Herdsmen activities across Nigeria: Statesmen want Buhari out
BLOOD IN THE LAND: IBB IS RIGHT, BUHARI, DAN-ALI SHOULD RESIGN IMMEDIATELY
By Orochi Chikaodiri, Lagos: The letters to President Muhammadu Buhari, coming from statesmen and former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida could not have come at a more appropriate time. They are long overdue.
Yesterday, Babangida blasted Buhari, saying there is too much bloodshed in Nigeria. He said President Buhari has failed the people who elected him in 2015 and and insisted that Buhari should step aside in 2019. Olusegun Obasanjo said the same thing. Many well-meaning Nigerians who supported Buhari in 2015 are now singing a different song. Buhari should therefore do himself a good service by not seeking re-election in 2019.
The defense for the reason of herdsmen attack in Benue state as adduced by the Minister of Defence, Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali is equally unsavoury. 73 persons were mass buried but insider reports said more than 150 citizens of Benue State were mowed down in a space of two days. Tears in their eyes and memories of the carnage on their minds, Dan-Ali retorted that the massacre was a result of the promulgation of anti-open grazing laws and blockade of grazing routes. How awful and inhuman. In this light, I submit that that utterance of Mansur Dan-Ali is less than that of a public servant.
Live and let live is an Igbo proverb. It’s quite more philosophical than proverbial, nay, it’s a hybrid of both. Unfortunately, it’s veracity has been outrightly downplayed in our modern days political society. It’s a philosophy that encourages coexistence and cohesion among folks, it preaches the culture of tolerance and respect for the dignity of human lives. Life is sacred, it’s sacrosanct, you don’t take life, why take what you can’t create? It is often said, “Let the kite perch and let the eagle perch too. If one says no to other, let his wing break.” These are the African core values that this philosophy seeks to uphold, unfortunately we have derailed from following the lead of this philosophy, we have reduced our society to a glorified jungle, an animal kingdom, where all animals are equal but some are more equal than others, where the strong preys on the weaker ones. It’s the survival of the fittest, anarchy has become the order of the day, it has come to reign supreme. Survive the fittest, or is it the strongest?, and the weakest goes into extinction. Such is the level of decadence in our moral values, we no longer treasure lives, we have soiled our hands with blood, our conscience no longer guides us, our conscience does not prick us any longer. We have sponsored and supported the killings to continue unabated, it has now metamorphed into a game of attacks and counter attacks. Those of us who are actors in this menace should tell ourselves the truth, have we not have enough blood shed? Have we not have enough attacks and counter attacks? Who are these killers and who are they working for? What does it take to fish them out?, or is the law of the land incapacitated?
The killings in Benue is what I’m talking about, the killings have continued unabated, the security agencies have failed us, the executives, legislature and the judiciary have all failed us. They have failed in their primary role of safeguarding life and properties of the citizens. In fact, they have abandoned those on whose back they cruised to power with an unfathomable reckless abandon. Their silence is nothing but a body language that they support the killings. When they do speak, they only rationalise it rather than condemn it.
I have carefully studied all the narratives on the Fulani herdsmen – farmers face-off, most of which tried so hard to rationalize and justify the killings. Some even went as far as deceiving and misinforming the unsuspecting and unassuming gullible populace. What I found rather very difficult to understand, is why politicians are the ones offering these narratives. Recently the Minister of Defence, Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali, said that the recent massacre of innocent people by suspected Fulani herdsmen in parts of the country, especially Benue, was a result of the promulgation of anti-open grazing laws and blockade of grazing routes. His words “Look at this issue (killings in Benue and Taraba). What is the remote causes of this farmers’ crisis? Since the nation’s Independence, we know there used to be a route which the cattle rearers take because they are all over the nation. You go to Bayelsa, Ogun, you will see them. If those routes are blocked, what do you expect will happen?” Really? The honourable minister went on to say, “These people (Herdsmen) are Nigerians. It is just like one going to block shoreline, does that make sense to you? These are the remote causes of the crisis. But the immediate cause is the grazing law. “These people are Nigerians and we must learn to live together with each other. Communities and other people must learn how to accept foreigners within their enclave. Finish!”
Here it’s very obvious that the minister is not just rationalising the killings, but he supports and justifies it. Dan Ali also claimed the killings were perpetrated by foreign terrorists or militias, that’s a typical example of one speaking from both sides of his mouth. Foreign militias are raping our girls, destroying our farms and killing our people and the Defence Minister wants us to “accommodate ” them?, he even supports the establishment of cattle colonies across the country for “foreign militias” They are killing us and our leaders want us to give them our lands. The inconsistencies in the narratives are very glaring, they are completely absurd and contradictory. Under this President Muhammadu Buhari regime, it is difficult to believe that Nigeria has a Minister of Defence. One of the main electoral promises of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and their presidential flag bearer, Buhari, was that they would end all forms of threats to national security, leveraging on their candidate’s military background and perceived “no-nonsense” disposition. Unfortunately, now we have glorified killers everywhere parading themselves as lunatic herdsmen.
The body language and side taking behaviour of the president, Muhammad Buhari worries me, it’s an insane, disturbing and gravious abnormality. It’s a height of unprofessionalism in conflict management and conflict resolution. Perhaps, it’s part of his 97% : 5% formula ratio. The 97 percent wins it all while the 5% percent loses it all, the 97 percent have their lives and properties protected while the 5 percent are to be killed at will (with the support of federal might), by those they hosted in their communities out of love. The 97 percent are more human and the 5 percent are less human. And the president claims he belongs to everybody and belonged to nobody. On the new year day, 73 people were killed in Benue state, narrators called it a communal clash, others, including the Defence Minister alleged it was perpetrated by foreign mercenaries. The President waited for so long before issuing even a press release to that effect, and after the press release, no arrests have been made, 7 Fulani suspected herdsmen killers were lynched to dead by angry mobs last week at Gboko and it became a criminal act (off course it is a criminal act and should be condemned in the strongest terms), soldiers were deployed and arrests were made, yet such treatment was not mated out on the herdsmen killers. Mr President should remember that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. We cannot talk about peace and unity without talking about equal rights and Justice. Justice delayed is justice denied. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and this topples the balance.
I have heard several times that politics is a “dirty game” But what I’m yet to ascertain is how dirty this game is. Is it so dirty that it’s played with human lives and blood? So dirty that 73 peoples have to be buried in one day for the sake of it? So dirty that it requires attacks and reprisal attacks? So dirty that human sacrifices are required for atonement? Is that how dirty politics is? If the answers are in affirmation, then I choose to be apolitical, for how could I do this wickedness, soil my hands and sin against my conscience. I don’t believe anybody’s political ambitions is worth the blood of any Nigerian irrespective of tribe, religion, political and socio-cultural affiliations. The ultimate inalienable rights of any individual is the right to life, it’s not negotiable. My message is simple and short. Let the killings stop forthwith!