By Our Correspondent
Following the recent face off between herdsmen and farmers in the country, the Special Adviser, Non Indigenes Affairs to Governor Ben Ayade, Barrister Musa Maigoro, says the proactive measures put in place to ensure disagreements between the contending parties are settled promptly, have always averted crisis.
Musa in an interview with CrossRiverWatch Monday, in Calabar says the current administration is committed to constructing a new vista of life for Cross Riverians which can be achieved if the peaceful nature of the state is maintained, by ensuring peace between herdsmen and farmers remains a focal point.
Citing instances where he has intervened, Musa said, “There was an allegation that cattle encroached lands of the Nde natives (in Ikom) with occasioned damages and destruction of their crops. This spurred the community to agitate that the Fulani should vacate. That problem lingered so long it was at the verge of degenerating into something else but I intervened in the matter in conjunction with the SA on Chieftaincy Affairs and we brought the Fulani and Nde community together, brokered peace between them and by God’s grace, that problem has been laid to rest. We advised the Fulani to ensure that their cattle are confined to a certain designated areas in which they should not encroach on the farmlands of the natives and destroy the crops.”
Speaking on life after his appointment, the legal practitioner averred that “My most daunting challenge at first was to see how we can bring the non indigenous communities together but that has been surmounted as by God’s grace and I have been able to meet about 8 identifiable non indigenous groups in the state and identified some of their challenges and weaknesses.”
On the suggestion of ranches to prevent the clashes, Musa who spent a chunk of his life in Ikom stated that “If the Presidency in its wisdom think the measure to curb the incessant encroachment of farmlands is the provision of ranches for the herdsmen and is committed to it to stem the tide of the problem between the herdsmen and owners of farmlands, I think I will subscribe to the ideology.”
He also commended the governor for appointing non indigenes into his cabinet and pledged their commitment to “Ensuring we assist our governor, key into his good projects and contribute our own quota towards consolidating him in achieving his lofty objectives of taking Cross River State to enviable heights of prosperity and greatness.”
In a related development, the Muslim Hausa community commended Governor Ben Ayade on his appointments of non indigenes into the offices of Special Adviser and Special Assistants on Non Indigenes Affairs.
The Chief Imam of Ogoja, Alhaji Khamis Mohammed made this known Friday, in Ogoja during Jumat prayers where he expressed great pleasure in the appointment of Alhaji Abdulkarimu Adam as the Special Assistant on Non Indigenes and Muslim Affairs.
Alhaji Khamis described Ayade as a man sent by God for the emancipation of mankind with Abdulkarimu in his remarks calling on all hands to be on deck to move the state forward.
He also reiterated that Ayade was a leader one should be keen about following and urged all to support and continuously pray for his administration.
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