Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
A cleric, Pastor Adewale Giwa, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare Fulani herdsmen as a terrorist organisation.
Giwa, who is the senior pastor of Awaiting The Second Coming of Jesun Christ, Akure, said the Fulani herdsmen have killed more than any other terrorist group in the country.
He specifically criticised the administration of President Buhari for handling security, especially killings and kidnappings perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen, with levity.
The cleric wondered why the Federal Government did not use the approach it adopted on Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to tackle Fulani herdsmen.
“God cannot hear the wicked, but He listens to those who do according to His commandments. Nigeria has become a bloody nation and prayer alone cannot proffer any solution to the security challenges facing the nation.
“As it is, President Buhari must either use the approach he adopted to deal with IPOB on herdsmen or he declares them a terrorist organisation if he (Buhari) does not have anything to do with them as speculated.
“We need the government to be more proactive and save innocent Nigerians being killed by this group everyday.
“Since Buhari took over in 2015, there have been increasing attacks on Nigerians by Fulani herdsmen. These herdsmen have continued to kill people in dozens daily.
“God is not happy with Nigeria, God is not happy with the killings currently going on.
“The book of Nahum 3:1 says, woe to the bloody city, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims. I want to commiserate with relatives of those who lost their lives in the hands of this group. May God console them and be with their family members.
“I also pray that God looks upon our situation in Nigeria and have mercy on everyone who works on the path of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Giwa said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has allocated N100 billion to boost research activities in tertiary institutions across the country.
Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo Provost, Dr. Samuel Akintunde, disclosed this at the weekend while declaring open a seminar at the college.
According to him, the money which was earmarked by the Federal Government, under the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and dedicated as National Research Fund (NRF) was aimed at boosting academic development.
Also, he said the money was meant to enhance people’s skills in project proposal writing and research activities.
He said: “The Federal Government is interested in boosting research activities in tertiary institutions in the country and has joined the world to acknowledge the fact that you cannot improve your society without research.
“So, a lot of money is now being pumped into research work. Over N100 billion have been earmarked now by the Federal Government under TETFUND as National Research Fund,” he said.
While urging teaching and non-teaching staff of the college to seek constantly for self-improvement through acquisition of more knowledge, the college administrator, said money provided by the Federal Government, could be used to improve their skills on research.
Akintunde lauded the Directorate of Gender and Sustainable Development Studies in the college, for organising the seminar, and thanked the presenter, Prof. Bridget Teboh, from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, USA, for supporting the college.
Describing Teboh as erudite and international scholar, the college administrator said his contributions to academic development in Africa was unusual.
In the paper entitled: “Proposal Writing,” Teboh urged academics to develop interest in research.
She stressed the necessity of project proposal writing and explained the rationale for its organisation in the college, stating that the seminar aimed at boosting the proficiency of “those who wish to strengthen their grant writing skills, as well as beginners, who wish to acquire and master the techniques of preparing and writing winning proposals to various funding agencies.”
The Cameroonian don listed five basic requirements, that should be fulfilled by anyone, wishing to embark on proposal writing to include specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time.