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Tag: middle belt

  • ICYMI: Middle Belt Forum punctures Bill proposing permanent co-chairmnship seat for Sultan, Ooni

    ICYMI: Middle Belt Forum punctures Bill proposing permanent co-chairmnship seat for Sultan, Ooni

    …says it’s a violation of Nigeria’s secular character

    Barely hours after the Concerned Hausa Stakeholders raise alarm over Bill proposing permanent co-chairmnship seat for Sultan of Sokoto and Ooni of Ife, in the National Traditional Rulers Council, the Middle Belt Forum has also punctured the Bill demanding for an immediate reversal.

    This was contained in a statement issued and signed by the Spokesperson of the Forum, Binniyat Luka declaring that the portion of the Bill that made both leaders to co-chair National Council for Traditional Rulers, was highly troubling.

    The group declared that avoid complete ostracisation from the Council the position of chairman should be rotational.

    Hear the Forum’s position:

    “The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) wishes to categorically express its firm opposition to a contentious clause in the National Council for Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024, currently before the National Assembly.

    “The Bill, sponsored by Senator Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau South), who is respected son of the Middle Belt and the Gwad-Goemai of the Goemai ethnic nation, has passed its second reading as of March 2025 and is now under consideration by the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service.

    “At the heart of the controversy lies a deeply troubling clause in the Bill which proposes that the Sultan of Sokoto and the Ooni of Ife be made permanent co-chairmen of the proposed National Council for Traditional Rulers.

    “While we leave our esteemed partners from the Southern region, to determine their position on the inclusion of the Ooni of Ife, the Middle Belt Forum unequivocally rejects, abhors, and condemns the institutionalisation of the Sultan of Sokoto as a permanent co-chairman of this proposed council.

    “This rejection is anchored on strong historical, cultural, constitutional, and moral grounds, which we now outline in clear terms:

    1. The Sokoto Sultanate is Historically Junior to Middle Belt Monarchies

    “Historically, the Sokoto Caliphate is a relatively young institution compared to ancient kingdoms and confederacies in the Middle Belt. For instance, the Kwararafa Confederacy, which flourished for centuries, predates the Caliphate.

    “It is a historically documented fact that the confederate state of Kwarafa existed right back to circa 800s-1700s A.D. The Aku Uka of Wukari, its current spiritual heir, represents a legacy that predates Sokoto Caliphate’s very existence.

    “The Sultan of Sokoto can therefore not supersede the Aku Uka of Wukari in status and prestige to seat over him as Chairman of the Traditional Council created by law.

    2. The Attah of Igala Ranks Higher in Historical and Traditional Status
    The Attah of Igala, whose kingdom flourished well before and after the 14th century, occupies a higher pedestal in terms of history, cultural roots, and legitimacy.

    The Igala Kingdom never came under the caliphate’s domain and continues to represent deep-rooted indigenous authority far older and more authentically Nigerian than the Sokoto Sultanate.

    3. The Tor Tiv Represents a Powerful, Independent Cultural Identity
    The Tiv Nation, one of the largest ethnolinguistic groups in Nigeria, was never conquered by the Sokoto Caliphate. The Tor Tiv stands as the supreme symbol of a proud, resilient people who were acephalous and thrived independently before colonial rule. To ask that the Tor Tiv permanently defer to the Sultan in council matters is a gross distortion of historical facts and a violation of indigenous dignity.

    4. The Nupe Kingdom Preceded the Sokoto Caliphate
    The Nupe Kingdom, with a proud lineage dating back to the 15th century, has its own deep-rooted traditional structures. Even though Fulani jihadists eventually imposed Islamic rule in Nupe land post-1835, the Etsu Nupe today still represents an enduring cultural institution that predates the Caliphate. In no logical or historical context can the Caliphate claim seniority or supremacy over Nupe tradition.

    5. Sultan is Primarily a Religious Leader, Not a Secular Traditional Monarch
    In Nigeria today, the Sultan of Sokoto is widely acknowledged as the spiritual head of all Nigerian Muslims, particularly across the 19 Northern States and the FCT.

    His spiritual leadership role is fundamentally religious. It is not secular. Therefore, his institutionalised leadership over a national council of traditional rulers would alienate Christians, traditional worshippers, and other faiths, violating the secular spirit of Nigeria’s Constitution. It would also skew the balance of representation in favour of Islam, thereby promoting religious supremacy under the guise of traditional unity.

