It’s an invitation to anarchy —Nura

Mallam Mohammed Nura is the Plateau State Chairman of the Miyyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association. In this interview with ISAAC SHOBAYO, Nura speaks on the open grazing bill and the anxiety of his people concerning it. Excerpt:

WHAT is the position of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association on the bill by a group tagged G17 seeking to prohibit Open Grazing in Plateau State?

The bill against open grazing submitted by a youth group tagged G17 is an invitation to chaos and crisis and also a ploy to shatter the prevailing peace in the state. It is something that would not help Plateau and Nigeria as a whole. We the Fulani in Plateau State are indigenes of this state. We don’t have anywhere to go, if they ban open grazing what alternative are they providing? From our understanding, they just want to punish us because we have just cattle as a means of livelihood. We are not civil servants, neither are we in government; it is another way of oppressing us. This is something new; in Benue and Taraba states where it was passed, it has not addressed the crisis. So there is the need for alternative plan and steps to address the issue.

Have you studied the bill to know what it contains?

It is the same thing with the one passed into law in Benue and Taraba States. It is a replica of the bills in these two states; the Fulani in these States are being oppressed by the bill and sent packing. The conditions of the Fulani in these states are terrible and not healthy for a country like Nigeria.

What advice do you have for the government as alternative to banning of open grazing?

The present administration in Plateau State is a listening government and has been working seriously to sustain the prevailing peace in the state. It should bring stakeholders on both sides together to discuss the issue. The grazing reserves should be sustained, those that were gazetted and now moribund should be revived while cattle routes should be open up again. But I want to emphatically declare that the anti open bill being sponsored by a group in Plateau State would worsen the hostility between farmers and herdsmen, it will not work. So the state House of Assembly should throw the bill out and find alternative means of addressing the issue. And also, in most cases people in Plateau just label any conflict as herders and farmers conflict without a thorough investigation. How do you justify that a crisis is between herdsmen and farmers? The recent attack in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State has nothing to do with the incursion of cows into a farm land, likewise the killing in Riyom local government. They were caused by other issues.

What do you want both the house of assembly and state government to do instead of prohibition of open grazing?

I don’t believe in it, it will add more firewood to the fire. I am calling on the Plateau State House of Assembly to dump the bill into the dustbin because it will not work. It will not give us peace. The House should initiate action that would address the issues without succumbing to the antic of those who want to cause trouble. It should be noted that ECOWAS treaties gave us the freedom of movement to do our businesses. The Peace Building Agency should create a platform to address the issues and carry everybody along. A committee comprising all stakeholders including herdsmen should be constituted and they should be given the free hand to discuss the issues at stake because there are issues that have not been thoroughly addressed.

In the statement you issued, it was alleged that the group behind the bill is being sponsored to shatter the prevailing peace in the state. What evidence do you have to buttress this?

It is clear that some people don’t want peace and as well want the government to fail. They want the killings to continue for their selfish ends; they want to disrupt the peace to tarnish the image of the government. So the state assembly should be careful the way it handles the issue.There is need for caution.