herders in the Southwest region and in Nigeria at large to with immediate effect stop open grazing, night grazing and under-age grazing in a bid to forestall incessant crisis between the herdsmen and farmers in the Southwest region and in the country at large. According to him,
“We are here to meet with you as the chairman of the Elders’ Forum concerning the escalating crisis between the farmers and herders. This is not the first time we have been here We cannot overemphasise the importance of a meeting like this in nation building as we believe that dialogue is key to activate this mission.”
“We will continue with our awareness campaign for members to appreciate the sensibilities of their host communities by ensuring that they live in peace. We are open to work with the government. We condemn every form of extra-judicial killings, criminalities and impunity. We stand for peace and justice to all and we pray that we will continually have a meeting like this from time to time to foster unity and harmony.”
“We will also continue to talk to our members who are particularly living in the southern part of the country to try as much as possible to work closely with government, security agencies and traditional institutions in their host areas. We will continue to appeal to them to be peace-loving and avoid allowing cows going to people’s farms.”
” They must also stop small boys from going on grazing. And night grazing must also stop whether in the south or Northern part of the country because we know this is what has been causing farmers/herders clashes across the country.”
While reading out the resolution of the meeting, the chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Governor Kayode Fayemi, stressed that no governor in the southwest region will order Fulanis to vacate their state, rather, the news circulated in the regard was misinterpreted.
He, however, noted that there must be a framework for the operation of MACBAN in the Southwest region, and ranches must be mandated for the herders so that cattle will no longer roam about and disrupt other persons’ livelihood.
Other dignitaries present at the meeting include various security chiefs in the Southwest region led by the AIG Zone 11, Olufemi Agunbiade, former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore; MACBAN state and national excos, among others.
