The Chairman, Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and Kebbi State governor, Atiku Bagudu, has said Nigeria needs international support to overcome insecurity.
Bagudu, whose state among those affected by the activities of bandits, said the country lacked the resources to solve the problem and called for international and regional support.
He spoke Thursday in Abuja at the 1st Interactive Policy Dialogue and Cultural Festival by Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural association with the theme, ‘The Future of Fulani Pastoralists in Nigeria’.
The governor said, “We need to put pressure on the leadership to get more resources to solve the problem. Our resources are lean, hence the need for international and regional support for a solution.”
At the event, an Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmed Gumi, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to calculate all the monies allocated to the Niger Delta region since their agitation began and grant same to the Fulani before the expiration of his tenure in 2023.
He also asked the president to create a Ministry of Nomadic Affairs to take care of issues relating to them same as the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
The cleric, who said “the country is at war”, explained that creating the ministry would help douse the tension like it happened in the Niger Delta.
Gumi said, “The children (bandits) that have been killing and kidnapping people opened their doors freely to us when we visited because they heard we were there to preach the gospel; all they want is dialogue.
“Send to them people they respect to dialogue with them and they will listen by the grace of God and this problem will be resolved.”
