Date: 2018-05-03

A 2019 presidential aspirant, Mr. Ahmed Buhari, has called for a revisit of ECOWAS treaty by member nations to end incessant killings caused by herdsmen/farmers clashes in many parts of the country.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin recently, the presidential aspirant said that the ECOWAS treaty disallows free movement of cattle and livestock and discourages proliferation of light arms by herdsmen.

"Except we are able to revisit all of those things and see how we can make herdsmen as harmless as possible, that trust will not be there. Many times, I have made a point to understand that our biggest problem is the fact that we need to get herdsmen out of the roads. It is not just about attack on the people, it is about I'm driving on the highway and I'm seeing cattle causing accident and people die", he said. Buhari, who advocated investment in ranches across parts of Nigeria, said that owners of ranches in South East, for example, can make profits from influx of cattle from the north to the area.

"To my people in the South-East, I'm expecting that when I see the influx of cattle in the South-east or livestock, the first thing we should be thinking of is to see how we can ask them to come and put them in our ranches. Let them know that if they are in our ranches. We have a good chance to actually milk these cattle every day and actually set up dairy farm. So that when we set up dairy farm, we can also start thinking of how to set up proper abattoir system that these animals will be slaughtered properly; packaged properly and marketed properly. We can also start thinking of how we can use the skin that we take from the backs of these animals to Aba where they can be processed into leather shoes, bags and belts. So I do not know why we have fear to be at the front burner as opposed to logical reasoning to see how we can use all of those things to leverage on our comparative economic advantage", he said. The presidential aspirant also advised government to implement a good tax regime that will tax herdsmen, saying, "As a matter of fact, nobody taxes them. We don't even know how much we are losing from the fact that we don't have a proper system that organizes how well we utilize this business venture that some countries survive upon". He said that one of the reasons for the nation's insecurity is because everyone is broke; everyone is hungry.

"By the time we create that enabling environment where business can thrive, I assure you we will love ourselves. And I want to say this when I talk about comparative advantage, hate is not the first enemy of love. It is fear because fear destroys our ability to trust. So by the time we start talking with each other, we will find out that we are more of the same and only then can we have that kind of Nigeria we always dream of.

"The constitution has to be revisited. Unfortunately, we have allowed where we are from to override competency. I know of sometimes that some people complained that some appointees are not from their locality. Why do appointees have to come from their locality? Do you want to go there and ask him to give you something hand-to-hand? The moment you start thinking like that, that means you are part of the problem. I will like to think that we should looking like a Nigeria where when anybody is appointed, your first primary concern is has he got the capacity? Can he deliver? If he is or will not be then you can now raise a flag to say take him out or let him continue.

"So for me, the constitution has to be revisited. In 2018, I see no reason why we should be talking of state of origin. I see no reason why quota system should be a thing of relevance. Anytime I see my leader in the North say we have fought to bring cut off mark down for you so that you can compete with your counterpart from the Southern part of the country, I find it very insulting because it means that I'm being told that I don't have the capacity to compete with my peers around the world," he said. The presidential aspirant, who coordinates Ahmed B. Youth Movement Mobilization Group, said that he has not decided on political platform to run for the 2019 general elections.