WHY GHANA WILL SOON END FULANI HERDSMEN KILLINGS BUT NIGERIA WONT.

Ghana and Nigeria, two countries facing wanton killings of farmers and settlers by Fulani herdsmen are approaching the same problem differently.

Ghanaian police and Army has given a 'shoot at sight' order at any herdsmen that attempts to kill a Ghanaian.

Nigerian government is telling her citizens to embrace peace always before during and after any destruction or killings by herdsmen! Strange?

Ghana's security apparatus has an order against any Fulani herdsmen that destroy anything.

Nigeria's security apparatus is always waiting for order from Abuja to stop killings by herdsmen.

Fulani herdsmen in Ghana obey court orders. They left Agogo community following a court order.

Nigerian herdsmen do not care about any grazing law. Their cattle can eat or destroy anybody's crop and grass.

Ghana is moving Fulani herdsmen out of locations and towns where they have caused killings in the past.

Nigeria's government is asking for cattle colonies in the same regions where herdsmen have carried out havocs close to genocide.

Fulani herdsmen are living the communities where they misbehaved like Agogo community in Ghana.

Fulani herdsmen are moving more deeply into inner Nigerian cities where they are not wanted.

Ghana's police chief sees herdsmen killings as terrorism.

Nigeria's police chief sees herdsmen killings as communal clash.

Ghana's president and judiciary speak for safety of lives first with a counter attack against killers and destroyers.

Nigeria's traditional leader speak for survival of cows blaming security agencies-not herdsmen.

Fulani herdsmen in Ghana are begging President Nana Akufo-Addo to temper justice with mercy with respect to their flush out.

Fulani herdsmen state their position in Nigeria insisting on theft of cows as reason for settlers killings.

Ghana's president set up a taskforce to wipe out excesses of Fulani herdsmen which is yielding results already

Nigeria's government is always setting up juicy peace and reconciliation meetings that leads nowhere.

Money allocated for the Ghanaian taskforce to check the excesses and killings of innocent citizens is not only in good use, but also yielding results.

In Nigeria, the 100bn allocated for grazing routes disappeared amidst the governors involved!

Ghana is using force to compel erring Fulani herdsmen to comply with constitutional law and order.

A Nigerian governor is using huge bribes to pacify Fulani herdsmen to comply with constitutional law and order. Same money that will be used to buy AK47s to kill more farmers.

So Fulani Herdsmen are begging for help in Ghana. If all these are so, can someone tell me why it wont be the wisest decision for the Fulani Movement to tell all their members in the west African savannahs to relocate with their cows and guns to their conquered lands in the 'Niger Area' where visas and passports  won't matter when moving in,where traditional rulers will fan you safely by blaming security apparatus and not herdsmen? 

Former Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha once said: ‘If insurgency lasts in any country more than two weeks, then the government must have hands in it”.  I plead with you that you get a voters card today and vote poor governance out on election day. Stop leaving the leadership of this country in the hands of only market women, area boys, almajiris, students and bribed fellows. Woe unto that kingdom whose kings are kids. Woe unto that country whose leaders are vagabonds.

CATTLE REARING IN NIGERIA:WHAT IS POSSIBLE?

If Uruguay, a country of 3.46m people with less than 177000 sq km, ranches 12m healthy cows that enjoy choice fodder, clean H2O  and veterinary care, why cant Nigeria with more than 920,000 sq km ranch hers as well? Why is it that Cattle rearing does not cause communal conflicts, human killings, stream pollution, farm crop destruction & sterile national debates in that not fully developed but orgnanised  nation? Uruguayan cows are so well cared for, with an ear device connected to a data bank for health & movement monitoring etc. You can infact request for the birth certificate of your beef at a restaurant. Here, our mostly lean  Nigerian cows trek 25km daily eating anything on their way, with no serious veterinary care  and as a result are too tired to produce milk . If you were a Nigerian cow having trekked several kilometers, you wont want to produce milk too.

 

Uruguayan cowboys are equipped with ranching and veterinary care methods while Nigerian herdsmen are armed with arrows & AK47 to protect cows! I ask myself-if you use AK47 to protect livestock, what will you use to protect Agbami, Oloibiri and Gulf of Guinea if you own them?

