EXCLUSIVE: Miyetti Allah Asks Buhari To Handover To Osinbajo, Accuses Ortom of Killing Soldiers

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to resign and handover to his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo to allow the country make progress.

The group also asked Buhari to stop instructing his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, to address Nigerians on national matters.

National Coordinator of MACBAN, Garus Gololo, in an interview with THE WHISTLER said, if Buhari “is not healthy enough, he should have Osinbajo explain to Nigerians the state of the nation. He should stop asking Garba Shehu to talk to Nigerians.

“We did not vote Garba Shahu. We voted for Osinbajo and Buhari. On their campaign poster was Osibanjo and Buhari, not otherwise.”

The group also condemned statements by the Presidency that Buhari’s London visits are for routine medical checks.

It queried the President’s inability to address Nigerians, adding, “why is he unable to address Nigerians and he went to London for treatment. How many times does he go to London for treatment?

“Let him handover to Osinbajo. Look, two years after Nelson Mandela was voted into power, he handed over to Jacob Zuma and the government continued and today he has respect.”

While lamenting that the government has performed below the expectation of Nigerians with cabinet members showing less productivity even after long stay in office, MACBAN wondered, “have you ever seen in any part of the world where a Central Bank governor is given a 10-year tenure?

“A minister will remain for eight years; where do you see that?

” During Obasanjo’s time, after two years a minister is sacked and replaced by another minister. That way there’s improved performance.

“If this government gives you a ministerial position. You will be there until you get tired before you leave.”

This, according to the Fulani leader is because the Presidency has been taken over by external forces.

“There are people controlling him (Buhari). He is not in charge of himself. Mamman Daura is there controlling Buhari just like in the days of Goodluck Jonathan when Edwin Clark was controlling him.

“Obasanjo was the only person who could not be controlled by any other person. He proved that he was a General indeed.

But this General is controlled by Mamman Daura and one Tunde, a former recharge card seller on the streets of Kaduna.

” The same Tunde who was the other time accused of having three billion naira in his account. When he was accosted, he claimed the money was gift to him. By who?

” Today the same boy is a Deputy Director in the National Intelligence Agency. Where did he get the training to be a Deputy Director in the NIA?”

Similarly, the Pan-Fulani group accused Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, of sponsoring the crisis in the state.

It alleged that Ortom recruites and arm militia men who attack, kill soldiers and cart away their weapons.

“In Benue there is a notorious group led by the late Gana. Then they have another group called Teshere. And then those ones who killed eleven soldiers between Oju and Kwonshisha and carried their guns. They have militants who are fighting for them.

“Otherwise, how did they kill eleven soldiers. Or didn’t you hear of how they killed eleven soldiers in Kwoshisha and the soldiers were buried here in Abuja? It is a clear issue, not a hidden issue. They killed eleven soldiers and walked away with their guns.”

The group lambasted Ortom for using the Fulani to win his governorship election, after which he turned the controversy on open cattle grazing against them.

“The Governor of Benue used Fulanis to win election. That was the first time. I was in Benue myself, at the time. I carried 48,268 votes for Ortom (Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State) and I printed Two Thousand, Eight Hundred T-Shirts.

“Katsina-Ala was where he had his campaign office. We were the first group in 2015 to register in that office to vote him and which we did.

” After the election we started having crisis. But before then, seeing that he could not return the second term, he used Fulanis on the issue of anti-open grazing to win that election.”

MACBAN National Coordinator added that under Buhari, the Fulani have suffered more losses.

“Since the creation of the country the Fulanis have never had it bad as they are doing under this administration.

“As it is now, anywhere the Fulani goes he is pursued and killed. In fact, the Fulanis suffer more banditry than others as their cattle are being rustled. In Niger State, there are no more Fulanis as their cattles have been rustled.”

Furthermore, he asserted that it is wrong to assume that bandits and kidnappers terrorizing parts of the country are Fulani.

“Those arrested bandits, can they speak their languages. When persons dressed in Fulani attire are arrested, they say that they are Fulanis. They should go to court and translate the language. Moreover, in what language are they sentenced in court?

“The other time when soldiers killed Boko Haram elements in Sambiza forest, didn’t you see white men there?

” What of those kidnapping people and hiding them in the creeks, or burning police stations, and killing police men in the South East, are they Fulanis? Criminals are criminals.”

He also carpeted concerns of turbulent relationship between the Fulani and their host communities, insisting that Nigerians in any part of the country are part of the host communities.

“As far as I am concerned, any other person is a host community as we are born and brought there. I am a son of the soil.

“Will you talk host community for an Igbo man plying his trade in Kano or Bauchi State?

