The
Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association yesterday welcomed the open
invitation of the Kano State government to cattle breeders to relocate to
the state for the purpose of continuing their business.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje
had said earlier in the week that he is ready to accommodate as many cattle
breeders as possible in the Falgore Forest for their business.
Spokesman of the
Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Ngelzama Usman, described the
gesture as a welcome development, although it does not sit well with the
Gan-Allah Fulani Development Association, a vibrant offshoot of the Miyetti
Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association (MACBAN).
Secretary General of the
Gan-Allah Fulani Development Association, Alhaji Saleh Bayari, said the
offer is neither feasible nor acceptable because the Fulani,like other
Nigerians, have a right to live and do business in any part of the country.
He
said restricting them to one corner of the country is an infringement on their
right.
The Fulani in Enugu State are
also not disposed to leaving the state for Kano or any other part of the
country.
Their spokesman, Alhaji
Sanusi Sambo, said they are at home in Enugu because the people and government
of Enugu State are very hospitable and have created a conducive
atmosphere for them to operate their businesses.
Usman, speaking on the phone,
told The Nation that Falani are
peace-loving people.
His words: “It is a welcome
development because at a time when some people are chasing our members
out of their states, some other governors are opening wide their hands and
embracing our members.
“This is not coming from
Kano State alone. Even the governor of Kogi State has also opened
the door to our members. This goes to show that our members are not
terrorists. Our members are peace-loving people who are going round the
country doing their legitimate business.
“They
move with their cows which are their only source of livelihood together with
their wives and children.
“You don’t expect a
pastoralist who moves about with his family and only source of livelihood to go
about fomenting trouble.
“This is the narrative we
want the media to be passing on. What is going on in the media is against our
members, but we are happy now that the media is trying to balance the whole
thing.
“We really appreciate the
governor of Kano State and hope that other governors will also do the same.”
In a separate interview,
Alhaji Bayari said: “We are quite appreciative of his (Ganduje’s) concern for
our people, but if we all continue on that note, we will not have a country.
“We will not have a country,
or a nation because it simply means that tomorrow, when you harass some Yoruba
who have been living in Jos for generations, or some Igbo
living in Kano or Sokoto, their state governors will just tell them to
relocate.
“Then, at the end of the day,
we would have as many countries as the number of tribes that we have in Nigeria
and that would not augur well for us as a country.
“By following Governor
Ganduje’s directive, we are going to end up polarizing the country on the basis
of sentiments rather than nationalistic feelings and callings.”
Spokesman of the Miyetti
Allah in Enugu State, Alhaji Sanusi Sambo, said: “As you can see many of
us were born here. Many are inheriting the cattle business from their fathers.
“We cannot just relocate to
another place. Even though in Kano we may be meeting our people, it will take
us long to get used to them.”
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