The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has described President Muhammadu Buhari as a clueless figurehead who should step down from power immediately.
The herdsmen group was reacting to the ban on open grazing by 17 southern governors after a meeting held in Asaba, Delta State last Tuesday.
The 17 Southern State Governors during the meeting in Asaba demanded a ban on open grazing in the south and urged the president to convene a national dialogue summit, restructure the country.
Other demands included devolution of power, state police and new revenue allocation formula, among others which they believed would abate the cries of secession among different groups in the country.
Reacting, MACBAN Chairman in Bauchi state, Sadiq Ibrahim Ahmed, urged its members in the Southern states to vacate the region.
He said, “This is a simple calculation. We are heading for secession. The rulers are no longer interested in the people. If some people are banned from open grazing, there is nothing more. Fulani people should move out from there. It is very simple.
“Must we transport the cattle there? I have said it before. We have an option of breeding our cattle here (North). We are peace lovers. Let them come and buy from us. It is some people’s fault.
“Criminality started in the South. Armed robbery, kidnapping; all started in the South. We have been watching these on television. And if these are being transited to the North, and you know we have a government that is not protecting the Constitution of the nation. Everyone takes laws into his hands.
“The Southern governors can do that. There is no problem, let them do what they want. If the Northern governors feel like, they can also do it too (banning open grazing).”
On Buhari, he said, “The President is there as a figurehead. He doesn’t know what he’s doing.
He is not controlling anybody. In our country now, everyone does what he feels like. The country is already moving apart. Where is the central government, if some governors can meet and take decisions that are against the Constitution…?”
According to him, Buhari should “step aside or for Nigerians to put heads together and elect a credible president in 2023, a leader with focus and competence. Nigeria should get a leader with a good example, who is ready to sacrifice his life for his subjects.”
