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Why We Suspended The North To South Food Supply Strike – Northern Traders

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The Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers in Nigeria has revealed why it ended its nationwide strike which raised concern among citizens a couple of days now.

According to AUFCDN President, Muhammad Tahir who spoke with newsmen following a meeting between the northern traders union with the Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, they resolved to put an end to the strike action after the Federal Government promised to pay N4.75bn compensation, ensure the protection of its members and stop all forms of multiple taxation and intimidation from security officials on the highways.

Naija News understands that the traders had requested the President Muhammadu Buhari led government to pay them N4.75b as compensation for the alleged killing of its members and properties destroyed during the #EndSARS protests and the Sasha market crisis.

Tahir told newsmen that all the stakeholders and members of AUFCDN involved in the nationwide strike expressed their joy as they are able to achieve what they had wanted to achieve.

Tahir while conversing with newsmen in Abuja a few hours ago said that Bello begged the cattle dealers on behalf of the Federal Government to suspend the food blockade which kicked off five days ago.

He stated, “All the stakeholders and members of AUFCDN involved in our nationwide strike are glad; we achieved what we wanted to achieve.

“They agreed to pay the compensation and stop multiple taxations on federal highways and allow us to engage in our business activities peacefully nationwide.”

In his address, Governor Bello during the reconciliatory meeting said the strike had increased the hardship majority of Nigerians were already going through, including members of the aggrieved cattle and foodstuff dealers.

He said: “We must make life easy for ourselves; since you embarked on this action, there has been a lot of hardship on Nigerians across the board; not only in the South or West.”

On his part, the former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, who spoke on behalf of the West and Southern geopolitical regions, said “the impact of the strike was too heavy to ignore, adding that the killing of any Hausa-Fulani or traders engaged in legal business activities would no longer be tolerated or accepted.

He added: “On behalf of the so many people in the South-West, especially Sunday Igboho (Yoruba activist), our commitment to you today is that people of the Hausa- Fulani extraction cannot and will not be attacked in the south.”

The former minister, however, appealed to the FG to address the menace of armed Fulani herdsmen in the forests, whom he said were known to perpetrate all forms of evil, including killing, raping and maiming of Nigerians.

Meanwhile, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has warned prominent Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi to stay away from the South-South over the statement credited to him that Christian soldiers are responsible for banditry and violence in the country.
PANDEF in a statement released on Wednesday also called on the federal government to declare Gumi’s submission on the matter as hate speech.