•Constitution review, a waste of time and resources.

National President of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Dr. Pogu Bitrus, has said that the Middle Belt will no more allow the core North to use her as cannon fodder. Speaking with VINCENT KALU in an interview, Dr. Pogu stressed that the constitution review embarked by the National Assembly is a waste of resources and would go the same way as the previous ones.


Excerpt

Northern leaders don’t seem to agree with this Middle Belt Forum. They say you guys are seeking attention, that the leader of the Arewa Consultative Forum is usually a person from the Middle Belt. What’s your take?

Right from colonial period, the Colonial government recognised the existence of nationalities who were not part of the caliphate when they came in. That was what informed the constitution of the Willinks Commission that went across the Middle Belt and Northern areas to identify and address issues of ethnic minorities, who were not under the authority of the majority because when they came, they knew the existence of Kanem Borno, they knew the existence of the caliphate, so they realised minority groups who are independent. They introduced the Indirect Rule and subjugated these minority ethnic groups under the caliphate system or the Kanem Borno system for their administrative convenience. Of course, the Willinks Commission, which between 1957 and 1958, even drew a map that indicated where these non Hausa Fulani and non Kanuri nationalities are located. The intention was for these nationalities that are non Hausa Fulani, non Kanuri nationalities also to have a region for themselves just like what obtained in 1962 when the Mid West was created. Unfortunately for the Middle Belt or Middle Belt people who were in Middle Belt of the country, the region was never created because the Northern regional government, the Colonial government, the Northern People Congress (NPC), the party that came up in the North and the Willinks Commission (because they wanted to hand over power to the North) conspired and denied the creation of Middle Belt Region. Thank God that these documents have been declassified and we know what happened.

So, whether they recognise it or not, the Middle Belt people have come of age. Even at that time, people like J.S. Tarka and others felt that they should come out with their identity to the extent that when the NPC was formed for the North, they came out with United Middle Belt Congress, as Middle Belt party.

These people, by taking people from the Middle Belt and making them the leaders of their group is a way of saying, let us be together; let us continue to remain as one united North. But when it comes to appointments and facilities, discrimination is very clear and we have seen this over and over again. So because of that we are saying, we cannot be used as cannon fodders again to your fight and your domination and your assertion and using us just to grab power in Nigeria. We want our own identity and that is why we remain as Middle Belt. If they take somebody who believes in monolith North, which to us doesn’t exist anymore and make him the leader of ACF, it is up to them. In a democracy, you don’t have hundred per cent; there are some persons who would vary in perception, in ideology, but those of us who feel and believe they are Middle Belters will remain so. Our people are getting more and more aware that the deception that we are one is being exposed and people know that we are not one because of the stratification and hierarchical consideration in the North – there are those who are first class, there are those who are second class and maybe, there are even some who are third class. We have come to also understand that we have to assert out rights as Middle Belters and promote the ideal and ideology of Middle Belt irrespective of how Arewa view us.

As a way of arresting the Fulani herders –farmers crisis, the president said he was going to reinvent the grazing routes. Most of the routes crisscross the Middle Belt. What’s your opinion?

All we are saying is, ‘ranch your livestock’, and ranching should be community based because Nigerians know their local Fulani. All of us know our local Fulani, whether it is in Katsina, whether it is in Benue, Plateau or the Mambila Hill of Taraba; whether it is in Kwara or south, all communities know their local Fulani.

We are saying that the ranching has to be community based, and not to go and take over people’s land and say you are constituting a grazing reserve, only to leave it to Fulani from Mali, Niger, Senegal, to come and populate Nigeria and be causing havoc in the country. This is not acceptable, it is detrimental to Nigeria’s existence and we object to it. The issue of cattle route, the constitution of the country is very clear. Lands are in the hands of the governors, not the Federal Government. The Federal Government controls only the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Are they going to open grazing route in FCT? Grazing route is not going to work unless the governors give the land, but they are collectively saying, let’s go ranching, and we are adding our voice to say, let the ranching be community based. To resolve the issue of foreign Fulani running over our land, stopping everybody from going to farm, killing, kidnapping and raping the owners of the land, we are saying let ECOWAS Treaty of free movement be stopped and let Mr President voice out to his colleagues that this thing is causing problem in his country. Let each country accommodate its Fulani.


https://www.sunnewsonline.com/pogu-mbf-leader-we-wont-allow-north-use-middle-belt-as-cannon-fodder-again/

Stoli stoli

Ok

I

Good morning middle belt.

Action speaks louder than words. The truth is that it took only one man to open the eyes of all Nigerians. The eyes that were hitherto closed before can now see. Alleluya! the middle belt can see. May God bless MNK.

Oxb90:
Action speaks louder than words. The truth is that it took only one man to open the eyes of all Nigerians. The eyes that were hitherto closed before can now see. Alleluya! the middle belt can see. May God bless MNK.

Oga keep quiet like you didn't see the part where they said J S Tarka moved for it's actualization...

correct

I really do not give a ratass about Middle Belt, Core North, Cannon and Folder especially when it comes from the mouth of a Tiv. The 1964 Tiv riot, 1966 coup d'état, JS Tarka and Nigeria\Biafra war had thought me an unforgettable lesson.