BY PROF PROTUS NATHAN UZORMA
The problem of increasing hostilities between the Igbos and Hausa/Fulanis is not a nouveau arrivé in the Nigerian society. It dates far back as 1932 when an Igbo-Hausa riot nearly erupted in Jos, and in October 1945, hostility between them found a violent expression in a riot in which two people were killed and much property was destroyed.
As a result of this history, the Igbo became such a traditional target of Hausa/Fulani hostility that it has till date attained renewed sporadic clashes either in the North or in the South-East. Consequently, since 1932/1945, hardly a year passed without an inter-communal clash between either Igbo communities in the North and the Northern indigenes or Hausa/Fulani groups/herdsmen in the South.
Given the recent herdsmen-Igbo communities clash and its parallel events in Ekiti State and other parts of the country, as well as the prevailing terrorism of the Boko Haram sect, which has taken metamorphosed dimensions, one wonders if the nomads of Hausa/Fulani extraction who practically are well equipped with sophisticated weapons and embark on extra-judicious killings in some parts of the country when inter-communal clashes arise, are not part of the said metamorphosed dimensions of the Boko Haram sect.
But this is suspicious; suspicion itself is pre-emptive and makes for apprehensiveness, which is necessary for safety and security.
From personal researches I embarked upon during and after the recent clashes, I discovered high degree of aggressiveness of self-imposing herdsmen in undesignated graze-lands in non-Northern foliage-zones, and the mentality of an apprehensive lost and “everywhere in Naija, na our fatherland” mentality of the Hausa/Fulani herdsmen.
But Nigeria is one and every citizen has domiciling rights in any part of the country, to live and “earn a living.” This right has not been well captured and internalised by either of the groups and thus the sporadic sundry clashes that lead to historic loss of properties and persons in the country and mainly Igbos.
The problem also lies in government’s efforts and policies, which have not emerged, directing on how a group’s domiciling rights and means of livelihood will not be detrimental and destructive to others and to the habitable and agrarian sites of the environment.
Nigerians need the herdsmen for meat and hides production and circulation, which are essential for health, commerce and self-employment, especially now that our youths are massively unemployed.
The herdsmen and their nomadic lives also reduce cost of transportation and make meat and hides demand available in close-by vicinities. And as an essential part of the ecosystem, grazing reduces the raids of locusts and hoppers that destroy pastures, vegetables and crops in our farms, as well as repelling snakes and rodents, and increasing symbiosis for birds that feed along graze-lands. Thus, for the good living for man and the ecosystem, we need it- The grazing and herdsmen, but never ever pogroms.
These notwithstanding, are ecological and personal dimensions of the grazing activities of herdsmen. The problem with hostilities amongst communities seems not to be ignorance of these but the adverse effects of the herdsmen activities in the society, which is not only sociological but agricultural and sanitary.
In 2004 in the Oguta II axis of Oguta LGA Imo State, there was a historic clash between herdsmen and communities in the month of May that year. The herdsmen were grazing in cultivated farms with hectares of land of 2-3 months grown maize-stands, cassava and fruited-pumpkin for days.
The irate farm owners whose hard-sweat, toils and properties were destroyed with no intervention of the Oguta Lake Motels Police unit that were informed about the destruction, the farmers had no option than battle for survival as the herdsmen preferred their cattle and cows’ stomachs to the people’s lives and properties.
And thus ensued a terrible fiasco and this is fundamental and similar to recent clashes. Most times, the herdsmen graze in communities’ football fields, dropping dunks there and in the habitable corners of the communities, creating pollution incidents and scenarios, dirt and pro-tetanus cases for them. The worst is the age, exposition and mentality of the barbaric herdsmen that are so tender and low but very well equipped than the Nigerian JTF; thus the clash.
In the light of these, what a good government or well organised leaders need to do, is to devise and initiate moves, programmes and policies that would curtail, prevent and checkmate occasions and acts that could give rise to herdsmen-communities clash. I believe now, the government and societal leaders are on the needful track.
The recent directives of President Buhari and IGP Solomon Arase seem thus what supposed to have been done ab initio. A most interesting aspect of it is the fortnight bold steps of the Imo State Command Commissioner of Police to prevent in perspective planning the possibilities and occasions that could give rise to herdsmen-communities’ clashes in Imo State.
Two weeks ago, CP Taiwo Lakanu held a stakeholders’ meeting with Imolites and herdsmen in Obinze, Nkwere and Okigwe respectively, educating, admonishing, directing and giving orders on how the two Nigerian groups should live harmoniously and symbiotically in the State, thus promote peaceful society, good sanitary living, curtail infections, maintain good health and have affectionate rapport between herdsmen with their sponsors, and host-communities stakeholders.
This stride of CP Lakanu is one and perhaps the first classical step by security agents in the State since 1976, to create preventive measures to Hausa/Fulani clash in the East. Other past attempts and efforts of such nature were at the peak of clashes between the two, and thus curative. Curative measures are human resources endangered and capital expensive, thus the best option is to prevent a fiasco from its occurrence. A stitch in time saves nine, and the nine here is an all encompassing sort. To this effect, I still urge the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the “my people, my people” Governor and Traditional Rulers in the State, to still take bolder steps to break down such tripod stakeholders’ meetings to local communities level, LGAs and semi-herdsmen camps in the State other than Obinze, Nkwere and Okigwe, especially in well known cattle and butchering local markets in the State. As I applaud this classical stride of CP Lakanu, I strongly recommend this action to take effect too, to avoid loss of lives and properties in these places that have no knowledge of such stakeholders’ meeting with the Imo Commissioner of Police, for the lives of Nigerians and the nation’s population are the greatest national wealth, and herds-rearing is an occupation that we as Nigerians cannot do without, just as the unwanton destructions of people’s properties in the grazing process does not call for communities clashes nor pogroms on host communities who are generous and hospitable, or rustling herds the best solution to the problem of herdsmen.