Segun Babatunde in Bauchi
As individuals and groups continue to submit memoranda to the Administrative Committee of Inquiry into Land Disputes in Bauchi state, the conglomerate of Fulani socio-cultural associations known as Daddo Pulaku, Bauchi State has demanded for Executive backing to have 4% of the total land surface of the state as contained in the list of gazetted and ungazetted grazing reserves in Bauchi state.
The demand is contained in the memorandum submitted by the group to the administrative committee on Wednesday stressing that the government should ensure the full implementation of the castle routes law of Bauchi State, 2018 as contained in the passed bill which enforced the non-cultivation of both sides of all major roads in the state by 30 meters from the drains.
In the memorandum signed by Muhammad Aminu Tukur, Chairman, Daddo Pulaku, Bauchi State for other leaders of the associations, it stated that, “nomads, not only in Bauchi state, the country and indeed greater West Africa subregion are being threatened with such an intense hostility that are having multiplier effect every year, if not on daily basis”.
It added that, “The most pertinent thing being the fact that all those challenging our right to live and choice of occupation are the most gluttonous protein (beef) eaters and addictive milk consumers. Nomadic communities all over the world are never known to be parasites but major contributors to the economy of all Nation states”.
According to the memorandum copy of which was obtained by Tribune, the nomads have serious challenges in all the 20 LGAs of the state with the most cases common in Itas/Gadau, Ganjuwa and Bauchi LGAs where some village heads along with land officers are busy apportioning grazing reserves and cattle routes to themselves and selling to individuals.
Daddo Pulaku appealed to the committee to choose just one cattle route anywhere in the state and visit in order to ascertain what it is saying stressing that, “it is our candid opinion that our people suffer most in the hands of village heads, district heads and greedy lands officers in the LGAs”.
In conclusion, it stated that, “it is our opinion that for a permanent solution to the escalating conflicts between farmers and herders in Nigeria as the most pressing security challenge of our time which has the potential to degenerate into more violence, bloodshed, arson and destruction of the most needed essential food items we have in both crop production and animal husbandry, urgent steps must be taken by government to check the tide”.
“We therefore, opined that as a matter of national priority and interest, government at all levels must step in and address the issue squarely no matter who is gored. The federal system we are operating to this moment has vested most powers in the hands of the federal government by having an upper hand in the security arrangement the country, having the Police and Armed forces under its command “, Daddo Pulaku appealed.
It added that, ” similarly, level of literacy, nationalism and ability to appreciate one another for peaceful coexistence is grossly lacking. This we suggest that it is never too late to start from the scratch by inculcating mass literacy, civil education and sensitization of the citizenry to appreciate one another most especially among farmers and herders”.
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