By Idris Khalid
The Bauchi state branch of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore has condemned the recent meeting of the Northern Governors Forum for its lackadaisical attitude towards the predicaments of the Fulani tribe in the country.
The Bauchi Fulanis noted with concern the inability of the forum’s recent meeting in Kaduna to take into cognizance the humiliations herders are being subjected to on grazing reserves in the Southern parts of the country, especially by powers that are infringing on their rights of movement and association.
The chairman of Bauchi association of the herders, Alhaji Muhammad Hussaini said that it is disheartening to note that Northern governors and emirs as representatives of the people could sit to discuss issues affecting the region without recourse to the Fulani plight in this era of disownment.
Fulani tribe, especially the herders who roamed about in such of greener pasture for their animals were in the southern parts of the country being humiliated, maimed and even killed, while restricting them movements on their fatherland soil, contrary to the provisions of Nigerian Constitution.
Husaini, at a meeting of herdsmen in Bauchi yesterday to review the treatment being meted to their kinsmen in the south, wondered how the northern governors and emirs bothered about political issues such as power shift between the country’s regions to the detriment of lives of their people or subjects
“Instead of the Northern Governors showing concern to the forms of treatment or copulation on herders by the Southern Governors, they simply sit and discuss issues of personal vendetta without recourse to the people they governed”, he cried fault.
He said, “For this, we condemn in totality the Northern Governors Forum meeting with Emirs in attendance. They sit to discuss their self-aggrandize motives leveraging on ways and means to enrich themselves to the impairment of the people”.
Alhaji Muhammad Hussaini also regretted that the APC-led Federal Government could not help matters on issues affecting the Fulani, specifically the nomadic herders whose preoccupation is to look for greener pastures for their animals.
These ugly drifts, he noted, were also coupled with the current economic meltdown, lack of palliation on the part of government, and abject poverty bedeviling citizens with Fulanis not an exception.
