‘Why Anambra’ll Never Experience Fulani Herdsmen’s Attack’

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano has given reasons why the state may never come under the attack of Fulani herdsmen as has been the case on some states recently.

Obiano who spoke with journalists to herald the 25th anniversary celebration of the creation of the state boosted that the state under his government has grown to become the safest state in Nigeria.

Speaking on how he has been able to overcome attacks of herdsmen, the governor said, “on this issue, I am like the man who saw tomorrow. Early on my administration, I constituted a committee known as cattle menace committee, which is headed by the commissioner of police, with five traditional rulers and leaders of the Fulani community in the state.

“We agreed in the committee that if the cattle belonging to the Fulani people destroy our crops, they will pay us, and if our people kill their cattle, we will pay them.”

The governor said that so far, the Fulani herdsmen had defaulted 11 times, and they had also paid, while the communities have defaulted only five times, and have also had to pay for the cattle.

He also stated that it was agreed in the committee’s resolution that herdsmen were not allowed to come into the state with AK47 riffles and other dangerous weapons, and so far, it has been so.

Obiano while comparing the state’s growth with others created at about the same time ranked Anambra as the first, saying that none of the states created 25 years ago has witnessed the same level of development than Anambra.

Picturing Anambra in the next 25 years, the governor said that with the massive investment his government was attracting, which so far stands at $4.5billion, the state will rank as the richest, and can then afford to function without federal allocation.

He added that the state was aggressively pursuing oil exploration and that within the coming five to six years, the state would have entrenched itself properly as a leading oil producing state. He described oil deposits in the state as being massive. Activities marking the silver jubilee of the creation of the state, Obiano said will span to December.