And they are mostly stateless. Not Nigerians or Chadians or anything. Just nomads searching for pastures. They don't have properties, they don't have communities, they don't have leaders (technically). And if we keep fighting, we suffer more. They burn properties, kill and disappear into the bush. We keep playing sentiments and lose more lives and billions worth of properties or come back to our senses and solve the problem.
How many Fulanis have Fayose arrested? None. Are Fulanis killing in Ekiti? Yes. Do you get the point now? Sentiments aside.
The only thing a Fulani herdsman wants is food and safety and water for cows!Can the government make provisions for this? Yes. That's why they collected N100 Billion in 2014. Will the Fulanis pay for the service? Yes.They paid tax on their cows in the colonial era.
And, most importantly.....The cattle is the symbol of wealth and life's meaning to nomadic Fulanis. If you kill a cow, you are taking away life/meaning from a nomadic Fulani.
Normadic Fulanis won't hesitate to kill for the sake of their cows. It sounds silly, ridiculous and unfair...But that's the truth.
And nomadic Fulanis are, in many ways, culturally different from sedentary (those who have settled in towns). They share certain things in common but they are also very different.
Fulani herdsmen are the nomadic Fulanis, the Niggas making the news every week.
Normadic Fulani's only problem is to graze their cattle, smoke, play cool music, buy mirrors and take care of their cows. That's all. Do they love killing? I don't think so. will they kill if their cows are stolen or killed or the survival of their cows is threaten? I think so.
One thing you don't see or hear in the news is what triggers Fulani reprisal attacks. when locals steal or kill their cows, fulanis retaliate in equal measures. And locals mostly, out of paranoia, initiate the attacks. They poison waters and crops along grazing routes...
And local communities, when they want to also retaliate, attack sedentary Fulani's homes. These are city Fulanis who mostly have no business with nomadic lifestyle. For example, the seven Fulanis who were killed in Benue recently are sedentary Fulani traders.
Again, the media "under report" mass killings carried out by local communities against sedentary Fulanis. For instance, the Fulanis that were butchered in Gembu, Taraba state in June 2017. the number of dead could exceed 200 or so. But no media coverage of whatsoever.
Most sedentary Fulanis actually have sympathies with the Nomadic Fulanis because:
1. They share some history, culture.
2. They felt they are unfairly treated and portrayed by the media.
3. They hate the fact that they are victims of reprisal attacks by the locals...
Buhari's sympathy therefore, apparently lies with the Nomadic Fulanis. he isn't hiding it. He has given clues at every turn. Same is true with most Northern sedentary Fulanis. It is that nuanced and obvious at the same time...
Truth is, state governors from the Middle Belt, in tensed collusion with the FG, don't want to solve the herdsmen crisis. For the middle belt is a source for propaganda during elections. imagine telling the masses that sedentary fulanis want to rule over them in alliance with their nomadic brothers.
There's no campaign message more powerful than that. CAN will carry the news, it will be blown out of proportion, myths and rumors will make it even messier than it seems. Want to win a Christian Middle Belt state? Sell Herdsmen Phobia.
Also, the crisis is a source of funds for politicians. In 2014, N100 Billion was disbursed by the FG for the crisis to be resolved with grazing reserves etc. Committee was headed by Suswan of Benue State. No reports. N100 Billion Gone. No ranches. Killing Continued. Welcome to Nigeria.
Yes, grazing should be in certain areas. the government knows all this. They f**king do. There are examples around the world, food supplements etc.
Governments establish markets and collect taxes. They can do same for herdsmen and collect taxes.
Can Nigeria solve this problem? Yes. Do they know how to solve it? Absolutely. That's the easiest part sef. Will they solve the crisis? Lmaoooooooo. Ofcoz NOT. Shit Hole
PS: This is mostly from personal perspective, gleaned from my experience growing up in Taraba State and few papers and books I have read about Fulanis in general and the crisis in particular. In Neutral perspectives.Anyone from the North can corroborate some of these "facts."
Source: @kelvinOdanz
No comments: