Former President Obasanjo Asks Buhari to Deal With His Fulani Tribe Herdsmen2 min read

The former president said the herdsmen, being of the same Fulani stock with the
President, required that he should take the matter seriously.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo expressed worry about the growing herdsmen-farmers’
crisis and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to wade into the growing unrest
when asked about the issue sometime ago.

In an interview Obasanjo granted to the Wilson Centre Africa Programme in October
2019, the former president said the herdsmen, being of the same Fulani stock
with the President, required that he should take the matter seriously.

Obasanjo was speaking at the interview titled, “Managing Nigeria’s Diversity Amidst
Rising Ethno-Religious Tensions: A conversation with Former President
Obasanjo”, where he noted that the President needed to take an urgent step.

In an excerpt of the interview which is now trending due to the unrest in Oyo and
Ondo states following notices to quit given to Fulani herdsmen, Obasanjo said,
“When you have a situation where your own tribe is being accused of something,
you must be able to look into it and make it transparently clear that the
accusation is unfounded or if it is founded, you deal with it.

“There have been herdsmen and farmers’ clashes. Now, herdsmen are mainly Fulani.
Nothing had been done. Rather than doing something about it, what we are having
is that we will create colonies – cattle colonies.

“Where will you create colonies in Nigeria? Is it in my own part of the country that
you will now make a colony? Who will give you land to create a colony within
his state? So, these are specifics and I can go on and on.

“There are many things that should have been done and that are not being done and
there are many things that should not have been done but that are being done;
that would have helped in the area of management.”  

Following a long period of incessant kidnappings and killings in the South-West, Ondo
State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, last week ordered herdsmen to vacate within
seven days forest reserves in the state, banning night and underage grazing as
well.

He said many people masquerading as herders were using the forests to commit
crimes.

Similarly, an agitator for the Oduduwa Republic, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, otherwise known as
Sunday Igboho, issued a seven-day ultimatum to Fulani herdsmen to leave the
Ibarapa area of Oyo State.

Source: SR