A pan Yoruba socio-political
organisation, Afenifere, has denounced the comments credited to a former
governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso, during his recent
visit to Ibadan describing it as “uncouth, rude and insensitive.”
The ex-governor, now a senator, had
during the inauguration of some facilities in Ibadan reportedly asked
some Yoruba elders to “shut up.”
According to Afenifere, Kwankwaso’s
grouse with the Yoruba leaders was their call for an end to the criminal
activities of Fulani herdsmen in the South West at a recent summit in
Ibadan. At the summit, the leaders had said they would reconsider the
place of the Yoruba nation in Nigeria if the Federal Government could
not protect their people from the incessant attacks of the Fulani
herdsmen.
But Afenifere in a statement signed by
its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odunakin, on Monday, said
Kwankwaso did not condemn the abduction of a former Minister of Finance,
Chief Olu Falae, by the Fulani herdsmen.
He said, “The declaration is not
anywhere near the statement of Gen. Yakubu Gowon on August 3, 1966 that
“there is no basis for Nigeria unity, which has been so badly rocked,
not only once but several times,” or the theme of the North’s revenge
coup of July 29,1967 titled, ARABA, an Hausa word meaning “let us divide
it.”
“In all his ramblings in Ibadan,
Kwankwaso did not condemn the abduction of Chief Olu Falae, the killing
of innocent farmers, the raping of women and destruction of crops and
farmlands in the course of the grazing activities of Fulani herdsmen. He
only tacitly justified their activities by offering excuses for their
criminal conducts.”
Afenifere noted that Kwankwaso’s
utterance was a replay of the sordid episode of 2,000 when some Arewa
leaders stormed the office of the late Oyo State Governor, Alhaji Lam
Adesina, on behalf of nomadic cattle rustlers.
“It is another sad day for the clash of
civilizations within the Lugard cage when a man who has occupied all the
offices Kwankwaso has held, opens his mouth in a people’s domain and
all he vomits make listeners to confuse him with a herdsman
“With the uncouth, rude and insensitive
remarks of Kwankwaso and his ilk in the North which are like pouring
salt on injury, it is coming clear to us that there may be a grand
agenda with the activities of the Fulani herdsmen either as an advance
party of Boko Haram into our territory or an expansionist project.”
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