The association made the denial against the backdrop of reports that it had endorsed the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

MACBAN said it was not time for it to endorse any aspirant.

The position of Miyetti Allah was made known in a statement issued in Abuja on Wedensday by its national secretary, Alhaji Baba Ngelzarma.

The statement reads in part: “The attention of the MACBAN National Headquarters has been drawn to stories in the media claiming that we have endorsed the presidential aspiration of Senator Ahmed Tinubu.

“We want to make it clear that the association has not endorsed any candidate.

“Those who endorsed Tinubu are doing so as individuals, as MACBAN should not in anyway be dragged into the politics of endorsement at this stage.”

It would be recalled that Tinubu, on January 10, declared his presidential ambition ahead of the 2023 presidential election, during his visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

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He stated that instead of backing a venture that is capable of throwing the country into ethnic crisis, the end of which cannot be foreseen, his administration would rather continue to support the security agencies in the state to do their works effectively.

He added that his administration would promote good neighbourliness by encouraging the residents of the state to live together in peace and to face their common enemies, who are criminals of all shades and tribes.

The governor also stated that the administration would continue to do its best to provide opportunities for the people, as that was another way to reduce the tension in the land, saying: “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.”

The governor stated these in Akure, while addressing a meeting of South-West governors, national leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association, MACBAN, and heads of security agencies on the insecurity challenges in the South-West geopolitical zone, held at the International Culture and Event Centre, Akure.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the governor as saying that his government had foreclosed the option of backing anyone taking up arms against other ethnic nationalities resident in the state in the name of seeking justice as, according to him, such a step would have dire consequences for the society.

He stated that if government encouraged residents to mete out justice through self-help to any ethnic nationality, due to the excesses of some of its people, it would amount to solving criminality with criminality.

The meeting had in attendance Governors Rotimi Akeredolu, Kayode Fayemi and Gboyega Oyetola of Ondo, Ekiti and Osun states, while Governors Mohammed Badaru (Jigawa), and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and the national leadership of MACBAN were also present.

According to Makinde, who maintained that a lot of people commenting on the security situation in Ibarapa had been displaying ignorance, his government would solve the insecurity challenge its own way by continuing to encourage residents of the state to work and live together and to face their common enemies, who are criminals, kidnappers, armed robbers and bandits from all tribes.

He added that all hands must be on deck to lawfully fight crimes, saying: “We will continue to promote good neighbourliness 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.”

The governor equally warned Nigerians to deal with the menace of fake news and sieve information on social media properly, noting that the rate at which fake news was being circulated did portend great danger to the society.

Makinde warned against some elements seeking political powers at all costs, who he said, had resorted to misinforming the public and causing division among them.

He called on such persons to desist from the path, as he said it was capable of causing tension in the country.

Makinde said: “I can tell you for a fact that when the Kisi area of Oyo State, which shares international border with Republic of Benin was invaded, all hands were on deck. MACBAN, Operation Burst, local hunters and the communities 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. During the campaign, 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.

“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 of the unintended consequences of such an action; nobody can predict where it will end.

“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.”

Makinde equally charged his colleague governors and others in positions of leadership not to be tired or to relent, saying: “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 requires at this point in time.”

While speaking earlier, MACBAN Secretary, Alhaji Baba Othman Ngelzarma, who noted that Miyetti Allah was meeting the South-West governors on the escalating crisis between herders and farmers, said the body would continue to encourage herders in the Southern part of the country to live in peace and eschew criminality.

At the end of the meeting, it was resolved, among other things,  that night grazing and grazing by underage children would stop henceforth.

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In a communique at the end of a security meeting between the governors, MACBAN and heads of security agencies on Monday in Akure, it was also resolved that grazing by under-aged herders was prohibited.

The governors in attendance at the meeting included Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi, Mohammed Abubakar of Jigawa and Gboyega Oyetola of Osun.

Others were Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and former deputy governor of Osun, Senator Iyiola Omisore.

Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, and Chairman, Nigeria Governor’s Forum, who read the communique, said that free range grazing must be stopped to avoid conflicts between farmers and herders.

Fayemi urged Miyetti Allah to embrace and be committed to modern breeding process by creating grazing reserves and practise ranching to prevent cattle roaming about.

The governor, who said MACBAN also sufferred insecurity and kidnapping, expressed confidence in peaceful moves by the states to engender security and economic opportunities in the country.

According to him, the order of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State was misconstrued and misrepresented by a section of the media, “as he only ordered those occupying the forest reserves in Ondo State illegally to quit.”

“No one has sent anyone away from any state or region but all hands must be on deck to fight criminality,” he said.

Akeredolu had issued a seven-day ultimatum last Monday for the eviction of herdsmen occupying the forest reserves illegally.

However, some sections of the social media had misinterpreted the order, and reported that the governor had issued an ultimatum for Fulani herdsmen to vacate Ondo State.

Earlier, Alhaji Muhammadu Kiruwa, National President, MACBAN, had urged his members to desist from grazing cows into farmlands, grazing at night and grazing by minors.

Kiruwa, who assured of the cooperation of MACBAN at all time, directed executive members of the association in every state to work with all security outfits to tackle crime.

In his remarks, AIG Olufemi Agunbiade of the Nigeria Police, Zone 11, Osogbo, urged people not to give crime any ethnic or religious colouration.

“Crime does not have religious or ethnic affiliations. A kidnapper is a kidnapper,” he said.

