By Gyang Lois Adamu
The current faceoff between Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and his Benue state counterpart, Samuel Ortom has indeed reached its highest epic in such a way that if cautions are not exercise, is capable of increasing the already tensed security situation in the country.
It is no longer news that war of words all started when Governor Bala Mohammed who had referred Ortom as his brother and colleague at a closing ceremony of Correspondents’ chapel week of the NUJ Bauchi questions his approaches farmers/herders problem.
Bala had lamented that Fulani herders have been consistently attacked by AK47 rifle-carrying cattle rustlers, killed and cart away their common wealth, that’s the cows.
The Bauchi Governor while complaining that the society and the government have failed to protect the Fulani herders and their wealth, cautioned against profiling an entire ethnic group as criminals because there bad eggs in every tribe.
He had condemned some leaders for giving quit notice to Fulani to vacate their forests, saying forests belongs to the federal government. The Governor also quoted some relevant sections of the constitution to back his claims.
Many people misunderstood Governor Bala’s statement for defending herdsmen to carry AK 47 simply because he had said that the herders are not to be faulted for carrying the weapon to defend their means of livelihood and their dear lives.
Since when Governor Bala Mohammed made this statement, there have been mixed reactions from across section of Nigeria, including Governor Ortom.
Reports say, Ortom had again while reacting to Bala’s comments on Channel Television on his recent statement, accused him of been a terrorist for supporting AK 47-carrying herders.
It is my sincere believe that any patriotic citizen is not happy that the two respected leaders have fallen prey to bad perception of some people who have found the unsavory relationship now existing between them to dish out divisionary statements that will do no one any good.
As a student of mass communication and not an expert in security, I find the ongoing cold war between the two leaders as threatening to the fragile peace in Nigeria and the Northeast in particular.
I urged Governors Samuel Ortom of Benue and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi to sheathe their swords in the best interest of the peace of the country and to exercise restraint from speaking to press on this matter and put the Nigerian project to focus, their action is likely to set some gullible Nigerians against one another.
To my fathers in the profession I aspires to practice, as you discharge your constitutional mandate as watchdogs of the society, focus should be put in issues that will unite us the more than on trivial matters. There is a saying that one wrongly stated headline can start a fire. Please be guided, as we don’t have other country to protect than Nigeria.
Equally important, is the urgent need for elder statesmen the country is blessed with, to wade into the matter with a view to amicable reconciliation of the two great leaders. Please do, before it becomes too late.
