As Obasanjo Plans Southern Coalition, Buhari Summons Northern Governors’ Meeting

By Uche Mbah

Hours before the swearing in ceremony for  second term of President Muhammadu Buhari, he has summoned a meeting of Northern Governors.

Though the reason for the current meeting is not officially stated,indications are that it has much to do with the allegations by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s scathing remarks about the security situations in the country.

Obasanjo had warned of threats of Fulanization and Islamization of the country under the present government. Incidentally, there has been an upsurge in security breaches in Nigeria, with the government hiding under various excuses to explain away their inability to tackle insecurity.

Most of the security agencies are headed by Fulani Northerners, yet the insecurity appears to have built edifices in the North.

With the two retired Generals squaring up to each other, Nigeria is being divided into North and South. At no time has that happened in the history of this country. During the Civil War, it was the Igbos against the Nigeria, not the entire south. This has resulted in opposition parties accusing president Buhari of being the most divisive President that Nigeria ever had.

Recently, the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, announced that they have approved license for a Radio station targeted at the Fulani herdsmen to address them directly. However, some critics expressed fears that it is part of the Fulanization agenda talked of by Obasanjo.”If you recall, that was how the Rwandan genocide started”, a ranking politician told this magazine over the weekend. “They established a radio station for the Hutus who, over time, carried out a demonizing propaganda against the Tutsies. This hate and propaganda built up until it ended in the unfortunate genocide in that country”.

The NBC, however, has come out to say that the station is not only for herdsmen but for farmers and fishermen. Fishing is little known in Fulani culture.

It remains to be seen how the imbroglio will be sorted out by the government.