By Amos Tauna
Contrary to insinuations that the Southern Kaduna People’s Union, SOKAPU, membership is made up of only Christians in the area, its National President, Solomon Musa, said the union receives and accommodate indigenes of the area irrespective of their religious affiliations.
“We defend anybody from Southern Kaduna that is attacked unjustly, that is why the area ensure fair representation of council members in our chiefdoms, our traditional rulers have appointed Ardos to be part of decision making that is to be taken for the overall interest of the people,” the National President explained.
Speaking to AFRICA PRIME NEWS in Kafanchan, Jema’a local government area of Kaduna State in northern Nigeria, Mr. Musa explained that of present, the Lagos State branch chairman of SOKAPU, Dr. Saleh Hashim, is a Fulani, who has been doing wonderfully well and has the support of the members in ensuring the unity and progress of the union in Lagos.
“On several meetings, we have told the world that SOKAPU is not a religious body but is for all those who are indigenous to Southern Kaduna. In our last meeting, people from Jema’a Foundatio, who are basically Hauas/Fulani were in the meeting. We are telling all indigenous residents of Southern Kaduna that they are under one roof and should be united for a common goal.
“We cried out to government in the past irrespective and regardless of religious or tribal affiliations, we took a common position regarding the closure of the tertiary institutions in Southern Kaduna , it is affecting all of us and we all want these institutions to be opened. So as we are speaking, we are speaking for the benefit of the entire people of Southern Kaduna,” he noted.
Speaking on the way forward, the National President said, “Government must have the will and capacity to do the right thing, government has its primary role of ensuring the protection of the people and where government abdicate its responsibility, then it becomes a major issue.
“There is the issue of justice, l tell you that what we are looking to is we are suppose to be partner with government, a situation where government becomes partisan, if the government decides to take one side, it becomes a problem but there should be balanced in project execution and appointments.
“What we are looking forward is a situation where there is Southern Kaduna Development Commission. We know that the ravaged area of the northeast have a commission approved by the federal government and l think this is very necessary in the case of our area.
“In Southern Kaduna, we have a lot of houses that were burnt and other things that have happened but yet, there is no single IDP camp in the area aftermath of killings and destruction. It is very necessary to have one so that there will be reconstruction, development and true reconciliation as well as compensation.”
He observed that governor El-Rufai had earlier told the world that the attackers came about 14 African countries and if that is true, he added that there was the need for government to take decisive steps on the porous nature of the country’s borders.
He explained, “A situation where it is true that attackers come from 14 African countries to Nigeria and right to Southern Kaduna and attack people, then it is a situation for concern. It is the same Fulani people that are attacking the people in Benue, Taraba, Delta, Southern Kaduna, Edo and several other places. If it is true, then government should review protocol on transhuman that is, the movement of Cattle and nomadic people from other African countries to Nigeria.”
Mr. Musa noted that Nigeria grass is a natural resource that should be protected by the government of the country.
“It is the issue of grazing, time has come that all over the world that it is the system of ranging. The system of grazing where cattle move from one place to the other is actually an outdated one,” he observed.