” Because he was born and brought up there.

“There was an Igbo man who was a member of the State House of Representatives because he was born and brought up there.

” As Nigerians we are citizens everywhere. That is why in America anywhere you stay for four years you are allowed to be a citizen there. That is the point.

” But here we feel that Fulanis are not Nigerians; that they are not citizens. They are discriminated against.

” For some persons, if their wives refused cooking for them, or denied them their conjugal rights, they attribute it to the Fulanis.”

Garus further assuaged fears that MACBAN is promoting a Fulani plan to Islamize the country and over-run it.

According to him, “before the Fulanis over-run any farm land, their cows must have been killed. But the problem is this, even if they killed Fulani, you will not hear it on the news. Those Fulanis that were killed in Anambra State, did you hear it on the news?

“Young Fulani boys of three and four years were slaughtered like goats, was anyone arrested? No!

” When Sunday Igboho killed a Fulani in Oyo State, did you hear anything from the case? No!

“Rather he was given a chieftaincy title.

” In fact, he boasted that neither the Inspector General of Police nor the President can arrest him. If he was Fulani, he would have been arrested.

“This is as he condemned remarks credited to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that the Fulani would avenge wrongs even after 100 years of such offence.

“That is his own understanding. I don’t know the Fulani he comes from. What I know is that reprisal and retaliation is not a Fulani thing alone. It is also in any other tribe. However, El-Rufai is on his own. He has the right to say whatever he has said.

“In any case, my understanding is that Fulanis are not considered citizens in Nigeria. They are regarded as “Baba Bo’la” (scavengers).

” Their votes and contribution are not needed. And they contribute a lot. You cannot waste anything in cow, from the head of it to its toes.

” Take for instance the federal government loan scheme to farmer. How many of these loans came to Fulanis? Are they given vaccines to vaccinate their cows? No!

” We are miscalculated in Nigeria. The Fulanis in Niger’, as in other neighbouring African countries are living comfortably. There is a plan in Nigeria to exterminate the Fulanis and that is not possible because we are citizens as others.”

Speaking on allegation by former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, that the insecurity bedeviling the country is masterminded by gunmen imported into the country by elements in the APC, to help the party win the 2015 Presidential election, Gororo stressed that, “as a retired police AIG, why didn’t Ribadu react back then. Why wait until now?

“Back in 2015, even a child would vote for Buhari. Not now that a bag of guinea corn is N25,000 in the market. Back then, even you, if you had run for the President, you would have won the election.

” Now people have understood where we are going unlike then when a bag of maize was N8,000.

” Where is the bag of maize now?

“In fact, democracy is not the best form of governance for Nigeria. Every road infrastructure you see in Nigeria today, were built during the military era. The Peoples Democratic Party and the APC are all the same thing. They are all failures. Most people in APC are ‘decampees’ with nothing to offer.

“They are like footballers moving on loan and transfer to different clubs. Sadly, in their case, they are moving around without agents facilitating their transfers.”

He added that the current anti-Fulani sentiment in the country is not unconnected to the economic hardship faced by many Nigerians.

“The point here is that the masses are suffering under this administration. And many Nigerians believe that the President is pro-Fulani. Therefore, the only way for them to hurt him is to attack the Fulanis.

“Unfortunately, the man has done nothing for the Fulanis. Not even sinking a bore hole for them.

” His administration has rather brought untold hardship and hatred on the Fulanis.

We are Nigerians and citizens and we must all come together in unity to safe the country from the hand of criminals.

” Moreover, we need a national dialogue where Nigerians will truly express their feelings so that we can tackle the issues.

” But insisting on bulk passing and blame games will do us no good.

“Now if Fulanis in the South East are forced back to the North, how do you expect those who were into business there to survive?

” We want President Muhammadu Buhari to boldly speak out and say enough is enough,” he added.

He also spoke on the government’s refusal to declare killer Fulani herdsmen as a terrorist group, insisting that “why will Fulani herdsmen be declared terrorists. Are all Fulanis involved in the crimes you listed? Moreover, did the government declare all Igbos terrorists?

“IPOB was declared a terrorist group because they hosted a flag seeking the breakup of Nigeria.

” The herdsmen are business men, they are not terrorists. Otherwise, the government could as well declare every other business man anywhere as a terrorist.

” In any case, the government has also not declared the Yoruba Oduduwa group as terrorists because they have not hosted a flag demanding for the breakup of the country.

” Back in the days of Anenih, was the whole Edo State declared a terrorist enclave? No! only Anenih was labelled a criminal by the government and declared wanted.

” Also, those killing security men and burning police stations in the South East and Akwa Ibom, who are they?”