Bauchi State Governor Senator Bala Mohammed has accused his Benue State counterpart, Mr Samuel Ortom of exacerbating bad media narratives against the Fulani ethnic group in Nigeria.
Governor Mohammed who was commenting on the incessant farmers’ herders clashes in Nigeria said “You can see what our colleagues in the south west and some from the south east are doing.
“Some of us told them with all modesty and humility, ‘you are wrong’”.
Governor Mohammed said the Benue state governor was the major culprit in exacerbating the bad media framings criminalizing the Fulani tribe in Nigeria.
“The governor that is most wrong is the governor of Benue State, my brother and colleague Governor Samuel Ortom; he started all this.
“If you don’t accommodate other tribes, we are also accommodating your tribes in Bauchi and other places.
“We have so many Tiv people farming in Alkaleri, In Tafawa Balewa, farming in Bogoro LGAs; has anybody told them to go?
“We have not; because it’s their own inalienable rights to be there. “We have Yoruba people in Bauchi, for over 150 years, even before the birth of Nigeria; some of them have risen to become permanent Secretaries in the Bauchi, in Gombe and in Borno.
“And now because the Fulani man is practicing the tradition of pastoralism, he has been exposed to the vagaries of the forest, cattle rustlers who carry guns, kill him and take away his common wealth, which is the cows.
“He has no option than to carry AK47 because the society and the government are not protecting him, what is his fault; it’s the fault of the government and the people.
“You don’t criminalize all of them, because in every tribe, there are criminals.
“If Cyber Crime is practiced by one tribe, you don’t criminalise all the tribe that they are criminals.
Governor Mohammed who was speaking on the occasion of the Bauchi State Correspondents’ Chapel Press Week also cautioned journalists to be objective in their reportage.
“We should be very sensitive, and you as journalists, you must exercise restrain; you must decipher from wrongs and rights, something that is so bad, that can divide us, that can threatened our unity, you don’t do it”, the governor appealed.
Governor Mohammed also commended his Plateau State counter Simon Lalong for ending the mutual suspicion between fulanis and farmers on the Plateau.
“I must comment the chairman of the governor’s forum, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State. “With his diverse background despite being a minority on the Plateau, he’s leading the northern governors with focus, with a lot of sense, and with unity.
“And we need people like that; the fighting between farmers and fulanis in the Plateau has stopped; you know why; because of justice and unity; because of patriotism; because of community engagement; because of governance that fosters understanding between the diverse ethnic groups on the Plateau.
“And that is what we are doing in Bauchi, everyone is important, the media must single out those people for promotion, not just the people that will speak from Ondo, or Ekiti that Fulanis should leave their forest.
“No body owns any forest, the forest is own by Nigeria; under section 23, 24 and 25, of the constitution, every Nigerian is free to stay anywhere”, the Governor argued.
The Press Week Celebration themed: ‘The use of media in promoting peace and unity in Nigeria’ also conferred “The most media friendly governor” on Governor Bala Mohammed.
