A former Governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda has backed the incumbent governor of the state Bala Mohammed over his recent comments on herdsmen that sparked national outrage.
Isa Yuguda who was interacting with journalists shortly after he revalidated his membership of the All Progressives Congress in Bauchi on Monday said Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria have been unfairly treated over the years.
“The Nigerian State has not been fair to these people,(Fulanis), when the white man came they provided cattle grazing and routes from Maiduguri to Lokoja and Ilorin.
“These infrastructures were provided by the white people, and today where are the grazing reserves and the cattle routes?
Yuguda wondered why the comment by governor Bala Mohammed generated the recent public outcry, arguing that; “There have been clamour by senior citizens in this country that we should carry weapons to defend ourselves, but when our governor, Bala Mohammed made a remark to that effect everyone is crying wolf – all the Nigerian press is saying Bala is this, Bala is that.”
“Didn’t you hear a senior citizen in Nigeria saying we should carry guns to defend ourselves, where were you guys, nobody wrote about it until when Bala said okay these people (Fulanis) also deserves the right to defend themselves”, he insisted
Governor Yuguda, who blamed the Nigeria press over ethnic profiling warned that; “Let us stopped being sentimental for goodness sake, otherwise this country will crumble.”
“It’s crumbling in your hands and I’m afraid that you as the press are creating this problem”, he added.
Yuguda also commended Governor Mohammed for the infrastructural development in the state, saying “He is doing his best; anyone that occupies a seat can only offer his best.”
