Revisit state police, Jos monarch tells president

Advice on what could be done to end the incessant clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the country was again tabled before President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday.

This time, it came from the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, traditional ruler in a state that has witnessed decades of violence.

The Gbong Gwom told Buhari, who was on a two-day official visit to Plateau State, that the solution to the problem rests in the establishment of state police.

He regretted that had the initiative been implemented, scores of innocent lives would not have been wasted, notifying the president also of the country’s need to devolve power to the states.

Responding, Buhari told his host that the National Assembly was addressing the issues and that a resolution would be found shortly.

The president commissioned some roads, amid chants of ‘Sai Buhari!’ wherever he went. He also attended a town hall meeting.

Following touchdown earlier at the Yakubu Gowon Airport, Buhari was received by Governor Simon Lalong and his Nasarawa State counterpart, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, among others.

And restating his commitment to good governance, the president said his priority remains: securing the nation, boosting the economy and curbing corruption.

“From the very time we came until now, we have been able to do our best, and we remain focused on delivering on our promises,” he said yesterday, when he received a delegation from King Salman of Saudi Arabia at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Buhari disclosed that on Boko Haram, Nigerians in the affected states were in the best position to explain the positive changes they have witnessed since the inception of the administration in 2015.

He also expressed appreciation to the King Salman Aid and Relief Centre, and the Saudi Development Fund for relief items worth $10 million donated to displaced persons in the North East.

The leader of the Saudi Arabian delegation, Nasser Bin Mutlaq, described the visit and donation as evidence of the good relations both countries have had for years.

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, however, has described Buhari’s plan to visit his state as politically motivated, alleging it is a plot to revive the fortunes of the “dead” All Progressives Congress (APC) chapter.

“I hear that the president is coming to our state. I have not been told the president is coming and why he is coming. He has the right to come to any state. Maybe the president is coming to make sure he improves the fortunes of the APC that is dead in Rivers State.

“Apart from Jesus Christ, we don’t know of anyone who has raised a dead thing. APC is a dead party in Rivers State. No matter how you fast and pray, it will never wake up,” he said.

He told people not to bother themselves about reports that Buhari is coming for security reasons. “We don’t have security challenges in the state. We have never had herdsmen killings or crisis in the state, except when some criminals tried to disrupt the peace and they were checked. We resolved that challenge,” he said.

According to the governor, if Buhari is visiting because of kidnappers and armed robbers, then the visit should be extended to all the 36 states of the federation.

While kicking off the reconstruction of Egbelu Street and construction of link roads Obio Akpor Local Government Area, yesterday, Wike cynically said: “Since the (Buhari) administration has abandoned Rivers State for three years, this visit might be a blessing in disguise.

The president might use the visit to complete the Port Harcourt International Airport, the neglected East-West Road, the neglected sea ports and the rejected Port Harcourt-Aba Road.”