MIYETTI ALLAH KAUTAL-HORE MOVES TO END FARMERS’/HERDERS’ CRISIS
By Jethro Yerga, Jalingo
The factional umbrella body of Fulani Herdsmen and socio-cultural association, Miyeti Allah Kautal Hore, has begun move to end the persistent farmers/herders crisis in the country.
As part of the move, the socio-cultural association last Saturday, held a one day conference at the Gym Hall of Joly Nyame Stadium Jalingo, Taraba State capital with the theme “Imperative of Peaceful Coexistence between Herders and Farmers in Nigeria”.
Addressing the mammoth crowd that turned out for the maiden occasion, the National President of the association, Alh. Bello Abdullahi Bodejo expressed disappointment with the way Fulani Herdsmen were been killed on daily basis in the country.
“What is worrying herdsmen in this country is more than Corona Virus. We are really being treated as if we are not citizens of this country. There is killings of our people by tribal gangs, there is negative anti-grazing laws that has emasculated our people’s means of economic livelihood and there is a deliberate and out right expulsion of our people by some state governors especially the Benue State Government”. He stated.
Asked why most of the problems in the country were attributed to the Fulani Herdsmen, Bodejo said such character assassination of the herdsmen were always being orchestrated by desperate politicians and social media users to achieve despicable ambitions and not the true character of Fulani ethnic group.
He called on the state governors of the various states to jettison their Fulani eviction agenda and treat herdsmen as citizens of their respective states so that peace and development would thrive in the country.
Also speaking, the chairman of the occasion, Alh. Adamu Ahmed Chiroma said the one day conference was aimed at identifying the various contemporary issues facing the Fulani people with a view to examining their causes and outlining strategies towards mitigating them.
Alh. Adamu who said they had earlier been in Adamawa State for the same mission expressed the association’s determination to continuously embrace dialogue, sensitization and capacity development of its people to enable them key into government skill acquisition programs to better their lives among many other things.
In his contribution at the occasion, the Speaker, Taraba State House of Assembly, Hon. Joseph Albasu Kunini, called on both farmers and herdsmen to embrace tolerance, emphasizing that the state belongs to both of them as such none of the parties had the right to eject the other.
Also speaking, the Chief of Mambila, Dr. Shehu Audu Baju extolled the blessings and contributions of the Fulani people to the development of the country and called on both farmers and herdsmen to always fish out the bad eggs among them in order to sustain peaceful coexistence just as he is doing with his people at the Mambila.
The Galadima of Muri, Tukur Aba Tukur who represented the Emir of Muri at the occasion encouraged both famers and herders to resist outsiders and enemies of the country from destroying it by exposing them and their evil plans.
The Galadima applauded the contributions of the Fulani fore fathers to the development of Nigeria particularly Alh. Shehu Shagari whom he said his records on the development of the country had not been beaten by any one so far and urged others to emulate them.
Earlier in his goodwill message, the commissioner of Youth and Sport, Alh. Ibrahim Iman, called on both farmers and herdsmen to always introspect on the way they operate and to also disassociate themselves from criminal elements in order to save the image of their ethnic groups.
Our reporter who was at the occasion reported that the maiden conference was attended by almost all the national executive committee of the association, some powerful politicians in the state as well as some well-to-do personalities of the Fulani ethnicity in the state and beyond.
Highlights of the occasion were swearing in of the association’s pioneer State Executives, performance by a Cameroon Fulani Singer, Sanda Boro, a paper presentation on the falling standard of behavior of a Fulani man presented by Dr. Abubakar Umar Girei and presentation of Merit Award to the national chairman of the association by the students of Taraba State University, Jalingo.
