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Northern Governors caution against hate speeches

By Saxone Akhaine and Abdulganiu Alabi, Kaduna
29 July 2017   |   4:29 am
In a communiqué signed by the chairman of Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, the governors expressed worries over the recurring conflict between farmers and cattle rearers.

In a communiqué signed by the chairman of Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, the governors expressed worries over the recurring conflict between farmers and cattle rearers.

Restate Commitment To National Unity, Peace

The Northern Governors Forum has cautioned against any form of hate speeches capable of threatening the unity of the nation, calling on political office holders and opinion leaders to refrain from making inflammatory statements that could create tension in the polity and cause chaos, especially on the social media.

They made the call yesterday at the end of a two-day joint meeting with traditional rulers at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna, deliberating on topical issues of common interest for the security, speedy enhancement of economic prosperity and sociopolitical advancement of the north and Nigeria.

While expressing worry over the increasing rate of armed banditry, they regretted that Kamuku and Falgore Forests in the north have provided shelter for bandits and called on the Federal Government to relinquish forest reserves to domiciled states for better manning and security coverage.

In a communiqué signed by the chairman of Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, the governors expressed worries over the recurring conflict between farmers and cattle rearers.

While noting that the free movement of persons, goods and services within the West African sub-region, as ratified by the ECOWAS convention, be subjected to the laws of individual members states to crosscheck border crimes, especially cattle rustling, the governors blamed the escalating crises between farmers and cattle rearers on what they described as infiltration of criminals from outside the region posing as Fulani herdsmen to attack farmers.

“Creating more grazing reserves and providing adequate infrastructure in such reserves by way of addressing the needs of cattle rearers and their animals before the enactment of the appropriate legislation will also ameliorate the challenges.

“The Forum therefore discourages ethnicising the deadly conflicts and crimes with the Fulani tribe, as any other tribe could be cattle rearers too.”

On agitation for the restructuring of the country, the governors have set up a committee to come up with a position on the contentious issue, just as they reaffirmed their commitment to the unity of the country.

The committee is headed by the former speaker of the House of Representatives and Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, with the governors of Gombe, Benue, Bauchi and Kaduna states, Emirs of Kano, Zauzzau, Gummi, Etsu Nupe and Gbong Gwom Jos, with the Deputy Governor of Plateau State as the secretary.

Shettima: “The committee has the mandate to collect and collate views regarding various agitations for restructuring of the country from individuals, groups and corporate organisation in the region.

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