Expose criminal Fulani herdsmen in the country to protect the image of President Muhammadu Buhari, the President, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Dr Samson Ayokunle, has advised the leadership of the Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN.
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.
