Convener of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Paul Unongo, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the deployment of soldiers to protect northerners living in the SouthWest and other parts of the country so as to shield them from further attacks. The elder statesman said in an interview and also urged Buhari to utilise his presidency to focus more attention on the North, saying “if the North does not get better, the rest of the country will not be any better.”“He is the president. He is from the North. He knows the yearnings and aspirations of the region. If the North does 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 landmass 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 unite the people of the region,” he said. while speaking on the growing tension in the North over the attack on Fulani in the South-West he said, such attacks and the conspiracy of silence from people who are supposed to bring those perpetrators to order, is disturbing. 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.
Nigeria must remain one country. And it shall remain so. The sooner the promoters of separatist agenda realise that, the better. the governors in these states need to tighten their belt and ensure that there is no breach of the peace in the region. Lawbreakers and those who commit crimes must be separated from law-abiding citizens. 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.
We will tell the governors of these states to be up and doing they are the chief security officers of their respective states. We will like a speedy response to these attacks and humiliation by Sunday Igboho should stop. When speaking about communities and governments of the states where the herders are said to be perpetrating these criminal acts? he said. The communities should stop ascribing criminality to a particular tribe and religion those criminal herders should not be spared, but they should be made to face the wrath of the law. 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. 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.