    6 Kanem Borno Historical/Islamic Legacy Outranks Sokoto Caliphate
    Though the Kanuri people are not part of the Middle Belt, the truth must however be told: the Shehu of Borno ranks higher than the Sultan of Sokoto in historical standing. Kanem-Borno embraced Islam as early as the 11th century (circa 1085 AD), long before the 1804 Sokoto Jihad, which never conquered Borno. It is therefore left for the Kanuri people to state their position on this matter.

    7. The Sultan’s Patronage of MACBAN and the Fulani Crisis
    It is on public record that the Sultan of Sokoto is the permanent patron of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), an organisation whose name has become closely linked with violent Fulani herdsmen, who are responsible for thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions, especially in the Middle Belt.

    The Sultan has not done enough to condemn or dissociate himself from these atrocities. Making him a permanent co-chairman under such circumstances is a grievous insult to the thousands of victims who continue to suffer under Fulani militia attacks.

    8. The Middle Belt Cannot Continue to Defer to the Sokoto Sultanate
    Sixty-five years after Nigeria’s independence, the Middle Belt can no longer accept a subordinate position to the Sultanate of Sokoto or any traditional institution that does not reflect our history, culture, or aspirations.

    Historically, the diverse ethnic nationalities of the Middle Belt resisted the incursions of Usman Dan Fodio’s jihadists. While Hausaland fell under the control of Dan Fodio’s forces in the early 1800s, the Middle Belt remained largely unconquered, preserving its distinct identity and sovereignty.
    The imposition of the indirect rule system by the British colonial administration altered this dynamic.

    By forcefully placing our autonomous communities under the control of Emirate systems—most notably the Sokoto Caliphate—the colonial authorities created an artificial hierarchy that granted undue privilege and influence to Fulani-dominated Emirates over the indigenous peoples of the Middle Belt and beyond.

    More than six decades after the end of colonial rule, it is unacceptable for any traditional authority to be elevated above others, particularly in a democratic Nigeria that champions equality, justice, and federal character.

    *Our Position*

    In light of the above, the Middle Belt Forum hereby states emphatically that:

    i) If the Senate passes this bill with the contentious clause and it is assented to by the President, we will mobilise all ethnic nationalities across the Middle Belt to boycott participation in the Council.

    ii) Traditional rulers of the Middle Belt will neither recognise nor attend meetings of a Council whose leadership is permanently skewed in favour of a non-indigenous, religiously aligned and a lesser monarch status to our traditional rulers.

    iii) We shall, in accordance with constitutional liberties, form our own autonomous Council of Middle Belt Traditional Rulers, which shall reflect the historical, cultural, and moral values of our people.

    The Path Forward:

    To preserve national unity, equity, and fairness, we propose the following:

    (a) The Chairmanship of the Council should be rotational. It should cut across all geo-political zones or ethnic blocs

    (b) It should also be tenure-based in a manner that gives all traditional rulers and their peoples a sense of belonging and dignity.

    (c) Another alternative is for traditional rulers themselves to democratically choose their chairperson(s) through a transparent, inclusive process that reflects Nigeria’s pluralism.

    (d) Such a Council must reflect the values of equality, justice, and historical truth.

    Conclusion.

    The Middle Belt Forum stands firm in its belief that true national cohesion can only be achieved through fairness, mutual respect, and recognition of our rich historical diversities.

    Any attempt to impose a permanent religious figurehead on a national institution of traditional rulers is a violation of Nigeria’s secular character, cultural heritage, and federal structure. We shall resist it using every lawful and democratic means available to us.

  • Abduction: 10 nabbed as Middle-Belt Youth Forum protest in Abuja

    Abduction: 10 nabbed as Middle-Belt Youth Forum protest in Abuja

    Members of the Middle-Belt Youth Forum will on Thursday (today) in Abuja protest the rising cases of kidnapping in the region and the insecurity that has ravaged parts of the country.

    This is coming against the backdrop of the arrest of 10 suspected bandits by the military.

    The President of the forum, Brent Kane, disclosed that the protesters would march peacefully to the Attorney-General of the Federation’s office to demand the declaration of the kidnappers and bandits as terrorists, and an end to the killings and abductions across the country.

