Mallam Garba Shehu, a senior special assistant on media to President Mohammedu Buhari, is being accused of pushing the agenda of Fulanisation of the country by a group in Benue State.
The group under the aegis of Benue Youth Forum, was responding to the media statement issued by Garba Shehu, who said that the people of the Middle Belt will have to embrace open grazing via grazing routes as being proposed by President Mohammedu Buhari.
“We are not surprised over Shehu’s statement, because the agenda of Buhari’s government to turn Nigeria, especially the Meddle Belt into Fulani colony is an open secret”, President of the group, Mr Terrence Kuanum said in a statement made available to Sundiata Post.
Kuanum said Garba Shehu only voiced out the well planned and coordinated agenda of land occupation that is been orchestrated from the Presidency.
“The plan is to press for grazing reserves in spite of the endorsement of ranching by most Nigerians”, Kuanum said
According to him: “One lesson Garba Shehu and cohorts will soon learn is that their agenda is dangerous and an exercise in futility.
“Nigerians are ready to negotiate the unity of this country without bloodshed and such negotiation will not be tied to the apron strings of jihadists. The unity of this country is paramount to most Nigerians but not subject to any devil’s philosophy in the form of grazing reserves”.
Kuanum pointed out that the Presidency’s agenda about ranching only represents the mindset of its current occupants and the nepotistic agenda we have witnessed since 2015 which does not qualify Nigerians from other ethnic groups to occupy top positions in the country.
“It’s is amazing how the Presidency will choose to upturn the decision of the National Economic Council, Northern Governors Forum, Southern Governors Forum and many other patriotic stakeholders just to please a microscopic minority. No one is a second class citizen in this country, and we have constitutional right of protection”.
The group’s leader pointed out that it is now clear that the motive of the Presidency led by likes of Garba Shehu and his cohorts is anchored on the conquest agenda been pursued by the Fulani people to grab land for their cows.
“In order to carry the occupation plot smoothly, they have variously brought programmes like RUGA, Cattle Colony, National Livestock Transformation Plan and now Grazing Reserves. This explains the unwarranted provocation our people most times face by the aggressors.
“We in Benue have the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law 2017 that successfully regulates the activities of both herders and farmers. Any Nigerian intending to rear livestock in Benue State will have to do so by ranching their animals.
“We stand solidly behind our governor that there is no land in Benue for grazing reserves and we urge all Nigerians to ignore the unpopular call by the Presidency.
“We urge the people to stick to the ranching initiative the Benue Government has endorsed. The power of the people is supreme and our decision on ranching stands. This is democracy anchored on constitutional laws and no longer military decrees.
“We call on all patriotic stakeholders of this nation to caution the Presidency not to go against the wishes of majority of Nigerians. President Buhari was elected to serve the entire country not only the interest of Fulani people.
“The international community should intervene in this issue as fast as it can because the barefaced provocation of the Nigerian people is capable of leading to anarchy”, Kuanum said.
