The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), yesterday, chided Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Garba Shehu, for comment purportedly supporting open grazing of cattle across the country.
This is as the rights group said it is unprecedented in the political annals of Nigeria that “a political office holder picked by the President elected by all Nigerians, to be used consistently as the public relations officer of the ethnicity and religious platforms of both himself and his boss who holds office on behalf of the entire Nigerians.”
The group carpeted Garba Shehu for “shamelessly siding with Miyetti Allah Cattle Dealers against the considered and well thought out proposal of 17 governors of southern Nigeria who spoke on behalf of over 80 million citizens of Nigeria to ban open grazing of livestock in a lasting bid to stop the incessant unprovoked attacks of farmers by some armed Fulani herdsmen.”
In a statement issued by the Executive Director of the group, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA said Nigerians have rejected the grazing routes, which according to him, “offends the clear provisions of the Land Use Act” even as it accused the President of “tolerating the tribalizing and Fulanizing of the high office of the President of Nigeria.”
It further noted that the tendencies to deploy the office of the media spokesperson of the Nigerian President to speak for cattle dealers amounts to abuse of office adding that it “is an act of corruption which Section 15 (5) of Nigeria’s Constitution absolutely prohibits-: “The state shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.”
Onwubiko also took exception to what he called the failure of President Buhari and other world leaders to speak up in condemnation of the killings in parts of the country.
Land matters in states according to HURIWA, are vested in the governors in accordance with the Land Use Act.