National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has attributed the causes of instability in the North to climate change that has forced the migration of herders to other parts of Nigeria and mass illiteracy among the Fulani community.
Ganduje made the assertion at a Fulfulde Poetry Competition organised by Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto held at the institution’s auditorium.
The APC stalwart claimed that the relationship between farmers and herders used to be symbiotic.
Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State, on his part, stated that the state government is investing heavily in intelligence gathering and information sharing to enhance the prevention of security breaches in the state.
He said, “Security apparatuses are being strengthened through the provision of tools and training and the state government, empowering the community to actively participate in securing the neighbourhood.”
Represented by his Deputy, Idris Mohammed Gobir, Aliyu said the government would continue to prioritise community engagement and dialogue as a means of building trust and fostering cooperation between security and citizens through town hall meetings, community policy initiatives and the establishment of neighbourhood watch groups.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Lawal Suleiman Bilbis, had earlier said poems had been used from time immemorial to bring peace and stability among various communities.