The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, has expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that it was wrong for Nigerians to lump local Fulani herders with those illegally finding their way into the country and causing crises.
Alhaji Baba Gadzama,
Secretary-General of MACBAN, said this at an event marking the third-year
anniversary of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of
Benue State, 2017.
The theme of the event was “Open
Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017: A Recipe for Security
and Peaceful Co-Existence.”
He also accused the Federal
Government of not implementing the Trans-Human Protocol of the ECOWAS Treaty.
Represented by a Director at the
National Headquarters of MACBAN, Alhaji Adamu Toro, Gadzama said: “Don’t forget
that the conflicts that we have had within the sub-region in Northern Niger, in
Libya and other places are impacting on us because it allows people to have
access to small arms and it is these small arms that are escalating all these
crises that we are seeing.
Continuing, the MACBAN scribe said:
“Now, the question you should ask is, is it the Fulani that has settled here
for a very long time that are causing these problems or the other people that
are coming from other places?
“It seems that we are not making a
distinction. We lump them together and saying we are all creating problems.
“But we have told the government
several times, we as an association, are willing to partner with the
government.
“We can plan so that we can fish out
the miscreants among the pastoralist group as well as within the other groups,
so that we can have peace.
“We are used to peace before; it is
not an impossible job, it can be done.”
Gadzama also accused the Federal
Government of not implementing the Trans-Human Protocol in the ECOWAS Treaty to
check the influx of non-profiled herders into the country.
The MACBAN Secretary-General pointed
out that foreign herders move into the country at will because the ECOWAS
Trans-Human Protocol was not being enforced.
His words: “There is what we call
Trans-Human Protocol in the ECOWAS Treaty that allows other people from other
countries to come into our country.
“Look at the conflicts all around
us. Who monitors the proliferation of arms and the use of drugs? These are the
things that fuel conflicts.
“It (Trans-Human Protocol)
recognises nomadic movements. But then it says there are clear guidelines. It
is only Nigeria that does not implement these guidelines.
“If anybody is coming into the
country from the border, we must note the number of cows he has.
“The person must be given a
certificate and we must ensure that the livestock is well vaccinated.
“Nigeria is not doing our own part
of the work. That is why they move.”
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