FIRST, let me say that the plan of the Fulanis to
subtly take over Nigeria has been an old plan.
Let me also say that, the cattle Fulanis are one
ethnic group in Nigeria. Not all the Fulanis are
cattle rearers. Only the cattle Fulani are. There
are other Fulanis in the Fulani ethnic group who
are not cattle rearers.
They are called the Town Fulanis. They are not
the ones who are asking for the grazing rights. It
is unfortunate that Mrs. Kure used her dignified
position to take
a lead in writing a law that could
enable the cattle Fulanis take over Nigeria.
We also remember that the Federal Government
set up the Nomadic Commission to assist the
cattle Fulani on how to go about their business. I
served on this Nomadic Commission for more
than 3 years in Kaduna.
It is equally strange
that Mrs. Kure was
writing a law on cattle
rearing and grazing in
the country without
reference to the
existence of the
Nomadic Commission
set up by the Federal
Government.
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This Nomadic
Commission is in
Kaduna. Let me
caution, that cattle
rearing is an
occupation of one
ethnic group. Any
attempt to legislate,
so that the cattle
Fulani be given a legal
authority to move into
every town in Nigeria
and acquire land
against the wishes of
the people will back
fire. This legal backing
might bring Nigeria to an end. It is an attempt to
give the Fulani grazing rights in every part of
Nigeria, in spite of their condemnable atrocities
in different parts of the country. As a member of
the Nomadic Commission for sometime, we did
everything to domesticate the cattle Fulanis.
We even wrote books in Fulfude language which
we used to teach this nomadic Fulanis in schools
set up by the Nomadic Commission. The school
is a success so far but the nomadic Fulanis do
not want to settle down in one place, so that
they can go to school and be domesticated.
The attempt to have grazing field in every part of
Nigeria, shows that the Federal Government is
sponsoring one occupation as a national
occupation. Federal Government should know
that it is wrong to throw its weight behind one
profession.
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The cattle Fulanis by their nature
cannot settle in one place, and therefore cannot
be domesticated. And Federal Government has
no right to back one profession among many
professions in the country. We have the migrant
fishermen in the South and also in the North.
The government has not considered it necessary
to acquire strategic waters in the country so that
fishermen could carry on their job.
Dangers to Nigeria: I see the move to acquire
land compulsorily for only one profession (cattle
rearing) as dangerous. Will the Federal
Government also acquire rivers and streams
wherever necessary so that fishermen in the
North and in the South can have fishing rights?
No. l think this is another step by the Fulanis to
expand to other parts of Nigeria. I recall the
struggles of the Fulanis with the Birom people in
the North, in Plateau State; they struggled with
the indigenous population in Nasarawa, now by
their current record they have occupied Bukuru
and driven away the indigenous settlers.
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What happened in Agatu is planned to drive away
the indigenous settlers and take the whole place
in the name of cattle rearing.
Their horrible behaviour: Let me draw attention
to their method of operations. They have come
as far as to Ndokwa, Balyesa, Enugu, and their
method of operation is to kill the indigenous
settlers and take over the land. It is a tragedy
that the president of Nigeria has not opened his
mouth to make a statement condemning the
massacre of innocent citizens by the Fulanis. We
know that the President is a Fulani man but that
is not the reason for him to condemn the Boko
Haram and not condemn the massacre of
innocent citizens by his own ethnic group, the
Fulanis. Many people have been massacred. The
President was belatedly forced by the public
outcry to make a feeble condemnation.
Nigerians are watching to see the next move to
acquire land compulsorily. This cannot happen.
We are in a Federation and you cannot force
cattle rearing on communities by force.
Sense of nationalism
In Enugu they massacred more than 46 persons
in Nsukka, this shows that the Fulanis want to
move into locations by force. Let us warn the
Fulanis that no ethnic group has a monopoly of
violence. Their method of operation is an insult
to Nigeria, and all Nigerians must open their
eyes and watch the activities of the Fulanis. The
President must show a sense of nationalism.
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He cannot keep silent and pretend that he does
not know what is going on. Other ethnic groups
in the North, in the Yoruba communities, in the
Igbo territories, in the Ijaw territories are
watching and will react accordingly very soon.