How did  3.5m Uruguayans get themselves leaders with potentials to earn $2.2bn from just cow milk, hides and beef only? This, been part of GDP, also helps to support free education from primary to tertiary level but Nigeria’s huge $405bn GDP in 2016 only led to the loss of 4m jobs the following year. (Source  World Bank 2016, NBS, 2017)

 

Which visionary leader will think beyond  blocs & rigs to show Nigeria beyond her 15m cows and prove to these herdsmen that some countries have 330m cows and they are not killing farmers. Which visionary leader will stop importation of 98% of the milk consumed in this country to generate milk from our own cows? London Economist should not start writing about a forthcoming “rise and fall” before grazing will be banned in Nigeria. Only Purposeful leadership will solve Nigeria’s problems and maximize the potentials of her energetic, ingenious but grossly untapped population. We need Leaders.

BENUE KILLINGS: I DO NOT WANT TO BECOME A CANNIBAL

Just like the time of Ese Orhuru and the initial shameful position of the Emirs palace, Former CBN governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi again in an eloquent but shamefully biased style spoke on the Benue herdsmen killings in such a way that I got too tired of asking questions. Sanusi, a supposed nationalist and detribalised traditional leader, took his time to explain the failures of the security agencies, the government and politicians in curbing killings. He emphasised that killings are done by both sides- herdsmen and indigenes. He explained the desired prosperity and wishes of the patrons of Miyetti Allah of which he is one and the frustration caused by desertification and demographic implosion.

He said and i quote 'Grazing routes have been taken way by politicians. We have demographic implosion in the North, desertification, reduction in water reserves and competition for resources among various aspects of agriculture – crop production, animal husbandry and fishing.' My question is which politicians? Togolese or Niger?  And if so, should your newly desired grazing routes/stock routes be forced on other peoples and destroy their means of livelihood?

Sanusi also said Miyeti Allah 'is committed to protecting the fundamental rights of herdsmen as Nigerians including constitutional right to freedom of movement and the ownership of private wealth and peaceful conduct of their business.” I believe anyone who understands English will question why Sanusi is deliberating merging clauses he knows that the Miyetti Allah does not obey. Did anyone question the ownership of wealth of these herdsmen or their perpetual desire to destroy the meagre  private wealth of ordinary farmers in a bid to expand their own wealth.

Many Fulanis have lived down south for decades enjoying tenancy in different parts of southern Nigeria. It is only an accommodating landlord that allows tenancy of cows that defeacates inside classrooms roads rivers but when it comes to defending the cows for destroying the wealth of their landlords, there is no way the matter can ever be swept away. The southerners up north do not use their sales and products to destroy the wealth of northerners. 

Sanusi forgot that we have seen these Fulanis during grazing shoot on even major roads at even drivers who hit their cows in an accident and neighbours had to help the driver scamper into safety. In no part of Nigeria or in any kind of farming in Nigeria, will a common motor accident  lead to attempted killings like these fulanis always do.

How does Sanusi and Miyetti Allah see farm crops? As assets like cows or as something owned by no one that naturally  grows from the ground? Why should SLS go on to tactically  defend Miyetti Allah to leave the blame on security agencies without addressing the foundational cause of these killings which is farm crops destruction?

Could it be such backings that made even the IG initially see these killings as a common communal clash? Did you even notice that Sanusi didn't almost mention farm crops at all in this?

Does SLS know that cows to the herdsmen connotes crops to the farmer?

Does Sanusi know that losses and woes betides any farmer that has crops around a river when its time for these grazing cows to drink with Herdsmen making their animals graze leaving a heartless destruction of crops? With Sanusi's tone, is Sanusi ready to tell Nigerians how Miyetti Allah members get AK47 guns?

By precedence, the Sanusi we know is a man that takes everything he considers a wrongdoing to the public. Why was the dossier of the 800 fulanis killed in Taraba and Benue farmers and settlers not taken to the media? When the Media failed to tell the story, did he call a press conference to state his position?Or Is this killings a proof of revenge? Ranched cows are known to do well and produce better beef and quality milk than these frustrated trekking cows. Is Sanusi saying ranching cannot be done up north with planning?

The protection of cows has superseded the protection of humans. These thoughts make me worry about how I eat Nigerian beef. I am not willing to eat or drink anything that is raised and sustained on any human blood let alone the blood of innocent women and children. I don't want to become a cannibal.