    The planned demonstration would take place as about 19 abductees taken away by bandits from the Sagwari Estate Layout in Dutsen-Alhaji area in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory last Thursday spent the seventh day in custody of their captors.
    The kidnappers are demanding N700m ransom for nine of their victims.

    The kidnappers had killed four of the hostages, including Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, a 400-level student of Biological Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and 13-year-old Folashade Ariyo.

    Nabeeha was abducted alongside six other siblings and as of Tuesday night, the remaining five sisters, including Najeebah, a 500-level Quantity Surveying student and Nadherah, a 300-level Zoology student, are still in captivity.

    The siblings were kidnapped with their father, Alhaji Mansoor Al-Kadriyar, from their home at Zuma 1, on the outskirts of Bwari town in Abuja on January 11.

    The captors had released Al-Kadriyar, asking him to pay N60m ransom for the release of his daughters.

    They later raised the ransom to N100m which they insisted must be paid by Wednesday (today).

    Also, Folashade Ariyo’s mother and three siblings are still in captivity.

    The bandits reportedly killed their victims over an alleged delay in providing the ransom.

    The incident provoked nationwide anger on Monday and foreboding over the fate of the remaining captives.

    However, Kane in a memo said the spate of killings and kidnappings in the North-Central region had left families and individuals in despair.

    According to him, the kidnappers and bandits operated like terrorists and should therefore be treated as such.

    He said, “The primary objective of this peace walk, organised by Africa’s Morning Centre for Public Policy and Good Governance and the Middle Belt Youth Forum, is to compel the Federal Government through the Attorney-General of the Federation to invoke sections 3, 48, and 49 of Nigeria’s Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022, to declare these wanton killings and destruction an act of terrorism.

    “The groups that are kidnapping citizens, wiping out communities, razing down homesteads, farmlands and taking over communities, while indigenous landowners languish in IDPs camps have profited immensely from the subterfuge and presenting themselves as amorphous.

    ‘’But a careful study of the manner of their attacks will leave no one in doubt that they operate an effective command and control structure and that their activities are in clear breach of Nigeria’s anti-terrorism laws.”

    Also speaking, the Executive Director of Africa’s Morning Centre, Chima Christian, noted that the group would partner with the youth forum to demand an end to the killings and kidnapping in the middle belt region, stressing that the Federal Government had remained unconcerned about the plight of the masses.

  • Southern, Middle Belt leaders call on Buhari to rescind decision to request for $800m loan

    Southern, Middle Belt leaders call on Buhari to rescind decision to request for $800m loan

    The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to rescind his decision to request for the approval of $800 million loan from World Bank.

    Recall that just few days to leaving office, president Buhari wrote to the  Senate and House of Representatives to approve the loan request to finance the National Social Safety Network Programme.

    However, in their reaction, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders said in a communiqué issued at the end of its meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday that the country’s indebtedness has reached the skies.

    The meeting, chaired by elder statesman

    One of the leaders, Edwin Clark, deliberated on the present state of affairs in Nigeria, especially the renewed siege of insecurity around the country, the ongoing post-election judicial process in the various tribunals and the national economy.

    The SMBLF restated “its time-tested position that the future of Nigeria can only be sustained on the basis of true federalism and respect for the autonomy of the federating units.

    “Expresses shock at the escalation of killings, pogroms, total destruction of entire communities and means of livelihood in several targeted areas in select states since after the 2023 General elections, mainly in Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, Southern Kaduna, Kebbi, and various states of the South East, where hundreds of armless citizens are being slaughtered daily.

    “Notes with grave concern that the nation’s security agencies have continued to show unwillingness to decisively deal with the perpetrators of these monstrous acts, or rather, deliberately turned a blind eye to the atrocious occurrences, thereby exposing the country to a seeming state of war. It is shameful that non-state actors are allowed to openly tote dangerous weapons about and rampage the country unhindered.

    “Condemns, in unmistakable terms, the cavalier and totally nonchalant attitudes of the outgoing governors of some states over the collapse of security in certain parts of their states, which has continued to exacerbate the worrisome situation, and hopes their successors will show greater commitment to the welfare of their citizens who are the victims of this sad situation.

