Senator Rashidi Ladoja

Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan

Former Governor of Oyo State and Osi Olubadan of Ibadanland, Senator Rashidi Ladoja has shared his view on the proscription of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in the state pointing out that he did not see anything wrong as regards the decision of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State concerning the union.

Ladoja also warned the federal government against “Fulanising” and Islamising Nigeria to avoid causing serious crisis that could destroy the nation.

The astute politician, who expressed that Nigeria cannot be Islamised said, “In Nigeria, we should be grateful to God. Religion has never been a problem for us until recently. Even Boko Haram insurgents did not start with Islam. Boko Haram started by saying Western education is a sin. They never called themselves an Islamic group. But at times, if it is what people live on, you will see some extremists there. There are extremists in Islam and also in Christianity, as well as traditional religion. I don’t think any government, no matter what it does, can Islamise Nigeria. Will I say a child of mine, who married a Christian should be killed in the name of religion? No. We have mixed up more than that. The plan cannot stand”.

He stated further, “But if you are talking about Fulanisation, that is where the problem might come from. What is happening now is unprecedented. The Yoruba and Fulani have been living together from time immemorial. But as the population is growing, the consumption of meat is also increasing. And the number of people in agriculture is going down. Many places that used to be forested have become farms. We need to find a way out. The Fulani have been saying how they rear their cattle has become a tradition. But we need to make them realise that the population of people nowadays is more than what we had then. There are better ways of rearing cattle these days, than sticking to the old tradition of grazing them all around and from one place to another. If it is all about giving food to the cattle, we can solve it. But if the Federal Government has ulterior motives that it wants to Fulanise Nigeria, I don’t think this will be possible”.

He concluded, “When I was young, there was no way you could find cows in Ibadan. If you wanted to buy cheese, you had to go to Oyo or Iwo. Nowadays, however, hardly would you find an area where there is no ‘Gaa’ (Fulani settlement). So, if it is true that the Federal Government plans to Islamise Nigeria, they should discard such plans with immediate effect”.

In another development, the Oyo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, has commended Governor Makinde for donating his salary to the Teachers’ Pension Fund.

Speaking, the state NUP Chairman, Mr Abolade Isiaka, stated that following the good heart of the governor, the union would suspend his agitation to seek the implementation of 15 per cent pension arrears obtained in a court judgment in favour of the pensioners.

Isiaka said, “The governor has promised to rejig the education sector in the state by allocating 10 percent of the state’s annual budget to the sector. To whom much is given, much is expected. To that effect, our union is ready to work alongside this administration by offering our services in this noble mission of lifting the education standard of our state. We call on the governor to avail himself of our voluntary services in his bid to enhance the development and growth of the state”.

Isiaka called on the new governor to settle the N62.5 billion the government is owing the retired primary school teachers and local government pensioners as well as urging the governor to increase monthly allocation to the Ministry of Establishment and facilitate the payment of 10 per cent pension and compensation allowance to those forcefully retired in 2002.