Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria endorses Tinubu's presidential bid

FULANI herdsmen's body the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (Macban) has come out to declare that it is supporting the former Lagos State governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu's bid to become president in 2023.

Last month, Asiwaju Tinubu declared himself a candidate for the presidential ticket of his party the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a bid to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in office. Asiwaju Tinubu's candidacy has attracted mixed reactions from Nigerians, with  his age in particular becoming s focal point of discussion.

Back in 2019, Macban said it would not back Asiwaju Tinubu in his quest to become president because he is too old. Officially, Asiwaju Tinubu is 69 but he is regarded to be much older than this as those who knew him from his youth claim he is at least 80, with Macban president Alhaji Abdullahi Bodejo, saying he is likely to be older than President Buhari.

However, in what appears to be an about turn, Macban, which has been blamed for the murderous herdsmen clashes across the country has come out to back Asiwaju Tinubu. According to Macban, the former Lagos State governor would improve the welfare of its members if he becomes president in 2023.

At a recent meeting held at the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute in Abuja, yesterday, Macban referred to how Asiwaju Tinubu intervened in their crisis in Benue State when he was Lagos State governor. Fulani leaders from all states of the federation attended the meeting.

Ya’u Haruna, the meeting's convener and a former chairman of the Jigawa chapter of Macban, said: “We are also scanning the people showing interest in the presidential seat with Bola Tinubu. He was the one who intervened in our matter while he was governor of Lagos and we had a crisis in Benue.

“Tinubu came all the way, got us on a round table and reconciled us. So, someone who could do this at that time, we believe can do more when he is at the helms of affairs.”

At the meeting, Macban, however, admitted that there are criminals who engage in kidnapping, banditry and other criminalities among its members. Over recent years, Macban has been notorious for attacking farming communities and carrying out widespread killings whenever villagers complain about the cattle of its members destroying their farms.