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A
Critique Of
HERDERS
AGAINST FARMERS: NIGERIA’S EXPANDING DEADLY CONFLICT
Africa
Report No 252, by International Crisis Group
Preamble:
We appreciate the
International Crisis Group for the work it is doing, and particularly for the comprehensive
report on the Herders against Farmers in Nigeria. We will like to point out three major
important gaps/flaws in the Report, as well as our reservations on some of the
final recommendations.
1.
The Existence of a Fulani Supremacy Agenda is Not a Conspiracy Theory
The Report failed to
appreciate the true driver of the present escalation of a long-standing and in
any case supra-national conflict in Nigeria since the inception of the current
administration in Nigeria by labelling it a Conspiracy Theory
On page 8, the Report
alluded to “dangerous political and religious conspiracy theories”; and stated
that: “One is that the attacks are part of a longer-term Fulani plot to
displace indigenous populations and seize their lands.” It went on to aver that “These charges are
not supported by any solid evidence ….”
By referring to the
existence of a Fulani supremacy agenda as a “Conspiracy Theory”, the Report
made a critical gaffe and therefore became unable to appreciate the true root
cause of the Conflict. It is not surprising
that it came up with rather superfluous and flawed recommendations.
Apart from such circumstantial evidences, as the
blatantly unconstitutional lopsided configuration of national security in favour of the Fulanis, there
are dozens of reports (as well as historic precedents) directly confirming the
reality of a Fulanization agenda right from pre-colonial times.
For instance in an extensive press interview
earlier in the year, Chief Olu Falae, a former Secretary to the Government of
Nigeria and presidential candidate in the 1999 elections, made it clear that the Fulani pastoralists
were more bent on terrorizing and causing economic damage to farmers than
merely take care of their cattle. Not only
did herders bypass lush grass before proceeding to feed their cattle on food
crops from the Chief’s farm, they also proceeded to burn down the palm oil
plantation – an action which has no value at all for them or their cattle.
Hence the elder statesman who is a frontline advocate for restructuring of
Nigeria could only conclude that all the attacks (including murder and
kidnapping) by the Fulani herdsmen were calculated to drive him off the land
for the Fulanis to possess. In his words, “They see me as an obstacle for them to take over the land permanently” (Cattle
colony, a provocative and repugnant proposal –Falae. http://punchng.com/cattle-colony-a-provocative-and-repugnant-proposal-falae/).
This
reality directly challenges much of the basic premises and consequent
recommended solutions advanced in the Crisis Group Report.
The US Based Chinua Achebe Center for Leadership
Development (CACLD) has conducted a formal study that provided more light and conclusive
evidences in the Herders-Farmers conflict.
In her very credible research on the subject, the CACLD identified three
distinct strata among the Fulanis involved in cattle business in Nigeria. At the top of the ladder is the super-rich
and extremely politically well-entrenched cattle owner, while at the bottom
rung lies the nomadic pastoralists hired to manage the herds. In the middle stratum are the killers, hired
as “security men”. Most Nigerian Fulanis
belong to the first group of bourgeois cattle owners while the mid and lower
rungs are populated by Fulanis brought in from outside the country.
According to researchers from the CACLD,
they visited pastoralists’ settlements in Abia and Enugu states where they were
shown the “security personnel” category of Fulanis. Reportedly, these “were dressed differently
from the normal Northern Nigerians ,….were young, less religious, most of them
use drugs, and consume alcohol.”
Finally the CACLD researchers were able to
present the anatomy of a typical Fulani Herdsmen Attack. It begins with complaints brought in from
herdsmen on the field, being passed to the top Fulani bourgeois leadership (which
include governors and top national security chiefs), who decides whether or not
an attack should take place. If sanctioned, “modalities will be mapped out and
a date will be chosen for the attack. Most times, Fulani herdsmen in the
military and police are notified and everyone sends a representative.
Neighboring settlements sends out representatives and arms cache are opened and
arms are distributed to the participants”
This finding is
totally consistent with all the reports concerning these terror attacks. The CACLD further reported that: “During an
attack, every Fulani person in the area knows there will be an attack and all
will contribute to make sure it goes on successfully. Fulanis in the higher
levels of the military will ensure all commands under them stand down, and the
top Fulani police officers will do the same. The road is then clear for the
Fulani herdsmen to carry their attacks.”
No informed leader in Nigeria sees the Fulanization agenda as
a mere “conspiracy theory”. Not only
have we seen traditional kingdoms in the North (for instance in Southern
Kaduna) being instructed to transmute to Emirates, even in the south such
attempts are clearly ongoing (at Iwo in Osun state - http://punchng.com/yoruba-youths-knock-oluwo-for-adopting-emir-title-turban/). Leaders from
virtually every other ethnic group in Nigeria have voiced out their concerns and
strong opposition to the agenda; and people are only patiently waiting to see
if it might be possible to settle things at the polls next year. The strident calls for restructuring of the
nation is essentially a resistance to the Fulanization agenda.
(Yoruba leaders reject cattle colonies, back ranching. http://punchng.com/yoruba-leaders-reject-cattle-colonies-back-ranching/)
Urhobo have no land for cattle colony – Omo-Agege. http://punchng.com/urhobo-have-no-land-for-cattle-colony-omo-agege/
Cattle colonies: Buhari pursuing Fulani supremacy agenda, says Nwabueze
Traditionally,
the fulanization agenda has made enormous progress couched as an Islamization
agenda. However, the nation is now wiser and even Moslem faithfuls from the
Southern region are now vocal in identifying the agenda and repudiating it. Recent examples from Oyo and Kwara states
featured recently as trending headline news.
