Southern, M-Belt leaders back Ortom’s anti-open grazing law, insist on restructuring

Southern leaders and their Middle Belt counterparts on Wednesday threw their weight behind Governor Samuel Ortom prohibition of open grazing in Benue State.

They also called on the Federal Government to save the looming collapse of Nigeria by restructuring the country.
The leaders, which include those from Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Middle Belt and South-South Forum, stated this in Makurdi, Benue State capital, when they paid a condolence visit to the people and government of the state over the killing of 73 indigenes by herdsmen on New Year day.

Speaking during the visit, Ohanaeze Ndigbo president, Chief John Nnia Nwodo said, “I have never seen a country practice democracy and does not respect the voice of the people. We need to restructure Nigeria now or in the next seven years, Nigeria will be extinct.

“Restructuring is a national imperative. How can we have a security council consisting of a people from a particular section of the country? It is not fair. Are we a conquered people?

“I recall that the global terrorist index rated herdsmen as the fourth most dangerous terrorist group in the world but the Federal Government has continued to look the other way as they continue to wreak havoc in the country. Nigerians must rise and fight against tyranny in our land.

“If politicians fail to address these issues and fail to restructure the country, a time will come when Nigerians will dance on their graves. The truth is that the people of Nigeria are tired of this country. We must commend Governor Samuel Ortom for his uncommon courage in the face of adversity, he has shown that he is a civilian general.”

Also in his speech, a leader of Afenifere delegation, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, called on all Nigerians to support the restructuring of the country to save it from collapse.

“The problem we are facing in Nigeria today was created by the Constitution the military imposed on us. Anything it will take to get us out of this bondage, we will stand firmly with it because the matter is beyond politics.

“If we go ahead to conduct any election in Nigeria without changing the Constitution that makes your president the most powerful man in the world, even more powerful than the president of America, we are finished.

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“We all want to be in Nigeria on terms imposed on us by every section of the country because it will be the people’s constitution,” he said.

Further speaking, he decried the leadership style of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying “l had warned Nigerians about President Buhari because he is not a democrat.” He added that, Buhari’s kinsmen, the Fulani herdsmen, do not believe that any other tribe exists in the country.

Air Commodore Idongesit Ikanga, retd, who spoke for the South-South Forum said, “We are totally behind Governor Ortom because the greater number of the soldiers that fought the civil war that kept this country united were from Benue.

“What happened in the state has further strengthened the call for the restructuring of the country. We are saying that there must be Nigeria but it must be a country where justice must prevail.”

In his speech also, the leader of the Middle Belt Forum, Bala Takaya, decried the level of bloodshed in Nigeria, saying that it was getting out of hand.

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He said, “We pray that the blood of those killed will not go in vain, it will cry for justice before the throne of grace and justice, the author of life. What happened in Benue is nothing but an ethnic cleansing. How then can we describe a situation where evil forces will besiege the homes of innocent people and murder them in cold blood?

“The events in the country at the moment have again brought to the fore, the need for the restructuring of the country in order to save Nigerians more pains and anguish.”

Governor Ortom had earlier in his welcome address, regretted that regardless the deployment of more security personnel to the state, that more persons were still being killed by herdsmen. He assured his visitors that the state will work with them to foster greater unity among the people of the zones.

 

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