Fulbe NGOs and the need to be careful of on conditional Endorsements_ Ibrahim Abdullah

I think it's not a crime to partake in partisan politics of our choice as individuals but we should keep our Associations out of it. We can even form support groups  so that we can support whoever or whatever party we choose.

But our traditional Associations are not meant to be partisan and we should endeavor to keep them out of partisan politics. I have seen some fulbe support groups like Fulbe Nigeria for Atiku or Asiwaju etc and their membership cuts across all NGOs.
For me that is not a crime.

In 2015 and 2019, we saw how some of this NGOs endorsed some parties/ candidates and we saw the consequences on our people especially in States where the endorsed parties/ candidates were not in power. 
In 2019 in particular we saw how Pastoralists were accosted along with their cattle and were being chased away while their settlements set ablaze. We heared their assailants telling them to call Buhari to safe them etc. 
We had to visit some of this States together with late Sale Bayari, Bauran Wase of blessed memory to reassure those people that not all Fulanis are members of that NGO and that not all Fulani NGOs endorsed the said party/ candidate. It's on record that the APC government under Buhari is the worst we have ever seen in terms of the welfare and protection of nomadic pastoralists. These that those NGOs that endorsed Buhari and APC either did so for their selfish and pecuniary interests or that they have been betrayed by him and in any case why should someone endorse the same party today?7
In any case we should be tactical about the way we lead our NGOs less we subject our people to more hardships than they are already facing.
Even where we form Fulbe support groups, our support and endorsement should be based on issues that affect our people. In that case we should advance our predicaments and based our support on the condition that such parties/ candidates should tell us how they plan to address such predicaments. We should not just support parties/ candidates unconditionally. That has always been the case with some of these NGOs and the consequences has always been that we and and our people are shortchanged.

May Allah safe our people and may we achieve the desired unity that will enable us to always take a united position in the best interest of our people..
Ibrahim Abdullahi, National President of Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria, GAFDAN writes from Kaduna.