Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that the Fulani herdsmen problem facing the country is not the responsibility of the current President, Muhammad Buhari.
Speaking during the 23rd Annual Lift Above Poverty Organization Development Forum with the theme, ‘Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities’, Obasanjo said, “Some of the words that have been coming from our leaders, particularly from state governors are not helpful! This issue is not a federal issue and another thing, I don’t like about it is that when you talk of Fulani herdsmen, people talk of the President.
“Now because the President of Nigeria is a Fulani man, you expect him to solve the problem immediately, that is not his job. And when people make comments like this, it annoys me.
Obasanjo added, “I need to state that it is the responsibility of local governments to take care of them. Now, states should have even done better, but they haven’t, and then when you have cattle rustling, herdsmen and farmers conflict, you try to make it a national issue. It is not really a national issue.
“For me, the herdsmen are entitled be able to look after their animals but they are not entitled to destroy the crops of the rural farmers, it is unacceptable.”
A Report By The 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative and The Stefanus Foundation, ranks Fulani herdsmen as fourth on the list of the most deadly terrorist groups in the world.