Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has given his position concerning the issue of Ruga settlements and the threat against southerners by a northern coalition group.
The plan to establish Ruga settlements across the country was suspended by the Federal Government on Wednesday, July 3, 2019. This was after the plan was rejected by many Nigerians, including some state governors.
Following the suspension, a northern coalition group issued a threat against southerners for rejecting the plan for Ruga settlements in their region. According to the group, if Fulani are not welcomed to do their cattle business in the south, then southerners shouldn’t expect to be welcomed to do business in the north.
The threat from the group was brought to the notice of Atiku Abubakar by former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, who took to Twitter to ask the former vice president for his position on the issue.
He tweeted: “I have 3 questions for Atiku, the man who I believe won the 2019 presidential election. 1. What is your position on RUGA? 2. Why have you not said one word about it? 3. What is your position on the threat and 30-day ultimatum made by Arewa youths against southerners?”.
Atiku responded by stating that his position is the same held by the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who have rejected the plan for Ruga settlements in their states.
“My position on Ruga is the same as articulated by the Governors elected under the banner of my party, the PDP. My position has been well iterated by our Governors & the PDP is one”, he tweeted.
Concerning the threat from the northern group against the south, Atiku said, “I will not dignify that threat with a response. There is no North or South. There is just Nigeria”. (PMNews)
