Ethnic Cleansing: By Whom against Whom?

Ethnic Cleansing: By Whom against Whom?
By Sam Onimisi
An innocuous news item drew my attention last week, not just because it emanated from a letter to the President of Nigeria but also because the subject matter is about wastage of human life, to the extent of annihilation. The sanctity of life is such that all humanity regardless of race, colour or language holds dear and precious and any threat or actual act of wastage is unacceptable anywhere in the world. Here then is the news. Alhaji Abdullahi Bello Badejo, National Chairman of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural group appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to probe the gradual and brutal annihilation of the Fulani ethnic group from parts of this country. Said he: “This is aside from other negative attitudes of other Nigerians, such as denial of grazing routes for the cattle herds, attack on their person and their herds, as well as discrimination in many forms that signified total hatred for the Fulani race.” “…there is a clear case of hatred of Fulani people in most parts of this country, whereas they are contributing immensely to the socio-economic development of this country, as bonafide citizens.” Alhaji Badejo concluded that “I know that Nigeria is one united country, but it is unfortunate that the Fulani ethnic group is being maltreated and killed at the slightest provocation on the basis of their style of living.” As the leader of his association, Badejo is obviously saddled with the burdens of responsibility and it is his lot to help find a solution to the problems of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore. Having petitioned the President, it is hoped that there would be an executive intervention in order to save the apparently endangered tribe. It is my belief that the state has the duty and responsibility to secure, protect and provide for the needs of her citizens, the Fulani inclusive. Therefore, such a grave allegation by one of the hundreds of ethnic groups in Nigeria should be thoroughly investigated so we can know the truth.
Hitherto, I had thought that the Fulani is the most privileged ethnic group in Nigeria and in fact, in the whole of West Africa sub-region, and I will tell you why; but this is without prejudice to whatever action is desirable to allay their fears. Like I said, let us count the blessings of the Fulani tribe and see if they should not be thanking God for their excellent fortunes in Nigeria. Beginning from Sokoto to Gusau, Birnin-Kebbi, Kontagora, Bauch, Kano, Katsina, Zaria, Dutse to Yola, Hadejia and Kazaure are Hausa towns. Bida is a Nupe land and Ilorin and Offa are Yoruba towns. But one thing is common to them: they all have Fulani as their Emirs! In other words, the people and wealth of the largest ethnic group in Northern Nigeria (the Hausa) is ruled and controlled by the Fulani!! They have ruled the Hausa land for as long as 200 years to the end that they have assimilated and a new tribe, the Hausa-Fulani evolved. Today, there is hardly any Hausa family without a Fulani blood. I suppose this is a great privilege or is it not? The present Emir of Ilorin and the immediate past Olofa of Offa Oba Olanipekun are Fulanis ruling the Yoruba people of the towns. Is this not an unqualified favour and privilege? The resourceful and ancient tribe of Nupe has Bida as their capital, but the Emir of Bida (also known as Estu Nupe) is a Fulani!!! What a honour and privilege!
All Nigerian ethnic groups are free to live, work and ply their trade at any town or state of their choice without hindrance or molestation. This right is enjoyed as bonafide citizens of Nigeria. However, the Fulani is the greatest beneficiary of this right in that they also enjoy country-wide grazing routes for their herds of cattle – their main occupation. There is hardly any fertile land in Nigeria where Fulani cattle herders are not present, plying the trade in which they enjoy near absolute monopoly! Fulani happens to be about the most learned Mullah in the West African sub-region and they more or less monopolize Arabic and Islamic teaching and priesthood in Nigeria. Could any tribe be more blessed and privileged anywhere?
It is the Fulani cattle herders who could disrupt and hold up traffic whether at Koton-Karfi River Niger bridge in Kogi State, at the River Niger Bridge in Jebba, Kwara State, at Eko bridge in Lagos, at Kaima Niger Bridge in Bayelsa State, the Benue River bridge in Makurdi, Onitsha bridge in Anambra State and else where in Nigeria – without a whimper by the law enforcement agencies. I suppose this is a rare privilege, is it not? Forget about the numerous road accidents caused by either the herds or the herders and the loss of lives, limbs and property arising from herders herding against traffic whether on the highway or along the double carriage-way of the metropolis. Who else but the Fulani who enjoys the honour, privilege and right to personal lethal weapon which they carry on their person anywhere without the obligation of a license? To me, there is no privilege as great as the knowledge that you could go on the attack or defend yourself any where anytime without having to go looking for a weapon!
In the chequered history of the multi-ethnic country known as Nigeria, it is only the Fulani who enjoyed the privilege of ruling this country in quick succession from Shehu Shagari to General Muhammadu Buhari. As a matter of fact, the Fulani is the only tribe who once rule Nigeria as number one and number two citizens in the same regime in the persons of Buhari and General Tunde Idiagbon (forget his Yoruba names)! Yet in terms of numerical strength, the Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Ijaw the Nupe and the Tiv are more and larger but are not enjoying these privileges and still not complaining. I have merely helped to count the blessings of the Fulani as ground or basis why they should be grateful to God and to Nigerians for being so honoured and blessed.
Perhaps we could now examine the factors or reasons for their misunderstanding with other Nigerians. The Fulani is a transnational race who are in Nigeria as much as they are in, neighboring Cameroon and who are original natives of Senegal and Mali. To most Nigerians, the Fulani has little or no ancestral land in Nigeria and the little they possess now is obtained by stealth or conquest. The crux of the matter is that the Fulani enjoys dual citizenship both of Nigeria and their countries of descent. They also enjoy dual nationality of Nigeria, the Cameroon, Niger, Senegal, Mali and the Gambia etc. The implication of double citizenship and nationality is that a Cameroonian, Senegalese or Malian can pass for a Nigerian so long as he is a Fulani and no other Nigerian can or do enjoy such privilege in those countries. Meaning that the Fulani cattle herder could be a citizen of Niger but who assumes, enjoys and exercise the rights of citizenship of Nigeria to the disadvantage of bona fide ethnic nationalities of Nigeria! The task before the President to whom the report has been lodged is neither easy nor impossible, and I cannot pretend to know all the solution to the Fulani complaints but may only suggest some ways out of the clash of interest between the Fulani and other Nigerians.
There is the need to know and identify the bona fide Nigerian Fulani cattle herder as different from the Cameroonian Fulani cattle herder in order to know which of them has the right to grazing land and routes in Nigeria, I suppose. No farmer enjoys the pain and loss of his food crops being destroyed or eaten up by the Fulani-owned herds of cattle, be they Nigerian or foreigners. Therefore, the Fulani cattle herders urgently needs the techniques of how to keep their herds away from the cultivated farmland of the Hausa, Tiv, Yoruba and other Nigerian farmers to avoid clash of interest. More-over, ethnic nationalities owned lands which is their ancestral inheritance and to which they have a right to use as they wish, and without infringement from any other group regardless of which tribe is transnational or of dual citizenship. There is no doubt that there are some other Nigerian ethnic groups that are bi-national such as the Hausa who may be Nigerians and Nigeriens, or the Yoruba who are in Nigeria and Benin but they do not pose the same challenges as the transnational Fulani. Of course, all bi-national ethnic groups in Nigeria pose one problem or the other and constitute some threat to the well-being of the Nigerian citizen. But is the Nigerian citizenship not already compromised by dual nationality and double citizenship? The Nationality question remains unanswered!!