2.
Critical Role of Security Forces underplayed
When the Report notes
in Pg 11: “Under the Buhari
administration, the security response has been particularly questionable,” it
is actually only putting things very mildly.
The entire security set-up is fully Fulanized - in outright
contravention of the Constitution that requires inclusion of all sections in
government; and the poor performance of the security units might not
necessarily reflect abilities but rather attitudes.
And although the Report
consistently lumped together its call for improved security for “Herders and
the Farmers,” the utter commitment of government to security and protection of
the herders is not at all in question. Under
the current administration, security for herders has not been in short
supply. A newspaper report proudly
described a typical response against cattle rustlers in January this year:
“In this
operation, troops of 1 Div NA are closely supported by Nigerian Air Force (NAF)
attack helicopters, Nigeria Police Force (NPF) detachments, Department of State
Services (DSS) operatives and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)
personnel to ensure that peace and security, as well as law and order is
restored. https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2018/01/26/army-launches-another-operation-against-cattle-rustling-kidnapping/
This has been the
consistent response of the nation’s
security apparatus to cattle rustlers see also https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/cattle-rustling-air-force-recovers-665-cows-141-sheep/ . The International Crisis Group report
therefore comes out as pushing political correctness too far and therefore
missing out on the needed solution to the crisis when it repeatedly portray the
Herders as being in need of security, presumably at the same level as is needed
by the Farmers.
Moreover, even though
the Fulanis have consistently sought to adduce the inhuman carnages they
inflict on farming communities as retaliation for rustling of their beloved
cattles (e.g citations 65 and 73 in the Report) there has not been as much as an allegation that the
farmers were the cattle rustlers. As a
matter of fact, farmers are not spared when the rustlers come a-visiting. As observed in a newspaper report praising
the army’s relentless launch against cattle rustlers: “Cattle rustlers affect
the farmers as much as it does the herdsmen, as farmers have to pay protection
fees…. These
rustlers had dislocated farming and animal husbandry in the north west on scale
that could have only been achieved by a terror group like Boko Haram. At the
height of their criminality farming activities have basically slowed to a halt
as the farmers either pay up protection money to be left alone or face the
prospect of being robbed of livestock and other valuables.”
(https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/cattle-rustling-and-buratais-magic-wand/ )
(https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/cattle-rustling-and-buratais-magic-wand/ )
It is therefore
exasperating reading repeatedly in the Report that Government should “shore up
security for herders and farmers” (e.g. paragraph 1 of Executive Summary, page
i, Step A to Help Address theConflict, pg 16, etc). It is the herders who attack the farmers. The cattle rustlers afflict both herders and
farmers!
3.
Recommendation calling for Government to Establish grazing reserves is Flawed
First we note the
Report’s undue and uncritical sympathy for propositions made by the Fulanis as
the way out of the crisis. For instance,
in prefacing its recommendation that government should establish Grazing
Reserves, the Report euphemistically referred to the equivalent of 50 km x 50
km cattle colony initially proposed by the federal government to be established
by fiat in every state of the federation as “grazing areas”.
It also (page 18) recommends that “governments of some states,
like Benue and Taraba, that
recently introduced new laws prohibiting
open grazing should exercise restraint
in enforcing such laws and encourage a phased transition to ranching”
This is exactly the
blatant demand by the Fulani Cattle Breeders Associations, demanding that laws
duly promulgated (after due consultation with all stakeholders including the
Fulani herders) should be reversed.
Unfortunately, even the nation’s Defence minister (a Fulani) parroted
the same demand as the condition for peace (http://www.pulse.ng/news/local/minister-mansur-dan-ali-wants-anti-grazing-law-suspended-id8460868.html). In repeating this same demand, the Crisis
Group Report gave the impression that the required transition from open grazing
to ranching was abrupt and not phased.
In actual fact, the Benue law for instance initially allowed a 4 month
transition period, later extended by one month, before implementation. https://www.naija.ng/1122681-benue-government-postpones-implementation-anti-grazing-law.html#1122681.
By contrast, Fulani pastoralists in Ghana, when faced with similar situation,
pleaded to be given only some days to adjust! (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/01/herdsmen-beg-ghana-police-boss-gives-personnel-shoot-kill-sight-order/)
4.
Conclusions
In view of the
foregoing, the Recommendation that government “Establish” Grazing Reserves is
faulty and inappropriate. What
government should rather do, is “facilitate” the establishment of such reserves.
Most of cattle herding is associated with the Fulanis. If government is not establishing similar
facilities for fishing communities, pork-rearing communities, and other such
livestock businesses associated with other ethnic groups, neither should it do
it for the Fulani-dominated cattle-rearing business.
We also note there was
no reference cited to support the suggestion that 100 billion naira was disbursed by the Central Bank of Nigeria and received
by all 36 state governments in 2015 for the purpose of constructing ranches (“Deficient Responses”,
page 10.)
On the whole, we
endorse very strongly, the very simple, logical, and actionable suggestion by
the CACLD as a solution to this crisis. This
requires that open grazing should be proscribed and ranches are supported by
government mainly in the north, while the super-yielding grasses being touted
are cultivated in the south to be harvested and sent up north. The CACLD estimates that this solution could
“generate 1 million jobs in the South and about 500,000 jobs in the North”
whilst totally eliminating the Herders-Farmers perennial conflict.http://www.citypeopleonline.com/fulani-herdsmen-killings-modus-operandi-involved-possible-solutions-professor-charles-adisa/
Thank you.
Joshua O. Ojo
(Ph.D)
Ile-Ife
27-06-18
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