PHOTO: Bauchi Governor, Bala Mohammed, speaking during the vaccination exercise. Photo credit: Armstrong Allahmagani.
By ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi-
The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed has declared the he has no regrets for speaking against the profiling of herders and the Fulani people as “killers and criminals.”
Governor Mohammed made the declaration in his speech at the launching of 2020/2021 Annual Livestock Vaccination Campaign held at the Galambi Cattle Ranch, Bauchi, on Wednesday.
He said that there is no tribe is Nigeria that is free from criminality and hence his decision to protect the Fulani herders who, he described as humble, simple and humane despite that they have been lampooned and subjected to caricature.
The Governor said: “That brings me to the issue of the Fulani which we kicked against and we have no apology for what we have done, but what we have done, is to say the truth. There is no tribe that is free from criminality and we are not saying that to spite anybody or to spark any unnecessary controversy”.
“We have made the point, Nigerians across the board have discussed it and I am happy to say that from all indications, majority of sensible Nigerians have appreciated what we have said and that is the point”.
“I will therefore, need not to mention anything about this matter for fear that there will be controversy or it will be escalated and I will listen to the voices of reason and keep quiet about it.”
He however, called on them not to carry Ak-47 riffles, explaining that his recent comment on the matter was figurative.
“What I will do, I will not say it here, but I will do everything possible to make sure I protect you and lend support to you because I know you mean well”.
“Through time and history, you have been cajoled, lampooned and subjected to caricature but you remained humane, you remained simple, you don’t show so much aggression and of course, that humility is always what we recognized and this is what a character that should always try to show”.
“Please, don’t carry the AK-47 that I made a figurative allusion to. Try to make sure that you remain peaceful,” he warned.
Governor Mohammed informed that his administration is aware of the activities of Miyetti Allah and other Fulani’s organizations in promoting peaceful coexistence in the state, as well as the well-being of the pastoralists, wealth creation and conflict mediation especially the State and the Nation in general.
He however called on the Fulani to shun criminality and expose the bad eggs in their midst admonishing them as he tries to protect them, they must do away with criminal tendencies.
According to him, despite the many sacrifices that the Fulani are making in their own nomadic and pastoral lives, the goverment hardly provides them schools, health facilities, roads, stressing that even their right of way of life have been taken.
“That is why we’ve set up a committee in bauchi state and very soon, we’re going to implement the recommendations of that committee in a manner that we will free resources that belong to the pastoralists. They must have their own right of way so that we will reduce the conflict between the fulanis and the farmers because they are the ones that provide our sustenance on a daily basis”.
“I must call on our traditional institutions, our local authorities, forest officers, to make sure that they abide to the warning that we have given earlier, so that they can stop the encroachment that is causing a lot of conflicts,” he warned.