Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia with his wife and children
If the people of Agogo are clamouring for Fulanis to be sacked from Ghana, then they might as well be suggesting the sacking of Mrs Samira Bawumia, General Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia has said.
He told Chief Jerry Forson on Accra100.5fm’s breakfast show Ghana Yenson on Wednesday April 13 that the wife of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, three-time running mate to the flagbearer of Ghana’s biggest opposition party, is also of Fulani extraction, and, thus, those calling for Fulanis and their cattle to be booted out of the country may be doing Mrs Bawumia a disservice.
“If we say we are sacking all Fulanis from Ghana, do you know Dr Bawumia’s wife is a Fulani?” General Mosquito, as Mr Asiedu Nketia is popularly known asked Chief Jerry Forson. “So, it is not about the type of person you are. So, if you categorise them [Fulanis] and demand that they be sacked, you’ll end up, perhaps, sacking Dr Bawumia’s wife, too,” he said, adding: “So, it’s not about the fact that somebody is a Fulani, it’s about the fact that there is a conflict between crop farmers and animal farmers, which needs to be resolved.”
Mr Asiedu Nketia’s comments come a day after the people of Agogo, led by their queen mother as well as MP for Asante Akyem North, Kojo Baah Agyemang, went on a peaceful demonstration to demand that all Fulanis and their cattle be sacked from the area. They complained that the activities of the nomads threaten their lives and livelihood, since the herders kill, maim and rape their kith and kin, as well as destroy their farms.
Mr Asiedu Nketia, however, said: “There’s no law that criminalises cattle herding in Ghana. …It’s a problem between crop farmers and animal farmers…we should find a nonpartisan solution to the problem,” he added.
He took exception to the stereotyping of Fulanis, saying: “We should stop the racial profiling of Fulanis and accusing them of being the perpetrators of every crime in Ghana. …Before Fulanis came into this country, weren’t there rape cases? Some Ghanaians are also guilty of the same crimes Fulanis are always accused of, so, it is problematic to racially profile Fulanis. When you sack them from Agogo, would you put them in an articulated truck and send them to The Ivory Coast?” he wondered.