Anti-Grazing Law: I’m not Anti-Fulani, Says Fayose
*Meets Miyetti Allah’s leaders
Contrary to insinuations that he was out to make
life difficult for the Fulani people living in Ekiti State, the state Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has declared that the passage
of the anti-grazing law should not be interpreted to mean he is anti-Fulanis.
To resolve the logjam created by the law, Fayose
and leaders of the
Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of
Nigeria (MACBAN), the umbrella body of cattle rearers, today met in
Ado-Ekiti to iron out grey areas in the enforcement of the anti-grazing Law in
the state.
The meeting, which took place at the Government
House, had the state executives of MACBAN and representatives from across the
local governments in attendance.
The visibly elated Fayose said he was indeed
happy that the leaders of MACBAN decided
to contact the state government instead of listening to rumours being peddled
around by the opposition.
"I have nothing against you or any other
ethnic group. Nobody should bring politics into this matter. If a Yoruba person
destroys your property I will defend you too. Leaders are not supposed to discriminate,
and as a leader, I don't discriminate. The law of the
land is not against anybody who obeys it but those
who flout it. It is the people destroying other people's farms that are causing
this problem.
"We have given lands to people to farm and
they have paid many years to use the lands and when somebody now comes and
destroys their means of livelihood and make them suffer losses, we won't allow that.
It is the bad people that make others suffer. If anybody says
Fayose is after Hausa or Fulani people, that person
has no sense.
“During my first term, I appointed a man from
Malunfashi as a Special Adviser. This term too, I appointed Musa Kanga into the
Pilgrims Welfare Board.
"In Oke Ako-Ekiti last May, two persons were
killed, people's wives raped by those hiding under the guise of rearing cattle.
I have 83 cows too and I have told the person taking care of them that if he goes
against the law and any of them is seized, he will be responsible for
that," he said.
Fayose also emphasised against leading cows along
major roads and city centres, saying such act had caused fatal vehicular
accidents in the past.
"If you have not been to London or America, I
guess some of you have
been to Mecca, did you see cattle breeders leading
their cattle across
city centres and major roads, with the cows
defecating everywhere?
“This is not done, and it is not that the people in
those places don't have cows they breed too," he stressed.
On the claim that marshals appointed to enforce the
anti-grazing law were shooting cows, the governor said it was untrue, adding
that the marshals were not armed.
On the demand by the MACBAN leaders that they be
part of the patrol teams to enforce the law, the governor acceded and commended
their efforts to support his administration in getting rid of bad eggs among the
cattle breeders.
The governor also said a meeting of community
leaders, government officials, MACBAN members and security agents would hold
later in the
week for further deliberations.
