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The Working Group of the last National Economic Council meeting (NEC), on Thursday, set up another sub-committee to meet with Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, (MACBAN) and other groups to discuss solutions to the continued killings resulting from herdsmen/farmers clashes.
The committee which is headed by Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, is however free to invite other members that could assist in holding dialogue with the critical stakeholders that will see to the end of what has been widely seen as ‘senseless killings’.
The new committee was announced to State House Correspondents by the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum and Zamfara Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, at the end of the three hour meeting presided over by Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo in his Abuja presidential office.
Governors Simon Lalong of Plateau State; Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna); Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara); Dave Umahi (Ebonyi); Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa); Deputy Governors of Benue, Benson Abonu, Oyo, Chief Moses Adeyemo, as well as Ministers of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh and Interior, Lt Gen. (Rtd) Abdulrahman Dambazau attended the meeting.
The NEC Working Group consists of Governors from Zamfara, Kaduna, Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Edo, Plateau, Ebonyi and Oyo States.
The Group was set up in a new effort to end the impunity that has marked the activities of Fulani herdsmen which has led to massive killings especially in Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Plateau and Nasarawa states.
BusinessDay recalls that the Federal Government, earlier in the week was considering a full military force to deal with those believed to be behind those killings in parts of the country.
But at its inaugural meeting, the Working Group concluded that a political solution is required to quell the crisis considering the religious and ethnic tones that could exacerbate and possibly worsen the situation if proper and timely care is not taken.
When asked about progress on finding lasting solution to the crisis that, Yari said, “There is progress. One, this committee is a NEC committee established by the Vice President so that this issue of herdsmen/farmers clashes will be put to rest.
“Though is a long standing problems since 2007 in some states particularly in my own state, we have been battling with it. Now the states and federal government under the leadership of the Vice President, we agreed to have a small committee at NEC so that the situation will not get out of hand, so that it won’t be looked at as an ethnicity crisis or religious crisis.
“So, in our discussion today, we have set up a committee headed by governor of Ebonyi State, while Plateau and Adamawa governors are members, and we are bringing some technocrats that will visit hotspots states, like Benue, Taraba, Adamawa and Zamfara, where there is crisis so that they can interface with the Meyitta Allah and other group to see how we can reduce this to the barest minimum. Why we cannot say we can put this matter to rest is because some of them have taken this as a money making venture, some are criminals who hide under this to perpetrate this act.
“As government we have to take all the measures despite the fact that the Army, Police, all the security agents are on the field at the respective places, still we have to form this committee to interface with those actors so that this matter can be reduced to the barest minimum and possibly boy wipes off,” the governor explained.
Onyinye Nwachukwu, Abuja
