Afenifere condemns Northern Governors over plans to register immigrant group

chika ebuzor

January 28, 2017 3:31 PM

This is following a comment by Shettima that the herdsmen involved in clashes across the country are not Nigerians.

The decision by the Northern Governors’ forum to register immigrant Fulani herdsmen has not gone down well with the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG).

According to Premium Times, the Chairman of the NGF, Kashim Shettima, recently told newsmen that those involved in clashes across the country are herdsmen from Mali and Senegal.

Reports say Shettima, who is also the Borno Governor, said Fulani herdsmen entering the country to rear cattle will be registered by officials.

The Borno Governor also said “We also mapped out new strategies that would be used by the local Fulani herdsmen to rear their cattle without having to move across the country.”

Speaking on the issue, the spokesman of ARG, Kunle Famoriyo said “ARG also notes that herdsmen currently constitute a huge threat, not only to lives, but also to food security in Southwest.

“Our people, who are largely smallholding farmers, cannot work at their full capacity, living at the mercy of cows and conniving policemen.

“This has aggravated the sweeping poverty in Nigeria and has displaced many of our people. Nigeria’s socioeconomic indices is clear that farmers, not herdsmen, should get higher priority from government, being a higher employer of labour, higher contributor to tax, FOREX earning and GDP.

“ARG is therefore gravely concerned that state governors who swore to protect Nigeria’s constitution are the ones promoting alien interest.

“Or what logic is there in opening a register for agents of external aggression? It is shameful that the NGF could not even pretend and hide its readiness to sacrifice the rest of Nigeria for Fulani interest in its veiled reference to ‘national integration and cohesion’ as the solution to herdsmen menace.”

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The group also slammed the Kaduna state Governor, Nasir El-Rufai for saying that the Fulani herdsmen responsible for the clashes, should be accepted.

According to reports, El-Rufai, in an Aljazeera TV interview, said since Nigeria is a signatory to the ECOWAS’ treaty on trans-humane pastoralist protocol the herdsmen have to be accommodated.

Meanwhile, the Southern Kaduna Awareness Group ( SKAG) has accused Governor Nasir El-Rufai of planning to eliminate people of Southern Kaduna.

chika ebuzor