An elder statesman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has said Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria are suffering and he called on President Muhammadu Buhari to address the problems affecting them.
Abdullahi, who also advised the Federal Government to rehabilitate 600 abandoned grazing reserves in the North to address their sufferings, claimed Fulani were better off during the colonial era.
Ango, a former Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, stated this on Wednesday while speaking with newsmen in Bauchi.
He said the British created cattle routes, cattle markets and many other facilities because of the importance of the Fulani and their contributions to the Nigerian economy.
Abdullahi, however, noted that despite this, the Fulani ethnic group had not benefitted anything from the government as they have now become an object of politics, for every bad thing that happens in the country.
“The Fulani herdsman was better off when the British were here. The British created track roads for Fulani herdsmen, created veterinary clinics for them, created cattle markets and so on for them having realised that they contributed significantly to Nigeria’s economy particularly in the agricultural sector and livestock production,” he said.
The former scribe of the Northern Elders Forum, urged the Federal Government to do everything to encourage the private sector to address the unemployment problem facing the country and also pay attention to the needs of the fulanis as they also contribute to the growth of our economy.
