Nigerian Concord Newspaper
The Defenders of Democracy has accused the governor of Benue state, Father Hyacinth Alia of conniving with Fulani to impose Ardos on the people of the state.
This alarm was contained in a press statement signed and made available to journalists in Makurdi by the president of the group, Amos Achiv
The statement reads:
Yesterday, we raised alarm that the Governor of Benue State, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia is making frantic moves to review the anti open grazing law of the state and render it powerless so as to please the Fulani who funded his campaign. If you took that alarm for granted, you need to hear the latest on this issue.
Governor Alia is set to convene a stakeholders meeting next week to compel the stakeholders to endorse his desire to weaken the law and allow Fulani pastoralists to return and occupy the lands that he agreed to give them before they financed his campaign.
The governor has directed the traditional rulers to come to the meeting with Fulani Ardos (leaders) from each local government of the state. He attached a warning to the directive that any traditional ruler who fails to attend the meeting with an Ardo should be ready to face sanctions. His Chief of Staff the ‘Iron man’ Paul Biam who is even more powerful than the Deputy Governor is the one to screen those attending the meeting that day and he will intimidate them to endorse the governor’s demand.
Benue is not a state known to have Fulani Ardos so where does governor Alia expect our royal fathers to go and get the Ardos from? We asked this question yesterday and our source replied that the governor’s campaign sponsors have already made arrangements to send an Ardo for each of the 23 local governments to accompany the chiefs on the day of the meeting.
The meaning of what governor Alia kept saying during the campaigns that “I will ensure coexistence” is what he is about to do now. Fulanis will have a leader (Ardo) in each of the local governments who will serve as their coordinator and in future share more privileges in the localities that they live.
When Alia sought the help of Fulanis to enable him win the governorship election, if he had any idea of what he was going into, he should have known that no one takes a debt from the Fulani and the debt goes without a refund. If you take from the Fulani, be prepared to pay back, no matter how long the debt lasts.
The Fulani are coming to Benue state under governor Alia to take what he promised to give them that convinced them to roll out hundreds of millions to him through that short former governor of Kaduna state and the other one in Katsina. They have warned him not to continue with the enforcement of the anti open grazing law. They promised to visit more bloodshed on the state if the governor dares them.
Governor Alia should not toy with the lives of our people. He must reject the introduction of Ardos as leaders of Benue communities and call the bluff of the anarchists. His personal interest is not more important than the future of Benue children who stand to become orphans if he places the interest of Fulani above that of his people.