INSTITUTION VERSUS FAITH - IN A RING OF MISPLACED PRIORITIES

Each time I read about Firdaus Amasa, the Unilorin graduate that refused to join the call to bar ceremony because of her Hijab, I question myself about what defines a cause in Nigeria and how self defined interests can be so nationally debated to prove only a religious point. Personally I won't want to talk about the rudeness of  Firdaus at that ceremony as stated by eye witnesses neither will I show interests in physically adorned dress rights.

While religious bodies have turned this matter into a religious cause, it becomes very important for us to ask very pertinent questions as this matter inevitably goes to court after which it will be left again, to fate. We come from a country where nothing is really wrong or right. The worst atrocities against humanity, democracy, faith and ethnic groups has been glossed over in this country without much ado. But when any matter crosses the line with some faiths, heads must unfailingly roll.
Hijab usage is such a big deal in Nigeria. There may even be NGOs that fights such a cause.  Fields of professions have battled it such as medicine, teaching and very many corporate places. But when a lawyer picks the fight against a country's law school, fundamental questions must be asked

Nigerian Law School was set up in 1962 much earlier before Firdaus was born in Nigeria which is a secular nation and not an Islamic republic.

Was Firdaus aware that this school do not allow hijabs to their ceremonies but still decided to enroll for Law in Nigeria and not Iran?

Is Firdaus aware that the name of this school is Nigerian Law school and not Nigerian Islamic Law School?

As Firdaus continued in the University of Ilorin, did she ever get to know that there is a dress code to be worn to the call to bar ceremony of the Nigerian Law school?

Is Firdaus aware that there are several other religions like the catholics, deeper life and African Traditional worshippers that have a religious dress code they will like to wear but they conform to show respect to the institutions where they belong?

What impact will it have if other faiths all wear their own dress codes to call to bar ceremonies?

Are we saying that the Nigerian Law school does not respect faiths because it decided to set her own dress code?

If no, Must the dress code be changed for just one faith and leave others?

Was the law to avoid  religious dress codes set up to tolerate other faiths considering Nigeria's diversity?

In what way does this Hijab argument improve the lives of Nigerians, Nigerian Law school, the Nigerian Judiciary or the Nigerian Justice System?

If every faith should wear their minimum dresses to every school or institution, there will be need to first collapse the entire professional dress code.  You cannot ban a deeper life member's pitting skirt or the different accessories of Yoruba traditional religious attires and tell someone to cap on.

Dressing does not make students more brilliant neither does it heighten spirituality. It is strictly for uniformity and to maintain proud institutional identity. It also portrays a level of order and compliance in line with the school’s mandate and ethics. The Nigerian legal dress code is noble enough for respect anywhere in the world. If its no more wanted then it must be outrightly outlawed.

The argument that kenyan or American lawyers wear hijabs and all that should hold no water. If they do not have a law that states exact legal dress code, then, they have broken no law. In Nigeria there is one and it should be respected.

The court of Appeal in its judgment in ‘The Provost, Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin & 2 Ors v. Bashirat Saliu & 2 Ors (CA/IL/49/2006), and Asiyah & Ors v. LASG & Ors (2016), 15 NWLR (Pt 1535) 117, where the court declared that the use of hijab by female Muslim students constitutes an act of worship and preventing them is an infraction of their rights should be a judgment for all. Catholic sisters, Deeper Life Members, ATR worshippers should all go to court and get their own judgments.

The argument that wig and gown all have Judeo/Christian neo-colonialist origin that should be done away with is another senseless argument. Olokun worshippers or olumba olumbas will not stop learning algebra because it was propounded by Al-Kwarzimi, a Muslim. Parting with models and methods with Judeo-Christian origins is like parting with more than 70% of the technologies and life saving methods  we all use today.

How better will it be if Firdaus helps us deal with the Nigerian thieves that steal billions of petrodollars and come out to contest?  How exciting will I be to see her join the cause of the chibok girls? We would have adorned her in that Hijab.  We should not be dressed in an activism that is protected by  bigotry to express extremism. Nigeria is a country of 182 million people of diverse faiths and a man's religion should be his business and not a burden on the laws of secular institutions or a secular society.

Should these kinds of clamour for beards, religious accessories, long skirts and short trousers jump into the Nigerian Military or paramilitary, we may need to fight harder against the lawlessness, disorderliness and chaos that can emanate from that imbroglio. I hope that one day we will all be able to talk to God. We will ask him that day  if he was really the one that created us together and yet left us with all this confusion.