Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has warned the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, to be cautioned in his utterances that are destructive and may set the country on fire.
The Ondo State Governor through his Special Assistant on New Media, Olabode Olatunde, described Bala Mohammed‘s comment, which stated that ‘Nigerians don’t need Akeredolu’s permission to live in Ondo forests’, as “provoking and insensitive”.
Olatunde said “The position of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, is not to engage or confront anyone who has the mindset of a crisis entrepreneur or war monger. Very provoking and insensitive as the statement appears, we can only err on the side of caution by advising Governor Bala Mohammed not set Nigeria on fire by his thoughts that are highly destructive and undermining national cohesion.
“Nigerians should ignore him and rather focus on those issues that can bring about peace and engender unity.”
Recall that Akeredolu ordered all herdsmen to vacate the state forest reserves or register with the state government.
The order has generated different reactions from the presidency, governors including Bala Mohammed, saying Akeredolu lacked the right to issue a vacation notice to herders in the state.
Mohammed had said on Friday that “Land is in the hands of the state and federal governments in trust but Nigerians don’t need the permission of governors or the Federal government to settle everywhere. You don’t need the permission of the Governor of Bauchi or the Governor of Ondo to be in the forests of Ondo if you choose to live in the forests because under Section 41 of the constitution, you are free to settle anywhere.”
Governor Akeredolu had also slammed Bala for saying Nigerians should carry arms.
“How will a governor in this country today come out and say people should be allowed to carry arms when it is illegal? And not just arms he says they should carry double barrel and co. So people are not licenced to carry guns, Bala Mohammed is suggesting to us that they should be able to carry it?” he said.
