By Engr. Saleh Alhassan..
H.E Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed Executive Governor of Bauchi State has wgradually emerged as the only lone voice among his peers in the North to come out openly in the defense pf the Fulani pastoralists that are being persecuted across many states through enactment of negative obnoxious laws against their means of livelihoods and the issuance of illegal eviction notices from their places of abode against the constitutional provisions.
H.E Governor Bala Mohammed intervention in the ongoing raging herders /farmers conflicts is to simply situate the conflicts within the proper context devoid of the current politization with hope to finding sustainable solution rather than playing to the gallery.
H. E Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has tread where angels are scared to tread in the past. He has taking what every politician will consider as political risk in the past by holding divergent views where others have failed or chicken out. So his current position on the herders /farmers conversation is not strange or out of context.
The audacity of H.E Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed strides visible came to limelight when he was elected Senator in April, 2007. Remember “the Doctrine of necessity”, when the then ailing (late) President Umaru ‘Yaradua was incapacitated and the making of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, the acting President. This was because he believed in the unity and peaceful co-existence of Nigeria as one indivisible entity where every citizen has equal right and privileges.
Despite the loud hues and cries from the dissenting voices across the country and threats from then cabals that whore holding sway at the villa he did not bucked. He did it out of conviction and to douse the rising tension in the country then. He was never scared nor intimidated of speaking the truth.
And it is our believe that Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed should be applauded from providing this kind of purposeful leadership particularly to the north at this very trying moments in our nation history.
Those attempting to silence him are only undertaking an exercise in futility as the majority of the northern masses particularly the pastoralists that have seen a leader and savior at this critical times are solidly behind him.
H.E Govenor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has refused to be like Governor of Benue State H.E Samuel Ortom whose only achievement in the rising of ethnic militia and gang leaders that have been vising mayhem of killings in his state. Whose only evidences of dividends of democracy to his improvised citizens is the creation of obnoxious anti-grazing laws.
He has refused to be like Governor of Ondo State H.E Rotimi Akeredolu who is a Senior lawyer (SAN) but has proved to be a disgrace to the legal profession. Akeredolu after creating an ethnic militia (Amotekun) that is now unleashing terror and mayhem on innocent herders and northerners living in the south-west against unconstitutional and blanket eviction notices for herders to vacate places where their livelihoods. Akeredolu will be held accountable for the ongoing genocide against innocent pastoralist and northerners living in the south- west.
The entire Fulani pastoralists and majority of the northerners are behind the stand of H.E Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed and applaud his consistent courageous position that every Nigeria has a right to live in any part of the country and pursue his economic livelihood within the constitutional provision without led or hindrance.
Engr. Saleh Alhassan, FIMC , is the
National Secretary, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio- Cultural Association
