BY Ebunoluwa Olafusi
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of “deploying federal might” to promote the interest of one ethnic group over others.
The group was reacting to Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, comment that Ruga settlement proposed by the federal government is not for herders alone.
In a statement signed by Yinka Odumakin (south-west); Chigozie Ogbu (south-east); Bassey Henshaw (south-south) and Isuwa Dogo (Middle-belt), the group the group accused Buhari of “pampering marauding herdsmen” while the farmers get nothing.
It alleged that the message the federal government is passing shows that “only the violent get it by force.”
“The attention of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders has been drawn to a statement by the presidency through Mallam Garba Shehu on the contentious issue of Ruga settlements for Fulani herdsmen across the country,” the statement read.
“While most of the statement was full of sound fury signifying nothing, we are particularly interested in two claims in the statement.
“We are interested in having the Gazette number and its content as we know per the Constitution and Laws of the country that all land in each state of the federation is vested in the Governor. In what capacity and with which authority did the Federal Government gazette land in all states of Nigeria?
“This Freudian slip from the presidency signposts a dangerous sign of deployment of Federal might to overawe the federating units in a desperate bid to promote the interest of one ethnic group over those of over 350 other ethnic nationalities across Nigeria.
“The presidency claims to find peaceful resolution to the Fulani herdsmen terror on farmers but is only allegedly offering money to the herdsmen and now looking for territories for them all over the country. What have they offered the farmers? Nothing!
“A government that wants to force violent herders on harmless communities now talk of no suffering any kind of deprivation and loss of right of right and freedom. What better recipe for non-Fulani communities to suffer these than the Ruga recipe?”
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