The reaction, by the Presidency to the ongoing grandstanding between regional leaders over the fate of the Fulani herders outside the North by assuring security to all categories of Nigerians residing anywhere, has been described as timely as well as a victory for the Northern elders and youth groups that agitated for such assurance.
In Kaduna, a cross section of residents described the move as the closest step taken by this administration to prove that it listens to calls by its citizens.
“The Northern population was agitated over the safety of the Fulani living in other parts of the country who might not necessarily be involved in commission of any crime especially with reports of salient and latent threats of assaulting them coming from some leaders of southern communities,” said Alhaji Kabir Boga, a resident of Unguwar Sarki, Kaduna.
Recall former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in his tres open letter to the President, had said the alleged killings he singled out to be committed by Fulani’s herdsmen would lead to cross-country uprising where Nigerians of Fulani tribe would be attacked.
The Obasanjo’s statement was however described as portraying him as betrayal of his status as an elder statesman and patriot that he claims.
Boga said that President Buhari deserves commendation for harkening to the people’s agitation expressed in the several correspondences by the northern elders group under Professor Ango and the youth groups coalition.
“By assuring every Nigerian including the estranged Fulani of governments readiness to uphold their rights to live in any part of Nigeria without the fear of molestation, Buhari has shown that he is a listening president contrary to the pervading suspicion that he had abandoned to their fate by his earlier silence,” he said.
Another Respondent, Musa Zubair of Tudun Nufawa, Kaduna, said both government and the Professor Ango led group deserve commendation because the Fulani and the North were under threat when Buhari was silent as the threats were mounting from southern leaders especially after the killing of the daughter of Chief Fasoranti.
“Our people in the South can now feel free to remain in the South with the assurance of security from government. Otherwise with those threats, no northerner would feel safe to stay in the South if government had not spoken,” he said.
He hailed the foresight displayed by elders of the north and youth groups in insisting for this type of safety guarantee for northerners and urged the presidency to remain resolute on this position so that no ethnic group should be threatened.
“The elders should complete their good work by monitoring to ensure that our people are safe. At least that is what elders are supposed to do and not just stay quiet when their people face problems,” Zubair said.
