Ruga: You are calling for war you cannot win, Afenifere tells ACF

Apex Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere, has warned the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) against what it termed as war mongering over its position on the controversial Ruga settlements for Fulani herdsmen across the country being promoted by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

The ACF had in an interview at the weekend, called on those opposed to Ruga to drop their opposition and allow the programme to be implemented.

But in response, Afenifere, through its spokesperson, Yinka Odumakin, told the Northern group that demanding people’s ancestral land for Fulani herdsmen was tantamount to calling for war.

The Afenifere spokesperson said ACF should not forget that the coalition that fought the Biafra war was dead, warning it against starting a war it cannot win.

“They want to set Nigeria on fire,” Odumakin said. “Let us warn them loud and clear, the coalition that fought the civil war between 1967 and 1970 has collapsed forever.

“They should not think that they can go and fight anybody now and win. We know history even in 1967; we know where victory came in that war.

“They should be careful the way they are going. They should let us live in peace and harmony on the basis of true federalism, but if they think that they can lord it over the rest of the country because they hold temporary power for four years, they are playing with fire.”

Odumakin noted that any attempt to force Ruga on Nigerians would lead to a break up of the country.

“There was a country called Soviet Union; there was a country called Czechoslovakia and there was a country called Yugoslavia; those countries are no more on the world map today, so, they should not let that be the fate of Nigeria the way they are going; they should be very careful.

“They are looking for something else, which is not in the interest of the country. To say that they want Ruga settlements implemented all over the country is a declaration of war on the rest of us.

“The federal government through its body language, policy, action has turned sectional and that is why nothing is happening to these people making this hate speech.

“What did Nnamdi Kanu do that they charged him for treason? But the government is keeping quiet when a group is issuing threat against a section of the country because they are protesting against cows destroying their farm crops.

“Today, unfortunately, the federal government is losing its authority by allowing a group to issue threats against citizens; we are on the road to Kigali.

“This is just about conquest, domination, land grabbing, and forceful take over of territory; go back to history, the entire Hausa land today, Berom and Ilorin, they never have emirs, there is no town in Hausa land today that the Fulani built, but go everywhere; go to Zamfara, they have emirs everywhere. How did they do it? They used religion then to take over the territory, now they want to use cattle to take over the rest of the territory of Nigeria.”

ACF General Secretary, Anthony Sani, had in an interview with the Sun, called on Buhari to implement the Ruga project, even as he said governors of the “19 Northern states should act to save the situation.

“RUGA is settlements of nomads which the federal government and some state governments want to encourage in bigger sizes in the hope of encouraging sedentary way of life away from nomadic culture that is amenable to clashes between herdsmen and farmers,” Sun quoted him as saying.

“In order to stave off such tendencies, the governments wish to help nomads establish and manage bigger settlements that are still called RUGA for the express purpose of encouraging sedentary way of life and the husbandry leading to establishment and management of ranches for common good.

“I, therefore, do not see the wisdom of the opposition to open grazing by nomads and also opposition at the same time to any programmes as precursor for establishment and management of ranches that is the preferred national choice.

“More distressing is the argument by the opposition to the scheme that government has no reasons for getting involved in ranches that are private business concerns.

“And they do this strident opposition without due regard to the fact that governments have established river basins and dams in order to improve productivity in agriculture across the country. Governments have also been subsidizing agricultural inputs like tractors and fertilizers. We are also aware that there are certain private concerns that are regarded as ‘too big to fail’.

“Hence, the significance of bailout to banks and discos for distribution of power. As Nigerians, nomads are also entitled to some form of support from government.

“It is, therefore, gross injustice to allow the activities of some criminal herdsmen who do not act on behalf of the entire herdsmen, majority of whom are innocent to make some Nigerians oppose any action of governments on herdsmen, however good.”