    “Further warns that the continuous abdication of Government’s primary and abiding constitutional responsibility of safeguarding the lives and properties of its citizens is an irresistible signal to Nigerians to exercise their inalienable rights of self-defence, by all means.

    “Again deplores the inhuman plight of thousands of indigenous people in the Middle Belt states driven out of their homes and have now become Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) for years as well as several other Internally Displaced Persons in different parts of the country, left to live in conditions that impinge on their human rights as citizens of this country. Hence, calls on the Federal Government to, without any further delay, facilitate the return and reintegration of these Nigerians to their Communities.”

    Meanwhile, the Southern and Middle Belt leaders praised Nigerian youths for their courage and astuteness in expressing their interest in the future of this country and called on them not to become discouraged by some of the seeming outcomes.

    Southern, Middle BeltThe communiqué reads, “SMBLF strongly urges the Nation’s Judiciary to be aware that all Nigerians are watching with very keen interest the ongoing judicial processes at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal as well as various election tribunals across the country.

  • Ruga settlement: Middle Belt Forum blasts Ortom, Ishaku over rejection of FG’s cattle ranching initiative

    Ruga settlement: Middle Belt Forum blasts Ortom, Ishaku over rejection of FG’s cattle ranching initiative

    … says Governors are deliberately stalling peace efforts

    The Concerned Middle Belt Citizens Forum (CMBCF) has faulted Benue State Govenror, Samuel Ortom and his Taraba State counterpart, Darius Ishaku, for kicking against the planed Ruga settlement for pastoral herders.

    Ortom and Ishaku had came out to voice their rejection of the imitative by the Buhari-led government with the aim of resoling the lingering herders/farmers crises.

    National President of the CMBCF, Comrade Augustine Awulu at a press conference of Wednesday, said the governor deliberately stalling peace efforts to end the nagging menace.

    Earlier, the National Democratic Front (NDF) had called on Governors Ortom, Ishaku and others to emulate the former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun and turn in every weapon in their possession to the relevant authority their own good.

    Awulu of the CMBCF said Ruga settlement for the herders remains a lasting panacea to the nagging crises between farmer and cattle rearers.

    Text of his statement below.

    The Concerned Middle Belt Citizens Forum” (CMBCF) is again constrained to speak to Nigerians for obvious reasons. In the course of the week, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) led by President Muhammadu Buhari announced its intention to experiment with establishing “Ruga Settlements,” for pastoral herders in 12 pilot states of the country.

    Surprisingly, this policy has been greeted with a strong cynicism, antagonism and antipathy by some States Governors in Nigeria from the Southeast and North Central States. We consider this absurd in the truest sense of it.

    We are not principally concerned with whatever the Governors of the Southeast think about this policy which is a carefully thought-out plan and strategy to end the regime of clashes, killings and destructions between herders and farmers in Nigeria.

    We have grieved over these skirmishes enough and President Buhari had sufficiently notified us that “Whatever it will take, I am determined to bring peace between farmers and herders.” The President aims at adopting a middle course as an enduring solution between the herders and farmers. And “Ruga Settlements,” are ideal by our sense of fair judgement.

    Therefore, we were not disappointed when Governors of the Southeast opposed it; but drenched in sadness when the twosome of Taraba state Governor, Arch. Dairus Ishaku and his Benue State counterpart, Hon. Samuel Ortom voiced opposition to Ruga settlements.

    Northerners do not share same cultural ties or even economic proclivities with the Southeast. Easterners are basically businessmen and women or commercialists or traders. But in the Middle Belt, we are farmers notable in crops and animal husbandry. There is little essence in emphasizing that we need one another to survive in this hostile world.

    And we must necessarily see ourselves as members of the same family, bond by the same economic destiny. Its difficult to change this narrative now, as wished by some partisan State Governors, who are exploiting the herders/farmers crises to protect their unpopular decisions and blur shortcomings as state leaders.

    Nigerians are aware of the history of the herders and farmers clashes in the country and its aggravation in the last few years. The States Government of Benue and Taraba have already passed anti-open grazing laws, which are in their very contents and mode of implication very defective and deficient, while they prescribed ranching as solution.

