CAN Condemns FG’s Proposed Radio Station for Herdsmen Crisis
Spokesman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Bayo Oladeji has condemned the Federal Government’s approach regarding the setting up a radio station for the herders-farmers’ crisis.
Fulani herdsmen, whom had been described as one of the deadliest terrorist group in the world by the Global Terrorism Index is being pampered by the FG, despite the wanton killings by the group in the North-Central.
Oladeji voiced that, “It was reported in the newspapers that the government planned to give the Miyetti Allah N100bn. The government denied it only for the Miyetti Allah to own up, saying it was approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan. Who is fooling who?
“Why didn’t they set up a radio station for farmers too? Where is the radio station for the bandits in Zamfara, or for the Niger Delta militants? No single person has been prosecuted for the killings in the North-Central. Is the allegation by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that there is a planned Fulanisation of the country not playing out now?”
The Christian body wondered why the government could not reach out to herdsmen through existing radio stations.
“Every adult in the North listens to the radio, so why can’t they reach the herdsmen on the existing radio stations? Why do they need to set up a different radio station for them? They should stop fooling us,” he explained
However, the Secretary-General of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Dr Abubakar Khalid-Aliyu, disagreed with CAN and all those who opposed the Federal Government’s decision to obtain the license saying it will do no good to Nigerians that criticize virtually everything based on ethnicity or religion.
“What is bad when the Fulani man is being educated to become well-informed members of the society? I wondered what is happening to Nigerians that whenever something positive is brought on board, it will be given miscellaneous interpretations just to show that we don’t agree.”
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, had in an interview with journalists on Wednesday said the Federal Government had acquired broadcast radio license, the station will operate on frequency of 720 KHz and will broadcast in the Fulfulde language, mainly spoken by the Fulani people.
Adamu explained, “The radio service will serve as a vehicle for social mobilization and education, in addition to interactive radio instruction methodology that will be adopted to reach the very hard-to-reach segment of our target population.
“Additionally, it will enhance our capacity to address crisis between herders and farmers with attendant consequences to loss of lives, destruction of productive assets, nomadic schools, facilities teaching and learning resources.”
Also reacting was the Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) in a release concerning the issue. The forum flayed the government over the radio station but a foremost Islamic group in the country.
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