Month: October 2022
The Pariah Image of the Fulanis and the Need for Atonement
One of the most hated ethnic groups in Nigeria today is the Fulanis. This wasn’t the case 8 years ago until Buhari became the president of Nigeria. It has been perceived that as a life patron of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, he elevated the Fulani nation above the Nigerian State by initiating a one-point agenda to relocate Fulanis facing crises in West Africa to Nigeria under the guise of grazing routes, grazing reserves, cattle colony, and RUGA. A former APC National Chairman even reported that some of these Fulanis from Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, etc were brought into the country on the eve of GEJ’s regime to fight in case GEJ refused to step down.
The normal Nigerian Fulanis have a different approach to life. Unlike their brothers from other countries in West Africa that were raised as hustlers in war-torn countries, the Nigerian Fulanis have a different orientation because of our multi-ethnic and multi-religious conglomeration. In the quest by Buhari to give these Fulanis a second home in Nigeria, he reduced the influence of the Arewa forum which was created by Sir Ahmadu Bello to unite ethnic nationalities in the North and he raised Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association to become the sole association of influence in the North.
These battle-ready Fulanis from West Africa have ravaged our communities, perpetrating genocide and Mayhem, killing Hausas in their thousands in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kastina, and Kebbi; killing Nupes and Gbagyis in Niger, and extending their bloodbath in other Middle Belt states like Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Nassarawa and Kogi. Even states in Southern Nigeria are not immune to their annihilation.
The Nigerian Fulanis are now feeling the effect of their silence and solidarity with the atrocities committed by their invading West African brothers. They are also living in fear and are psychologically caged like other Nigerians. Their women can no longer sell Fura d Nunu as they used to sell for fear of the unknown, and their cattle are dying as they can no longer move about in some states due to the anti-open grazing law; when they visit states that their brothers have perpetrated mayhem, they find it difficult to sleep with their two eyes closed.
This mutual suspicion and fear will persist until a genuine reconciliation and peace process is initiated whereby these murderous Fulanis are fished out and prosecuted or deported back to their original countries. The plan to hide under the Water Resources Bill to implement RUGA will compound the problem. Uthman Dan Fodio said that conscience is an open wound, only truth can heal. President Buhari should take this statement from one of his ancestors seriously and begin to use his remaining 7 months in office to mend fences and talk to his murderous brothers from West Africa to leave. He should also apologize to Nigerians for the deaths and destruction caused by these his brothers.
The Exodus of Nigerians for Greener Pastures
A lot of Nigerians are on a ‘Japa’ level. Most young people have given up on the country, a country that can not provide basic health care for its citizens, that even the president and his party’s candidate still shamelessly seek medical tourism abroad. The economy has collapsed and insecurity has put the people in constant fear. One can not blame those who are seeking better alternatives considering that we only live once on earth.
Aside from the government’s failure to provide social amenities and other critical needs, we as a people lack basic work ethics to power our economy. We are so dishonest as making quick money has become the order of the day. Almost every handiwork person wants to cheat his client, from mechanics to electricians, to plumbers to carpenters, etc. If you call them for their services and they are not able to cheat you in the purchase of the materials, they will not do a good job even if their labour is paid. So much unprofessionalism.
We also have unskilled graduates with certificates without ‘sabificate’. And most of these graduates don’t want to start small. Everyone wants to sit in a big office watching DSTv and Facebooking and expect a salary at the end of the month. The system is saturated with so many incompetent workers as employment is strictly based on nepotism and who you know.
The CEOs of big companies like Dangote and Adenuga hardly employ Nigerians to manage their companies because of our unprofessionalism. They prefer Asians who are normally trained with the basic work ethics and principles that are lacking in most Nigerians. They know that no business will grow with our inherent anyhowness, half-heartedness, our disdain for excellence, our passion for shortcuts, wastefulness, lack of courtesy, dishonesty, our no be my papa work, and where man the work naim him dey chop mentality, our just manage am mentality, our wish to be as rich as the CEO overnight, our inability to keep confidential information.
We have very poor work ethics such that even successful Nigerians abroad still prefer to employ Asians over Nigerians. However, the system abroad will compel Nigerians ‘Japaring’ to learn how to do the work as they are supposed to do it. The increasing level of Jepa will create a brain drain but it will significantly increase the foreign remittances to Nigeria in the next couple of years. It will also create a subset of Nigerians with basic work ethics that may come back to add value to our polity if serious and competent persons emerge as leaders after the 2023 election and beyond.
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