28th March, 2014
Kazeem Ugbodaga
The umbrella body of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has warned President Goodluck Jonathan against the proposed establishment of grazing reserves across the country for Fulani herdsmen as such move is another grand design to Islamise the nation.
CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, while reacting to the plan, stated that such proposal was absolutely unacceptable to the Christian community which has been at the receiving end of a grand plan to Islamise the nation.
He said establishing such reserves across the country as a means of resolving the protracted animosity between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in various parts of the country is treading a dangerous terrain.
“The proposal which emerged at the end of the National Economic Council meeting presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo, is another grand design to Islamise the nation. Fulani herdsmen are another chapter of Boko Haram. If President Goodluck Jonathan accepts the proposal, he should be ready for the consequences.
“Christians in the country will not fold their arms while the Federal Government unilaterally hands over their farmlands to Fulani herdsmen for grazing reserves which will in a few years be converted to Hausa-Fulani emirates with emirs across the nation.
“Is there any other tribe in this country that can do these things for three years running now and get away with it? This culture of impunity must stop. The best way to tackle clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers head on is for the Federal Government to first and foremost investigate the source of arms supply to the herdsmen before the clashes grow out of control,” he said.
According to him, “we must establish grazing reserves for them in their own locale where the government can establish modern facilities including schools, hospitals and such facilities that will make life conducive for them and their families bearing in mind that in other nations of the world, cows are not on parade on highways as we have here.”
He said it was regrettable that certain leaders of the same tribe could hold a press conference where they accused the government of Benue State of being the brain behind the chaos that had left hundreds of people dead in that state.
Oritsejafor appealed to Jonathan to find out why nobody had been prosecuted despite the huge number of casualties recorded in clashes in Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Delta, Edo, Ondo and several parts of the country, saying if such was not solved, allowing the Fulanis to form their colonies across the nation was dangerous.
According to him, since a bill for the establishment of grazing reserves was given the nod by the National Assembly, the sponsors had decided to use the National Economic Council to achieve their wicked aim to wreak havoc across the nation.