Herdsmen: FG must deploy soldiers in South-West —Unongo, NEF convener

Elder statesman and former Minister of Steel Development in the Second Republic, Paul Unongo, who is also the convener of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), is a staunch supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari. In this interview, he speaks to the with the Northern Bureau Chief, MUHAMMAD SABIU, on the vacation order issued to criminal elements among Fulani herdsmen in the South-West and the tension it is generating in the polity.

There is growing tension in the North over the attack on Fulani in the South-West with some people saying Northerners must be protected in all parts of the country. What is your take on this? 

We are not supposed to retaliate. They say two wrongs cannot make a right, even though these attacks meted on the Northerners are totally disgusting and uncalled for. In the two main religions, Islam and Christianity, I don’t think there is anywhere where such is allowed.  God who created us did not ask us to kill or intimidate anyone. He made us to understand He owns the land. We are just his ambassadors on earth. So, as I said, such attacks and the conspiracy of silence from people who are supposed to bring those perpetrators to order, is disturbing.

What is the implication in case the North too wants to react? 

No, we will not allow that. We have started consulting widely and we are engaging major stakeholders in the region. Even though, there are those who said we should allow our youths to retaliate, some of us, the elders, believe in the need to remain law-abiding and embrace peace.

We believe if some people are attacking us, we need to remain focused and not behave like them. But government must implement laws allowing free associations and movement. To me, this is not difficult. We are currently at the helm of affairs. The northern region is currently holding onto power. So, we can’t join them in this senseless act. Instead, those who are with power act differently and act wisely.

But some northern elders believe that if reprisal starts in the North, nobody can control the youths? Do you subscribe to this? 

No, I don’t think so. Power is on our hands. Everything would be done to ensure that the youths in the region do not break the laws or take the laws in their own hands. We have gone through a civil war and we were victorious. We know that. Everybody knows that. We  have the fear of God. Those who do not want the country to remain one were defeated.

So, it is our blood that is keeping the country as one. We will not allow any individual or group to promote another civil war. I don’t think what [the late Chief Odimegwu] Ojukwu did can be replicated again. Those fallen heroes were not killed in vain. They were killed in the course of keeping the country as one entity. So, Nigeria must remain one country. And it shall remain so. The sooner the promoters of separatist agenda realise that, the better. I think they are just heating the polity unnecessary, maybe because of 2023 or in order to remain relevant.

But do you think there is a conspiracy by the South-West leaders on this matter?  

The ruling APC are in the majority in the South-West. Ogun State and many of the states are APC. So, the governors in these states need to tighten their belt and ensure that there is no breach of the peace in the region.  What they failed to understand is that there is no substitute for peace. Peace is paramount to our survival. The northerners living in the South-West and in any part of the country must be protected. Law breakers and those who commit crimes must be separated from law-abiding citizens. You can›t just apply hatred to everyone or a section of the country or tribe. Your own people will commit these crimes and take cover. So, those perpetrating this must be arrested and prosecuted. Nobody should be protected. The leaders must speak out.  They should call their wards to order. Are they telling me they don›t like to eat meat again? If we want to tell our people to leave and bring their cows to the North, we can do that. But we will not do that.

Our people should be protected. Soldiers and police should be sent to protect them. We don›t want a repeat of what happened before. We will tell the governors of these states to be up and doing and to ensure that everyone is protected. They are the chief security officers of their respective states. We will not accept the continued attack on our people in these states. We will like a speedy response to these attacks and humiliation by Sunday Igboho should stop. We will not allow our people to be killed like chickens in the southern region. We will not agree.

What is your advice to the newly appointed service chiefs? 

I will like to pray for them to succeed in their new assignments. Boko Haram in the North-East, the various security challenges like kidnappings, the banditry, herders /farmers crisis, grazing and so on need to be addressed squarely.  For the past one decade, we have been grappling with this menace. Many people or rather thousands of people have been killed. So the present situation is just like war. So the service chiefs should put on their thinking caps to think scientifically how to end the menace. We are not ignorant about it. It is an insurgence that is known. We cannot fold our arms on the wanton killing of innocent lives. Our children need to have comfort so that each child can pursue his dreams. We have to tell them that engaging in crimes would not yield any positive result but misery upon misery. We have to teach them that God dislikes killings. Both the two dominant religions Islam and Christianity are against any form of killings. We are all from one source, Adam and Eve. Those who refuse to repent or surrender are the Boko Haram. These are fearless people who inflicted misery on innocent souls. These people shouldn’t be allowed to live. It is the duty of the service chiefs to fight them to a standstill. Since they are not practising Islam, to me, they have their own type of religion. They are not Muslims. So the service chiefs must end the war once and for all.

Those who are found guilty should be prosecuted. Those who surrender should be pardoned. These ones should be integrated into society and enrolled in schools. Those who are not interested in schools should learn skills trades, so that at the end of the day, they should have something doing.

What will you tell the communities and governments of the states where the herders are said to be perpetrating these criminal acts?

The communities should stop ascribing criminality to a particular tribe and religion. There are criminals in every tribe and religion. I have said at the beginning of the interview that affected communities should separate the innocent from  the criminal elements . Those criminal herders should not be spared, but they should be made to face the wrath of the law. That›s why I said the law should take its course on them. Where there is no law, the state should enact one to take care of the situation. It is the responsibility of the government to protect every citizen. My worry is the way this Sunday Igboho has been going about destroying people›s houses. There are processes to deal with such issues. Those herders behind any crime should be arrested and prosecuted. But burning down or destroying people›s properties will not solve this present security breach.

Any advice for President Buhari? 

I want to tell the president that those of us who brought him to power are still with him. We cannot at this stage abandon him. But he should know that the trust we gave him should not be wished away, no matter what. My candid advice to him is that he has the onerous duty to better the North. He should do everything within his power to leave a better legacy.  The North should not be allowed to continue in this present situation. We are not educated like the other parts of the country, but we are not totally dumb. Yes, we are blessed with people. We are equally blessed by a vast land. We are great farmers and great cattle-rearers. He should ensure that these two are revitalised. His duty is to enact laws that will improve farming and rearing. The laws should be in tandem with the present reality. He is the president. He is from the North. He knows the yearnings and aspirations of the region. If the North did not get better, the rest of the country will not. But if the North gets better, no individual or group will rise against the country or any part of the country. The North owns 70 per cent of the entire land mass of the country. We have the administrative acumen and we have the power. We brought him to power. He should not be afraid to develop his own region. We are not saying he should not develop the other parts of the country, but the North which is behind in almost every sphere must get his attention. His major priority now should be the North. He should take advantage of the power he has now to unite the people of the region. If the North gets better, the other part of the country will get better too. May God give him the wisdom to better the North before he leaves.

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