Abuja lawyer, Dr. Kayode Ajulo, has hailed southern governors for taking a definitive stand on issues affecting the country.
Ajulo in a statement sent to Frontline News on Thursday backed key aspects of the communiqué issued by the governors following their meeting in Asaba.
The Abuja based legal practitioner said the governors’ position on open grazing, state police, federal character in terms of political appointments and President Muhammadu Buhari addressing the nation on the high level of insecurity are in tandem with the aspirations of those they lead.
The statement read in part: “What the Southern Governors have assiduously displayed is a great milieu of nationalism. A fore-runner idea that what has been happening in the Country in the past few years is not an ethnic affair nor is it right to call it an inter-party face-off”.
“ It baffles the mind how persistently we fall prey to the divide-and-rule tactics! To be sure, we must admit that the actions and utterances of some sections of the Country have lent credence to this unfortunate tribalisation of issues in Nigeria. The “our-son, our-own” syndrome, so prominent and agog in the Nigerian Political landscape has aided an increasing sectionalisation of national issues.
“Let us be clear on a point: I believe the issue at hand is one of constitutionalism and rule of law not sectional or regional issues. We must eliminate the blindness which still obscures the truth of that position.
“Firstly, on the issue of ban of open grazing, it is an open secret that the herdsmen-farmers crisis in the Southern part is one of the underlining issues of insecurity in Nigeria. Placing a ban on open grazing will keep at bay the incessancy of the crisis”.
“Secondly, on the issue of integration, it suffices to note that Nigeria is a country with more than 250 ethnic groups and with an estimated population of about 170,123,740, according to the 2006 census which makes it by far to be the most populated country in the whole of Africa.
“Consequently, under this arrangement, the level of interaction between individual ethnic groups, cultures, traditions, religions from different backgrounds has translated into ethnic and political misunderstanding, mistrust, dominations, conflicts and crises as one may not be considerate with one another. As a result, there are fears, suspicions, intolerance, grieves and greed domination among most communities in the country and especially in the North which has so many ethnic minorities”, the statement further read.
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