Herders-Farmers Crisis: Bauchi Gov. Accuses Ortom Of Fanning Embers of Disunity
BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – As the controversy over the crisis between armed Fulani herders and farmers and others continues to gather moist, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, has taken a swipe at his Benue State counterpart, declaring that Governor Samuel Ortom is fanning the ember of disunity with his utterances over the issue.
Governor Mohammed did not also spare the South-west and South-east governors over their handling of the farmers/herders’ clashes which he said is gradually snowballing into a major crisis that must be nip in the bud in order to avert a major ethno-religious crisis in the country.
Mohammed particularly faulted the quit notice given the Fulani herders in some of the southern states particularly Ondo State, stressing that the move of the Southern governors was wrong and unconstitutional considering that the constitution guarantees freedom of movement.
The Governor, who stated these at the closing ceremony of the 2021 Press Week of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Bauchi State Council, cautioned journalists against rushing to press on the issues that are capable of dividing the country
Governor Mohammed, who in his keynote address on the theme: “The Role of the Media in Promoting Peace in Nigeria,” commended journalists in the state for their accurate and balanced reporting and for promoting peace in Nigeria.
He however said: “On the herders/farmers clashes, you have seen what our colleagues in the South-west are doing and some of them in South-east. Some of us told them with all modesty and humility –you are wrong”.
Mohammed, who was the Guest of Honour and an awardee further said; “But the person that is most wrong is the Governor of Benue State, my brother and my colleague, Governor Samuel Ortom. He started all these. If you don’t accommodate other tribes, we are also accommodating your people in Bauchi and other places”.
He continued; “We have so many Tiv people working and farming in Alkaleri, Tafawa Balewa, Bogoro Local Government Areas of Bauchi. Has anyone asked them to go? We have not, because it is their constitutional right to be there.
“We have Yoruba people in Bauchi for over 150 years, even before the birth of Nigeria. Nobody has told them to go. Some of them have risen to become permanent secretaries in Bauchi, Gombe, and Borno.
“And now, the Fulani man is practicing the tradition of pastoralism, he has been exposed to the dangers of the forests, the animals, and now, the cattle rustlers, who carry guns, kill him and take away his commonwealth, his cows, he had no option than to defend himself because the society and the government are not protecting him.
“It is not his fault, it is the fault of the government and the people. You don’t criminalise all of them because in every tribe there are criminals. You should be very sensitive,” Mohammed said.
In own his address, Chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, Malam Ahmed Mohammed, advised journalists against misusing their constitutional power to promote disunity and disaffection among Nigerians.
He said; “I want to yet again appeal to my dear colleagues to be cautious in their reportage. One wrongly-worded headline can spark a fire that may burn down the entire nation or cause irreparable damages to the society or the person(s) affected. One of us may feel that he can retract a story, but news stories are like oil. You can attempt to wipe the spill but you may never get it all back”.
Speaking in turn, the State Chairman of the NUJ, Comrade Umar Sa’id commended Governor Mohammed for his friendly posture towards working Journalists in the state and assured him that journalists in the state will remain fair and objective.
