Samuel Ortom, Bunue State governor, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of planning to turn Nigeria into a place dominated by Fulanis.
Ortom said this on Tuesday, while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily.
He slammed Buhari over his position on open grazing, handling of insecurity and other critical matters in the country.
“Mr President is pushing me to think that what they say about him, that he has a hidden agenda in this country is true”, Ortom said, adding: “because it is very clear that he wants to fulanise but he is not the first Fulani president.
“Shagari was a Fulani President, Yar’ Adua was a Fulani President and they were the best in the history. But President Buhari is the worst President when it comes to issues of security and keeping his promises.
“Go back to 2015, what did he say, human rights issues, he talked about press freedom, about the economy, corruption, security, tell me one that Mr President has achieved.
“He has achieved some level of development in other sectors but these prominent things that are concerns to Nigerians and we are all worried about.. tell me when Mr President has come out to address them. Is it corruption, we are worse in the history of this country”.
Ortom averred that while the Presidency believes that open grazing is the solution to the lingering farmers/herders clashes, it will only worsen insecurity.
He said it is disappointing that despite agreement on ranching by most states in the country, the President has maintained his stance on open grazing.
“If Mr President respects the law, the Land Use Act gives governors the power to preside over land administration on behalf of the people that they govern.
“So it is amazing and I am surprise to hear this coming from Mr President as if he doesn’t have an Attorney General, or Lawyers around him to advise him. I think Mr President was misquoted or he did it out of error. He should come out to apologise to Nigerians,” he stated.
The governor’s reaction comes days after Buhari approved recommendations of a committee to review “with dispatch”, 368 grazing sites, across 25 states in the country, “to determine the levels of encroachment.”
Among other things, the Committee recommended the production of maps and geo-mapping/tagging of sites, analysis of findings and report preparations as well as design appropriate communication on Grazing Reserves and operations.
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