The Kano State governor, Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, has asked Fulani herdsmen displaced from the South to return to the state.
Ganduje, who said this while receiving Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, on a traditional Sallah Hawan Nasarawa at the Government House on Saturday, said that “It is true that the oldest mode of cattle movement from one end to another rather breeds poverty and is not tenable.
“However, the way and manner Fulani herders are being subjected to untold maltreatment and agony in the Southern part of this country is not acceptable and this should change because they are equally Nigerians, who have rights of living anywhere”.
He urged herdsmen of Kano extraction to return to the state, saying there was a modernized mode of animal grazing at Dansoshiya bush in the state.
The governor reminded all of Kano’s hospitality, even to non-indigenes, urging the South to accord herders same and allow them to live anywhere across Nigeria.
“I recall how late Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, protected non-indigenes during the civil war. And for those who fled Kano, leaving behind their properties, everything was duly protected by the Emir, including rent money realized, which was given to them when they returned.
“This sense of togetherness was what kept Kano a home for everybody and this should be seen to be reflected in all the States of the Federation,” he added.
Speaking about security, the Governor said it should not be left in the hands of President Muhammadu Buhari alone, saying it was a collective responsibility for both government and citizens.
“Governors, Religious Leaders and every other well-meaning Nigerian should support President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure peace across the nation, because the matter of security should not be left only in the hands of the President,” he said.
Ganduje praised Emir Ado Bayero for moving around Nigeria to solidify relationships between him and other traditional leaders, saying that act alone had made Buhari happy, who openly disclosed that the Emir has taken up his fatherly role of a national leader.
Earlier, Emir Bayero thanked Ganduje for ensuring the return of the emirship stool to their ancestral home, saying the gesture is a memorable one and would last long in the family.