Oluwo Urges Tinubu to Prioritise Securing Nigerians’ Lives, Properties
The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba AbdulRasheed Adewale Akanbi, has urged Bola Tinubu to prioritize safeguarding the lives and properties of Nigerians.
As a royal figure from Osun, he emphasized the necessity for collective action to address the pervasive issues of kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism in the country.
In a letter personally signed by Oba Akanbi, he stressed the urgency of finding solutions to the ongoing security challenges, particularly the alarming rise in kidnappings attributed to criminal elements or suspected herdsmen.
He noted that his role as a royal leader compelled him to offer advice and solutions to tackle these pressing issues, recalling that he had previously proposed both short-term and long-term measures to the previous administration.
“The kidnapping in western part of Nigeria is alleged to be masterminded by the Fulani herdsmen believed to know the nooks and crannies of our bushes. This claim has not exonerated even the Yorubas. Evidence of some arrests recorded in the past shown greater percent of kidnapping in the South west are carried out by the bad elements among the Fulanis.
READ ALSO: Betta Edu Will Not be Reappointed—Tinubu Tells Party Leaders
“The Fulani herdsmen are practically Nigerians. They exercise their civic rights during elections. They participate in the process to elect new leaders but are not properly integrated into the society during the sharing of the dividends of democracy. They live a deplorable life with no access to social amenities such as roads, pipe borne water, electricity, hospitals, schools etc. Only animals are so neglected in the bush and hunted only when one is hungry. We can’t continue treating them awfully and expect them to treat us well,” he said.
Oluwo voiced confidence that the administration led by Bola Tinubu would prioritize the welfare of Fulanis residing in the forest.
“A special national program should be launched with effective monitoring to ensure Fulani children are in the classroom. Amenities should equally be extended to their doorsteps. Extending social amenities will make them flow along and bridge the social gap.
“Arresting those children from the bush to the four walls of classrooms requires the promotion of ranching.Understanding is key while education is the door to peace. I want to appeal to your excellency to assent a legislation that will compel education for children and enact strict punishment for parents refusing to educate their children.
“The government must invest heavily in sponsoring few of the fulanis on ranching. The few trained will train others (Training the trainers). I have done it in the past,” he added.
He proposed initiating a dedicated national program to actively monitor and guarantee the attendance of Fulani children in classrooms.
“Amenities should equally be extended to their doorsteps. Extending social amenities will make them flow along and bridge the social gap,” he stated.
(Dailypost)
