The Governor of Jigawa State, Muhammad Badaru, has said the reason why the state is not facing banditry challenges is because it had identified the root cause of such.
Speaking when he received the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council’s (PEBEC) ‘Business Made Easy, Badaru said previous administrations created policies that allowed Fulani herdsmen to use cattle grazing routes and even forest reserves.
This he said kept the state free of clashes between farmers and herders witnessed in states in the North-East.
According to him, the administration of governor Saminu Turaki between 1999 and 2007 “allowed the Fulani to use cattle routes and to some extent forest reserves’, while disputes between farmers and herders were discussed and resolved amicably.
“When Sule Lamido came, he continued with the initiative, he started providing water in grazing reserves and building schools for nomads. When I came in, I continued with the provision of water and demarcation of cattle routes,” Mr Badaru was quoted by Premium Times.
“We introduced mobile veterinary services in 30 wards that enable the herders to get veterinary services in their own villages, giving the herders a sense of belonging.
“If suspicious characters come to Jigawa, we get information from resident Fulanis that such people have arrived and we don’t trust them,” he said.
He stated that states facing banditry are those who lack similar policy as Jigawa.
“But this was not handled well in other places and that was why, probably, you see the escalation. And some states got affected with the menace due to their proximity to the banditry-prone states.
If they had treated the issue the same way as Jigawa did, that could not have happened,” he said.
The Governor lamented that Fulani cattle herders were not being provided with education and basic amenities.
“They have become backward in the society and they discovered that they can buy Ak-47 to terrorise the people. The crisis is not only about kidnapping for money but you see vengeance in it, you see that they are angry. I believe that what the previous governments did in Jigawa and what I am doing will assist the state to remain relatively peaceful,” the governor said.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
