Fresh attempts to accuse Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku of harbouring anti Fulani sentiments have been slammed by Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Emmanuel Bello.
Reacting to accusations made by one Barrister MB Mohammed, that the anti grazing bill was targeted at Fulanis, Bello said such utterances are divisive and unsubstantiated. He said societies are looking for better ways of coexisting to achieve development.
Bello said, “MB Mohammed was clearly trying to appeal to a narrow base of the state electorate. He was obviously being anachronistic. It is an old tactics employed to over shadow a good thing by giving it a bad name. The anti grazing bill is by every standard keeping with global best standards. A welcome idea, even some harsh critics of the governor are hailing him for this. And many Taraba people are looking forward to the gains of its implementation.”
Bello said the governor couldn’t be targeting any group as he doesn’t have a strand of tribalism in him. “We have heard many things from the other side about the governor but discrimination on the grounds of tribe or religion is not one of them. I like to tell people that Governor Ishaku’s first appointment on assumption was a Fulani man. He made Prince Mustapha Hamman Gabdo his Senior Adviser in charge of special duties. That was his first appointment. As I write this, the governor’s biggest political adviser is a Fulani man. The governor’s deputy is Engineer Haruna Manu- a Hausa-Fulani.”
Bello said Taraba state is based on ethnic tolerance. “May be MB Mohammed is not from here. He would have known that we don’t take kindly to tribalism. In all our homes, you have members of the different faiths. Some people in our state speak more Fulfulde probably better than their own native tongues. The anti grazing bill has no tribe or religion. The bill is aiming at better cow production as simple as that and to find some solutions to the bloody clashes. In the end both herdsmen and farmers would be spared many troubles. There are people who don’t agree with our government but have whole heartedly welcome this one. So Mohammed is strictly on his own. What’s more? He should ensure he brings his arguments to the planned public hearings. This is not something that would be done secretly and in exclusion of others. Everyone is being carried along.”