Source: NAN

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Umahi disclosed this in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Emma Uzor, in Abakaliki on Sunday.

Umahi, chairman of the South-East Governors Forum’s reaction followed controversies and insinuations trailing Federal Government’s alleged plan to establish Ruga settlements in some states.

Umahi explained that the South-East zone did propose a deal with the members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) as panacea to achieving lasting peace between farmers and herdsmen.

He, however, denied any plans by governors of the zones to cede any part of their land for Ruga settlement.

He said: “There is no plan for any Ruga settlement in any part of South-East and South-South zones; but we made a proposed deal with MACBAN that can allow the zone to become very good business with sale of grasses to the herdsmen in exchange for meat.

“There will be no part of the South-East that will be given out for the purpose of establishment of Ruga, the zone is purely agrarian with limited landmass for farming and therefore cannot accommodate Ruga establishment.

“We actually proposed a deal with MACBAN to take their cattle to the Northern parts where grazing reserves were established long time ago and rely completely on the grasses grown in the South for feeding of their cattle.”

Umahi, who was the Chairman of Technical Committee on Farmers and Herdsmen clash carved from the National Economic Council headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said that the committee had recommended the revamping of existing grazing reserve in Nigeria.

He said that revamping of the already existing grazing reserves in various parts of the North as recommended by the committee was to enable farmers have unhindered access to their farmlands while herdsmen rely solely on proceeds from the farmers.

Umahi was the Chairman of National Economic Council sub Technical Committee on farmers and herdsmen clash and he toured the states of Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Zamfara and others.

“Part of committee’s recommendations to the federal government was the revamping of grazing reserves in the North where all the cattle rearers in the South will take their cattle to these places and rely on the grasses that are grown in the South.

“The way it works is that the herdsmen will bring down their cows to the South-East and sell to us as meat while they will load the grasses which are grown here in the same vehicles with which they transported their cows to feed their cattle in those grazing reserve.

“With this proposed deal, herdsmen are expected to embrace anti open grazing by returning to the ranches in the North and do their business on the trade by barter basis of selling cows to the South and buying grass to feed their cows in the North.”

Umahi further called for tolerance among youths of various ethnic nationalities to solve the problem of hate speech.

He admonished Igbo youths on peaceful coexistence and urged them not to insult their leaders who were doing everything possible to protect them from any form of internal and external aggression.

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Ayokunle gave the advice while speaking with the representatives of MACBAN led by its National Secretary, Baba Othman Ngadzarna and Alhaji Sidia Metankari.

According to Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant to CAN President, in a statement in Abuja, MACBAN officials visited Ayokunle to congratulate him on his re-election and seek a date for dialogue with the leadership of CAN on the on-going security challenges in the country.

His words:  “Good governance will surely change the current disturbing narrative. There is no reason why the criminals amidst us should not be brought to book. Now that you have said it is not all herdsmen that belong to MACBAN, then your association should stop justifying the atrocities being perpetrated by those criminals.

“The criminal herdsmen are giving the President bad name and the only way this can be stopped is by exposing those criminals that are carrying gun around, maiming and killing the innocent people. President Buhari is Fulani like you people and the best thing you can do for him is by exposing those criminals. This will make Nigerians not to reject another Fulani man who may want to rule.”

Ayorinde explained that the problem confronting the country now was more of leadership than any other thing.

He said apart from that, CAN was not criticising Buhari on religious ground, but on the need for his government to be more responsive to make life better for Nigerians.

Said he:  “Our major problem is lack of leadership. We don’t have leadership that builds life but such that destroys life. Nigeria needs a detribalised leader who will pick the best across all divides that will help him to govern the entire nation well.

“The leadership of CAN is not attacking President Muhammadu Buhari on religious ground. All we are asking the government for is to be more responsible and responsive to the yearning of the people of Nigeria irrespective of their faith, ethnic background and political leaning.  For example government should be able to provide basic amenities for the people as it is being done in other climes and security challenges must be addressed holistically.”

Stressing the need to expose criminal herdsmen, he said, “most of those who are angry with the Fulani herdsmen do not just hate them but they have been victims of attacks by suspected criminal herders.”

The CAN President who commended MACBAN for its  initiative promised to work with the leadership of the association in the quest for peace and stability of Nigeria.

Other CAN officials present at the occasion included Chairman, North-central, Rev Dr Israel Akanji; the National Treasurer, Bishop Anthony Anyiador; the Co-ordinating Chaplain, National Christian Centre, Bishop Peter Ogunmuyiwa and a few others.

Earlier in his remark, the National Secretary of MACBAN said the delegation came to congratulate Ayokunle on his victory for the second term and sought for a date when the leadership of MACBAN could come to hold dialogue with CAN leadership in their ongoing dialogue with stakeholders in the country.

He told Ayokunle that all the criminals pretending to be herdsmen were not their members.

He said “those carrying AK-47 around are cattle rustlers who came from outside the country are capitalising on the porosity of our borders.”

He also disclosed that there was another group of herdsmen who shared same name with them adding that “they were also registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

Ngadzarna further disclosed that the feud between the pastoralists and farmers were as a result of climate change, increase in population, illiteracy, cattle rustling and failure of government to address their needs.

He however noted that until of recent, the government had not deemed it fit to look into the root cause of the feud, adding that, most of the negative stories making the rounds about MACBAN were fake.

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