In the words of the minister ; "We will grow special grasses in the South to feed the cattle in the North, just as it is being practiced successfully in some parts of the world.’’
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/fg-to-create-grazing-reserves-ogbe/
I just want to comment on some issues related to this story.
First I want to correct the misinformation and misinterpretation or misrepresentation of the situation on ground. The crisis in many parts of the country between fulani herdsmen and farmers can not rightly be described as a clash. A more suitable term is "fulani herdsmen invasion or attack on unsuspecting farmers" in their own homeland.
This issue needs clarity because some people watching from proxy may not appreciate the weight of what is going on, given the euphemistic way it's been presented. Calling it "A clash" gives the impression of "two fighting ". Both parties being in a kind of face to face physical combat. And with this view, the real intensity of the atrocities committed by these so called fulani herdsmen is in a way emasculated or made lighter.
The situation in Agatu land and other lands under the menace of fulani herdsmen is not that that can be appropriately described as a clash. It is an outright attack, a genocide. It takes our mind back to the primitive era of "raid and take". That is what is happening. There is no open confrontation between these supposed herdsmen and the farmers. It's a situation of a group of armed men, continuously invading people lands and killing unarmed, unsuspecting men, women and children, sometimes in their sleep. It is tantamount to a war situation. Like militias trying to annex a community. And should more appropriately be viewed from the stand point of terrorism than that of a clash or crisis. People are being constantly attacked and massacred in their own land.
Now the second issue I'll like to point out takes a lead from the first. Due to the deliberate or otherwise misrepresentation of the situation relating to the fulani herdsmen, the government of Nigeria and affected state has continued to treat this malaise with the wrong prescription. Rather than take the issue on as the obvious case of terrorism that it is, and unleash the military might of the state on these attackers, the government has continuously treated the issue with a conflict resolution approach. And it beats my imagination because this diagnosis has continuously proven futile as we have continued to witness these attacks happen with impunity. And all we keep getting from the government are promises of "investigating the matter" and setting up of one committee after the other.
The situation in Agatu for instance is not a scenario of two farmers fighting over land or livestock. It's a situation of armed militia, foreign militia not indigenous to that land, attacking a community, killing the inhabitants, including women and children in cold blood, sacking them from their homes and occupying their land, using their crops to feed their cattle as spoils of war. War has been declared on Agatu and other communities witnessing this attacks. And the government is taking it lightly. The government is treating this severe fever is a mere headache to the detriment of the lives that has continuously been wasted.
It's high time we faced the truth. Told ourselves the truth. It's high time we fear God and do what's right. It's high time the government lived up to their bidding by protecting the lives of its citizens from these terrorists nicknamed fulani herdsmen. And it's also high time other well meaning nations put pressure on the government of Nigeria to do the right thing and combat these terrorists instead of ironically and technically rewarding them by "providing grazing zones" that will definitely be carved out of other people's land.
The next issue I want to raise, I have already given a brief of it. Providing graze lands for these fulani herdsmen to me is not the right treatment to the massacre of women and children. It is rather a way of rewarding evil as has been the custom in Nigeria. Where in order to get the attention of the government, what one need do is, create chaos, probably kill a couple of people, and when you may have killed enough to raise eye brows and public outcry, then the government will call you to the table, and as customary in Africa, you have to give "kola" to anyone you invite to the table.
Creating graze land for fulani herdsmen because they are invading people's land and leaving death and destruction in their wake is nothing but rewarding evil. If these herdsmen can be identified such that graze lands can be allocated to them, why can't they be identified and made to pay for the destruction of lives and properties perpetrated by them? Why can't they, when identified, be "brought to book" as it's the normal phrase of our authorities when things like this happens.
Another issue that caught my attention and I will really like to talk about is the statement of the Agriculture minister that "We will grow special grasses in the South to feed the cattle in the North".
That statement struck me, as it reminds me the sad reality of the brain and rationale behind the unification (amalgamation) of the northen and southern protectorates by the British to form the country Nigeria. It has always been and is still a situation of the south feeding the north. And the north ruling over the south as a sign of appreciation for being fed? I hate to take us to the past but I have to cos the past is still very much with us. The south has continued to be the feeding barn and kitchen of the north under the present unified system of government. And this is the reason why so many forces are there to suppress and suffocate any move to actualise the true federalism system of government. It's like someone is trying to take away the control of the kitchen from some people.
Fortunately and unfortunately, the oil value is diminishing everyday. Maybe, just maybe the kitchen will become unattractive enough for some people to let go and allow for True federalism which has been identified and advocated by many learned mind as the escape route off this economy of one channel revenue source and almost absolute dependency on importation due to little or no productivity, production and innovation. Which has all worked together in bringing us to the dire economic situation we find ourselves today.
These are my take on these issue. Thanks for reading.
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