Food blockade: Northern traders only seek compensation from FG, says Govenor Bello
- Northern food traders are only asking for the federal government's attention to their plight
- This opinion was put forward by Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi
- Governor Bello said the traders are seeking the government's response to cases of violence against them
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The Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, has said that members of the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers in Nigeria (AUFCDN) are not asking for too much.
Bello said one sure way to put an end to the crisis is to make efforts towards meeting the demands of the association, Punch reports.
The governor said:
“I don’t think they are asking for too much. If those demands are met, or at least, attempts have been made to meet those demands, and if they can graciously respect Mr President, respect us and sympathise with Nigerians and call off their strike and begin the supply of food and other items to all parts of this country, I think it behoves on us to also meet them midway so that there will be no such occurrence again."
He said while the traders were going about their normal businesses, thugs came and hijacked the process, killing persons and destroying properties.
Governor Bello added that the members of the group who embarked on the strike lost their loved ones and properties in the attack.
Source: Twitter
Bello said all the traders want is compensation from the government due to their multiple losses.
Meanwhile, a former minister of youth and sports, Solomon Dalung, had called on the government to urgently resolve the current blockade crisis between the AUFCDN and southern states.
Dalung who served as a minister during the first tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari revealed this in a statement titled "Drums of Anarchy Sounding Louder" and shared it on his Facebook page on Tuesday, March 2.
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The Plateau-born politician explained that the current faceoff is an extension of an overall weakness of the country, adding that if ignored it could determine the federation.
He also noted that proactive measures must be taken to avert ugly consequences as the drums of ethnic tensions are getting louder daily.
Onyirioha Nnamdi is a graduate of Literature and English Language at the University of Lagos. He is a Politics/Current Affairs Editor who writes on news and political topics for Legit.ng. He brings into his reporting a wealth of experience in creative and analytical writing. Nnamdi has a major interest in local and global politics.
Source: Legit.ng
