President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he may have been one of those involved in the herdsmen/farmers’ clashes had he not gone to school. He stated this in a speech he delivered during his two-day state visit to Bauchi State on Thursday at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi, where he inaugurated the 261 Nigerian Air Force Referral Hospital, some roads and five tractors and some farm implements.
Buhari, while addressing the thousands of Bauchi residents in Hausa who thronged the stadium to welcome him on his first visit to the state since 2015, encouraged them to allow their children to go to school. He said:
“Make every effort to put your children in school, plead with them to be patient and read hard. In this generation, you cannot make it except you are educated.
“Now, look at the farmers/herdsmen’s clashes in the northern part of this country. I have been telling people that if I had not gone to school, I would not have gone into the military and where I come from since my cows are finished; maybe, I would have been involved in this fight.
“But because I went to school, I got a job to do and because of that, desertification is everywhere, there is no bush we will go to and cut down trees and destroy farms and the rainy season is not promising. Because of that, education is the guarantee.
“You should strive hard and be educated, get the education that will benefit you and the society, it is not compulsory that government will give you what to do.”
The President restated his resolve to seek re-election in the 2019 general elections, declaring that he would emerge victorious. He said he would ensure that corrupt government officials and looters were brought to book and the looted funds returned to the country’s treasury.