Accra, March 14, - The National
Council of Fulani Chiefs (NCFC) on Wednesday declared its intent to set up a
task force to deal with the activities of Fulani herdsmen.
The Council is, however, seeking
the approval from the Government to set up the task force, which would, among
other things, arrest normadic miscreants and hand them over to the security
agencies for prosecution.
The Council made this known when
they called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House in
Accra.
The meeting, the first ever with
a Ghanaian President, was on the request of the chiefs as part of measures to
find lasting solution to the myriads of problems associated with the activities
of Fulani herdsmen.
The NCFC acknowledged the
security infractions that had arisen in various parts of the country between
communities and herdsmen, saying the situation needs a collective effort of all
stakeholders to address.
The Council was, however,
concerned that in spite of the fact that many other tribes herd cattle in the
country, Fulani's have been singled out as the villains in all altercation
involving herdsmen.
Mr Iddrisu Mohammed Bungle, the
Acting President of the NCFC, said:
"Mr President, there are
cattle herders in Ashanti, Eastern, Volta, Brong Ahafo and Greater Accra
regions who are Ashantis, Akyem or Kwahu, Ewe, Bono Ahafos, and Gas, but when
they commit criminal offences, the media reports refer to them as “FULANIS!”
"We believe that crime
should be treated as crime and not to be associated with any ethnic group.
Thus, these media reportage have brought a wave of discrimination upon Fulanis.
"We are discriminated even
in the areas of access to health, schools, at our work places and when
acquiring national identity cards even though some of these Fulanis are
third-generation Ghanaians," he said.
Mr Bungle said they did not
condone criminal activities and would give out any Fulani who flouted the law
on confining cattle to Kraals.
Furthermore, the Council pledged
to collaborate with the Government and the security agencies to find a lasting
solution to the crisis.
"We are not here to condone
or defend the actions of anybody but happily make ourselves available for
consultations with your government and other stake holders in providing a
lasting solution to this recurring nomadic menace.
"We will be more than ready
for constructive dialogue to bring about peaceful coexistence and also ready to
facilitate or work with national law enforcement agencies to investigate and
bring to justice any miscreants within our mist,’’ he said.
The Council recounted the
economic benefits the country stood to gain from a vibrant well-established
cattle industry.
It said if there was investment
in the domestic meat industry, the country could save money and produce more
meat, which would help tackle child malnutrition and provide employment for the
teeming youth.
President Akufo-Addo, on his
part, told the Council that finding a solution to the herdsmen issue was a very
big concern for the Government.
He said the activities of the
herdsmen was very disturbing and "we are determined to find a solution
that would protect everybody, including then herdsmen and their cattle."
The President lauded the Council
for taking the bold initiative to mitigate the crisis.
He thanked the members for their
courage and sense of responsibility, saying the offer by the chiefs to set up a
task force to deal with the problem was encouraging.
President Akufo-Addo stressed the
need for collaboration by all stakeholders to address holistically the
situation at hand.
He asked the Council to nominate
two persons to join the Committee set up by government, under the Ministry of
Agriculture, to resolve the bottlenecks in the ranching model as proposed by
government.
"Cattle ranching is big
business and has a lot of benefits for Ghana...but the right things ought
done...the kraal and ranching systems would be pursued to the letter," the
President said.
GNA
No comments:
Post a Comment