BUHARI REVEALS SPONSORS OF FULANI HERDSMEN TO ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
BUHARI
REVEALS SPONSORS OF FULANI HERDSMEN TO ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
President
Muhammadu Buhari receives in audience Archbishop of Canterbury, in London
Nigeria’s
President, Muhammadu Buhari has told the Archbishop of Canterbury, His
Grace Justin Welby in London that killer herdsmen that have infiltrated some
parts of the country were trained by the late Libya leader, Muammar
Gadaffi.
Buhari,
who received the Archbishop on Wednesday said “The problem (herdsmen) is even
older than us. It has always been there, but now made worse by the influx of
armed gunmen from the Sahel region into different parts of the West African
sub-region. These gunmen were trained and armed by Muammar Gadaffi of Libya.
“When he
was killed, the gunmen escaped with their arms. We encountered some of them
fighting with Boko Haram. Herdsmen that we used to know carried only sticks and
maybe a cutlass to clear the way, but these ones now carry sophisticated
weapons. The problem is not religious, but sociological and economic. But we
are working on solutions,” he said.
Buhari
lamented that “irresponsible politics” had been brought into the
farmers/herders’ crisis, but assured that enduring solutions would be found,
and that justice would be done to all concerned.
Buhari
also explained to Welby why he declared his intentions to run for another term
in office, saying that”I declared before leaving home because Nigerians were
talking too much about whether I would run or not. So, I felt I should break
the ice.
“We have
many things to focus on, like security, agriculture, economy, anti-corruption,
and many others. We needed to concentrate on them, and politics should not be a
distraction. The majority of Nigerians appreciate what we are doing, and that
is why I am re-contesting.”
The
President recounted some successes of the administration to his guest, with
whom he has built a deep friendship in recent times, and was quite particular
about strides in agriculture.
“We have
cut the importation of rice by about 90%, saving billions of dollars in the
process. People who rushed into petrol money have now gone back to agriculture.
Even professionals have gone back to the land. Nigeria should be able to feed
itself comfortably soon. I am so pleased,” the President said.
On the
war against insurgency, he stressed the need for continuous education of the
people, “so that they can be free from religious manipulation,” adding that no
true religion advocates the hurting or killing of the innocent.
On Leah
Sharibu, the schoolgirl from Dapchi still being held by insurgents, reportedly
because she refused to renounce her Christian faith, the President said:
“We are
managing the matter quietly. Making noise would not help. We are collecting as
much intelligence as possible, working with the Red Cross and other
international organizations. There are too many fraudulent people around, who
claim they can do this and that. We won’t deal with them. That was how we got
the Dapchi girls back, and the Chibok girls.”
Archbishop
Welby said it was always a delight to see President Buhari, “whom I have
tremendous respect for,” adding: “You have my best wishes on your recent
decision. I read your declaration speech. We are neutral as a church, but we
will pray for you. Great statesmen are those who run for the good of their
country. We will be praying for you.”
The
Archbishop presented President Buhari with a copy of his recent book,
‘Re-imagining Britain. Foundations for Hope.’
