(Tribune / Nigeria) — Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, on Monday, raised the alarm that the country is heading towards a precipice, if the activities of the Fulani herdsmen were not curtailed by the Federal Government, saying they have become a monster threatening the security of the country.
Mimiko, who stated this in Akure, the Ondo State capital, after a peace meeting with members of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress (OPC), said the menace demanded national emergency. This is just as he called on President Muhammadu Buhari and other stakeholders to put heads together to save the nation from imminent catastrophe.
“There is no question about the fact that this is becoming a monster of sort. I have had cause to express my views on this on many occasions and I think we all ignore this menace as a nation. I can see us moving towards a precipice and we must do something about it as early as possible. It is getting dangerous, the audacity is very disturbing,” the governor said.
He condemned the recent attack on the farm of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae and the killing of one of the guards, Ayodele Ige, by the Fulani herdsmen, describing the development as unfortunate and barbaric.
He appealed to the OPC members not to take laws into their hands, just as he commended all the security operatives in the state for rising to the situation, saying the police have been supportive, particularly regarding their efforts in tracing the people behind the killing of the guard, with an assurance that they would be brought to book.
Mimiko said if urgent steps were not taken on the issue, it would get to a stage when people would resort to self-help. He noted further that the audacious incursions of Fulani herdsmen into other peoples’ territory should not continue for too long in the country.
“I say it again, we are moving towards the precipices and the earlier we pull back, and it requires all the stakeholders from the President and this is a bi-partisan issue, all major stakeholders must come together on how to resolve this issue.
“These herdsmen must be called to order, these wanton destructions, audacious incursions in other peoples’ territory cannot continue for too long,” Mimiko said.
The governor also noted that the activities of the Fulani herdsmen would not only pose a threat to national security, but also a great challenge to food security, especially when people are calling for the diversification of the economy while agriculture remains the main focus.
“It is very ironical, we have been talking about diversification and agriculture is the main focus but in this state there is hardly any medium scale or large scale farmers that have not had any encounter or the other with the herdsmen.
“They just go to the farm and devastated the farms. Some of them have been turned to perpetual debtors because some of the inputs for the farms are from bank loans. The herdsmen will just get there and destroy these farmlands and we are talking of diversification.
“But I think if we don’t do anything about the activities of these herdsmen, I can see a threat to the security of this country so it is a major challenge and I think the President and all major stakeholders should take this as a very serious challenge,” the governor said.
Mimiko specifically picked holes in the proposed Fulani grazing reserves bill by the National Assembly, saying the law would further aggravate the crisis between the land owners, farmers and the Fulani herdsmen.
He noted that those behind the cattle rearing business are elites in the society, adding that they should be ready to work with state governments across the grazing areas since the cattle rearing is for commercial purposes.
“The owners of these cattle, according to the information in my disposal, are well-to- do people, they are elites and if cattle rearing is commercial venture, why should they not contribute in collaboration with state government or Private-Public-Partnership or whatsoever to set up ranches?” the governor wondered.
“So if they want to graze on such ranches, they pay a fee, after all they don’t sell these cattle for free. It is a commercial issue, they should step up these ranches. Any law on grazing reserves will not find comfort in the constitution.
“For me, I see the grazing reserves aggravating the problem, though I’ve not read the law but I don’t see how that law can find comfort with the land users act, the control of land is vested in the governor of the state, I can’t see any federal law that will compulsorily acquire any land from any state government, in my state for example, it cannot work.”