    The magnitude of the clashes and carnage between cattle rearers and farmers has exacerbated because of these faulty or grey areas in the anti-open grazing laws. And there is no way, any right-thinking leader would feel, we shall continue to exist on such fault lines. Let us state clearly that we are not necessarily faulting the laws, but the grey areas in it, which are known to the Governors who hurriedly endorsed such laws under whatever convictions.

    The unalterable truth remains that at this stage of our lives, we cannot convincingly say, only crop farmers are needed and so, herders should go to hell! It’s impossible! Whether we like it not, we must find a way of accommodating both farmers and herders in the same geographical enclave. That’s why we find “Ruga Settlements,” idealistic, rational and acceptable.

    The “Ruga Settlements” is an initiative of the National Economic Council (NEC) presented under the National Livestock Transformation Plan (2018-2027). It is conceptualized to permanently halt the age-long herders-farmers crises and to massively develop the livestock industry.

    The FGN is experimenting it for herdsmen in 12 pilot states nationwide, which it disclosed through, Alh. Mohammadu Umar, the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, during an interview with journalists in Abuja, at the workshop on Regional Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and associated legislations in West Africa.

    Again, we reiterate that we cannot understand the opposition of some States Governors to it, especially, those who are apostles’ of cattle ranching because Ruga settlement is the same with it in colour and operation. They are all about restriction of cattle movements; but open to stationary operations of herders in selected camps, licensed and protected with appropriate legislations by the FGN. For Christ’s sake, nomads are also Nigerians

    The Ruga settlements would have modern facilities and amenities, and ventinary clinics for treatment of cattle to enhance greater productivity. It is what states which have passed anti-open grazing laws have advocated in such laws.

    So, where is the confusion and why the resistance to Ruga settlements? Or could it be that we hate our brother-herders so much that we think, shutting the doors against their only means of economic survival would give them the grace to sing songs of praises of this fraternity? Everything about life, is live, lets live!

    Please, we must be reasonable for once! The Ruga pilot programme has already commenced on a 31,000-hectare in Kotongora, Niger state. It is within the same Middle Belt and North Central region particularly.

    We believe the FGN is working in tandem with a World Bank recommendation which stated as far back as 1954, after a review of pastoralism in Nigeria that “stabilization” was the most important and critical ingredient in the expansion and modernization of cattle production in the country.

    Therefore, among the three proposals the World Bank recommended were establishment of “grazing reserves to be protected by law; provision of land rights to the pastoralists and the development of communal villages in grazing reserves as a means of bringing livestock into peasant agriculture.”

    Let us remind that even in a post independent Nigeria and precisely in 1965, these World Bank recommendations were passed in to law. And it consented to a minimum 10% of the country’s land area to be legally acquired and constituted into grazing reserves for lease allocation to grazers.

    Unfortunately, as we speak, only about 23 proposed grazing areas out of 299 proposed in the then Northern states, including Abuja, amounting to 2.3 million hectares have been operationalized. And it covers only slightly above 500,000 hectares of land for Nigeria’s cattle population which is estimated at over 19 million cattle?

    There is no fairness in this posturing and grandstanding by these Governors and other opposers to Ruga Settlements’. We must do the needful now, by embracing the Ruga Settlements’ as a modern -day recodification and re-modelling of grazing reserves.

    By our thinking, this is what Ruga settlements means and it is only the FGN which has the financial muscle to implement it. And it is the most preferable to the popularized concept of ranching because, while Ruga settlements are insulated and protected from abuse by local forces; ranching exposes herders to the near dictatorial tendencies of local communities, which would again open fresh vistas of conflicts.

    We must give peace a chance. No Nigerian alive today can think forceful Islamisation of the country is possible. So, whatever conflicts between herders and farmers have no religious undertones and its time, we call a spade a spade.

    What we are now attempting to understand is not new. It has always existed in the Northern region and even recognized by the colonial government. Yes, we made mistakes. But we cannot perish the idea of grazing reserves, now renamed Ruga settlements, which share every affinity with ranching.

    Nigeria has over 40 million hectares of grazing lands, but just about 3 million hectares are specifically tagged as grazing reserves established under the Northern Region Grazing Reserves Law of 1965.

    And furthermore, from Nigeria’s total of 417 grazing reserves, only about 113 have been gazetted. So, the permanent rehabilitation of herders can neither be overlooked nor ignored by anyone.