“This nation called Nigeria shall be an estate to
us from our great grandfather Othman Dan
Fodio. We shall resist any change. We shall
manipulate the minorities of the North and
declare the South as a conquered territory”
Let me draw Mr. President’s attention to a
reality. He has his hands on many things in
Nigeria. Adding the Fulani problems is not in his
interest. The Fulanis want to acquire Nigeria by
force. It is the first step towards destroying this
nation because neither the Yorubas nor, the
Igbos nor, the Ijaws nor the Biroms will close
their eyes and watch the cattle Fulanis take over
Nigeria.
Perhaps there is wisdom in what the American
said years ago “that Nigeria will be soon break
up”. Prophet Ayodele a few weeks ago had
predicted that Nigeria might disintegrate into
about six autonomous nations. Let me caution
that over the years the Igbos, have been
massacred in the North in 1945, 1953, 1960s.
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These massacres forced Ojukwu to declare that
he was going to stop sacrificing the Igbos in the
name of Nigerian unity. But let us go back to
history and recall the statement made by
Ahmadu Bello just the very month of our
independence. He said;
This was published in 1960 in a magazine.
Perhaps the Fulanis are trying to implement of
this statement by Ahmadu Bello. The Fulanis are
stressing the need for the Northerner to take
over the whole country. It is not by massacring
the existing population and moving in with their
cattle. No.
While we encourage the Government to
modernize cattle rearing, and encourage the
Fulanis to develop grazing in the savannah area
of the North, Federal Government can assist
them to have professional cattle rearing. This
requires heavy investment in the savannah where
suitable grass can be cultivated.
But let me also remind Mr. President that those
who rear cattle in America, Brazil and other
places are industrialists who have bought land
with their own money. They may be assisted by
government to buy lands. Mr. President is well
advised to send people to America and Brazil to
see how to modernize cattle rearing and do so in
Nigeria. In the North grass is abundant. Rearing
cattle in the tropical area of Rivers State,
Bayelsa, Delta State is a wrong venture because
very soon tse-tse-flies will engulf this area and
the cattle will begin to die natural death. We are
aware that the drying up of the desert is pushing
them down South. The situation must be handled
with care not by force
The Fulanis will not force Nigerians to react
accordingly. If the President does not talk,
people will talk. And when people begin to talk
tension will begin to rise; the problem Nigeria will
face will be more than the fuel scarcity which
Mr. President has not been able to handle. If he
has the intention of the Fulanis to forcefully
acquire land, something is wrong.
The Yorubas certainly will not watch the Fulani’s
invade their county, with the impunity with which
the cattle rearers enter other states to kidnap
and destroy farms calls for national resistance.
The Yoruba’s are meeting. Other ethnic groups
will meet and will give the cattle Fulanis an
appropriate response if Mr. President does not
step into the matter and defend Nigeria.
Finally, l want to invite Mrs. Kure and all those
who are drafting the said laws on acquiring
grazing land compulsorily to refer their case to
Nomadic Commission of the Federal
Government. I served on the Nomadic
Commission Board. Books were written to
domesticate the cattle Fulani and send them to
school. The Nomadic Commission has registered
some successes. But I do not think that the
Nomadic Commission has ever recommended
that the migrant Fulanis should acquire land
compulsorily or settle in the areas compulsorily,
by massacring the indigenes of the place. Such
a move will lead to a massive resistance. It will
also lead to various states expelling the cattle
Fulanis from their state unless Mr. President
does something that is noble and just.
Mr. President swore to protect Nigeria. He should
been seen protecting Nigeria. He must not be
seen keeping silent and allowing his ethnic group
the cattle Fulanis to move into various states
and kill people at will. This cannot happen.
Nigeria is a Federation. One profession, the
cattle rearing, cannot be legislated to be a
National profession for which land must be
compulsorily acquired. We need lands for
agriculture. As cattle rearing is important to the
Fulanis, so Agriculture is important to the
Yorubas, to the Igbos, to the Balyesa, to Edo
people, to Anambra people, to Kogi people. And
nobody will fold his hands and allow this
massacre to continue. Let the massacre of
people at Nsukka be the last. If Mr. President
cannot protect Nigeria from his own ethnic group
then Nigerians must protect themselves from the
Fulanis. Enough is enough.
We fought the civil war because the Igbos were
massacred several times in the North and the
last massacre lead to the civil war, Ojukwu
declared that this should be the last time the
Igbos will make supreme sacrifice in the interest
of one Nigeria. I call on Mr. President to rise up
as a President of Nigeria not as a Fulani man
and condemn what the Fulanis are doing before
it destroys Nigeria.
B. I. C. Ijomah
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