By Akanimo Sampson
CROSS River State Government has spoken ouit on why there is no conflict between their farmers and the rampaging Fulani herdsmen. There is worrisome killings by the herdsmen in parts of Nigeria.
Special Adviser to Governor Ben Atade on Non Indigenes Affairs, Musa Maigoro, a lawyer, says the proactive measures put in place to ensure disagreements between the contending parties are settled promptly, have always averted crisis.
Musa who was speaking in Calabar, the state capital, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration is committed to constructing a new vista of life for citizens which can be achieved if the peaceful nature of the state is maintained, by ensuring peace between herdsmen and farmers remains a focal point.
According to him, ”there was an allegation that cattle encroached lands of the Nde natives (in Ikom) with occasioned damages and destruction of their crops. This spurred the community to agitate that the Fulani should vacate. That problem lingered so long it was at the verge of degenerating into something else but I intervened in the matter in conjunction with the SA on Chieftaincy Affairs and we brought the Fulani and Nde community together, brokered peace between them and by God’s grace, that problem has been laid to rest. We advised the Fulani to ensure that their cattle are confined to a certain designated areas in which they should not encroach on the farmlands of the natives and destroy the crops.”
On the suggestion of ranches to prevent the clashes, Musa who spent a chunk of his life in Ikom stated that “If the Presidency in its wisdom think the measure to curb the incessant encroachment of farmlands is the provision of ranches for the herdsmen and is committed to it to stem the tide of the problem between the herdsmen and owners of farmlands, I think I will subscribe to the ideology.”
He is full of praises for Governor Ayade for appointing non indigenes into his cabinet and pledged their commitment to “Ensuring we assist our governor, key into his good projects and contribute our own quota towards consolidating him in achieving his lofty objectives of taking the state to enviable heights of prosperity and greatness.”
Meanwhile, the Muslim Hausa community has commended the governor on his appointments of non indigenes into the offices of Special Adviser and Special Assistants on Non Indigenes Affairs.
Chief Imam of Ogoja, Alhaji Khamis Mohammed made this known Friday, in Ogoja during Jumat prayers where he expressed great pleasure in the appointment of Alhaji Abdulkarimu Adam as the Special Assistant on Non Indigenes and Muslim Affairs.
Khamis described Ayade as a man sent by God for the emancipation of mankind with Abdulkarimu in his remarks calling on all hands to be on deck to move the state forward.