    And before the Whitemen removed the veil from our eyes in the guise of colonization, we had traditional grazing grounds called “Hurmi,” and such lands were strategically located at the vicinity of the towns and villages throughout Northern Nigeria. We need peace and harmonious existence.

    So, we have lived with this idea and these modern-day crusaders of anti- Ruga settlements should know. And rewinding history backwards further, we will understand that as far back as 1901, Nigeria recognized nomadism in the use of land, when a devastating drought occurred in some parts of Northern Nigeria.

    The understanding to persuade nomads to settle in areas of greener pastures within the North, the move was first made in 1942. Riyom near Jos, in present-day Plateau State is famed for this settlement, where pastoralists were encouraged to settle. Each herding household unit was allocated a piece of land and persuaded to engage in mixed farming and alongside development of pasture areas.

    We have appreciated the issue of population explosion and the attendant consequences of scramble for lands. But to think that we can make these calculations, and ignore pastoralists is unwise. We are obligated to factor them into it. And Ruga Settlements provides this succor nomads need desperately.

    To continue to sustain the argument of resistance in accommodating them is not only foolish, but chaotic and a sure path of nourishing the anarchy our people have had to bear these years.

    Let’s learn from the wisdom of Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, who said; “herdsmen, let us appreciate, are perhaps humanity’s earliest known tourists. They must be taught however that there is a culture of the settlement, and learn to seek accommodation with settled hosts wherever encountered.” Ruga Settlements provides the finest and nicest platform for such co-habitation to pastoralists.

    Therefore, the Concerned Middle- Belt Citizens Forum” (CMBCF) believes that the initiative of the FGN on Ruga Settlements for pastoralists is the ultimate antidote for peaceful co-existence and harmonious working relationship between herders and farmers and by implication, all the citizens of Nigeria.

    Those opposed or antagonizing it, especially the State Governors, are doing so out of mischief. Or perhaps, to extract their pound of flesh from Mr. President for depriving them access to council funds, which they mindlessly siphoned; and strengthening the judiciary at the state level and working towards total autonomy for the 744 Local Government councils in Nigeria.

    These are two different issues, which should not be mixed under whatever guise. We want the opposers to Ruga settlements to be guided accordingly.

  • Middle belt won’t join North if Nigeria divides – Jerry Gana

    Middle belt won’t join North if Nigeria divides – Jerry Gana

    Former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana has told Northerners preaching division that the Middle Belt minorities will not follow them if Nigeria breaks up.

    Gana said this while delivering a sermon at the St. Matthew’s Church, Maitama, Diocese of Abuja (Anglican Communion), in Abuja on Sunday.

    Gana, who is also the current National President of the Middle Belt Forum, blasted Northern youths over the ultimatum given to Igbos to leave their region.

    Gana said, “They think when it comes to break-up, we will go along with the North. We have already told them that if they allow this country to break up, we are not going with the North. We are staying where we are. So, just take notice. If it comes to that, we will tell you that you are Arewa and we are ‘Middle-Belters.’

    “We love Nigeria and it was changed to a federal system because of the minorities so that we can have a place. So, we love Nigeria but in the unlikely event that people want to go their way, the Arewa in the Sahel will go. But we will remain here in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

    He also lambasted a former Vice-Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University and the spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, for supporting the quit notice issued by the northern youths.

    He added, “One of them, who also spoke is a former vice-chancellor. I thank God he didn’t sign my certificate. My own was signed by Prof. Ishaya Audu. How can a man of that stature, of that status, of that level of leadership, says he supports the youths in Kaduna to give to other legitimate citizens, an order to go? Who are you? Who says that?

    “In this country, there are no second-class citizens. We are all first class. We are all sons and daughters of this land and that was why I decided to call a conference of all the minorities from 14 states and we had to state in clear words that the quit notice was totally unconstitutional. This is our home.”

    He suggested that the Federal Government accepts restructuring in order to solve agitations in the country.

    The ex-minister said, “In a democracy, dialogue is the language, consultation is the way. Two cannot work together unless they agree. So, there needs to be dialogue and mutual respect.

    “Anywhere you have diversity of ethnicity or religion in the world, the type of system that works is federalism. And that is the way. And each one must build his federal system the way it suits him. It cannot be imposed; it cannot be engineered in favour of one person.”