Buhari Taking Sides With Fulani Herdsmen, May Divide Nigeria –OPC

The leader of the New Era group of the OPC, Rasak Arogundade, has said President Buhari should be careful not to divide the country in the manner he is giving tacit support to the herdsmen.

He said herdsmen in the South-West were expected to heed the directive given to them by the Northern Elders Forum and leave the region.

Arogundade, who spoke in an interview with one of our correspondents, said the Yoruba were accommodating but their gentle disposition should not be miscontrued for cowardice.

He said, “The only solution to this problem is to revisit the report of the 2014 Confab. Representatives of each of the regions met and agreed on how to resolve many issues, including this one. They should stop politicising it, read the report and use the good ones there.

“Also, each person living outside their region should respect the cultures and traditions of their host communities. There has never been a time when Yoruba leaders outside the South-West raised their voices against traditional rulers in the places they reside.

“Yoruba people are accommodating. We allow visitors in our midst to do what they like but they should not see us as fools. I know that we will react when we are pushed to the wall. I believe that the President himself will divide Nigeria with the way he is taking sides with Fulani people, his kinsmen. There had been presidents before Buhari and they were not clannish.”

He added, “Buhari should tell us if he wants to divide the country or he wants it to remain as one nation. He should implement the 2014 Confab report.

“They have been called to return to the North and my position is that if they want to go, they should go. We had farm settlements in the South-West during the time of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and there were ranches on the farm settlements. We will live if we don’t eat beef; after all, Fulani do not eat beef. They should go away with their cows.

“If they attack our people further, we will defend ourselves. And if Buhari sends soldiers, we will defend ourselves. We won’t run from anybody, we will defend ourselves.”