Fulani in Southwest have nowhere to go, Oyo Seriki reacts to quit directive
Following the directive issued by the leader of the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), Professor Ango Abdullahi asking the Fulani to quit southern Nigeria if their safety was no longer guaranteed, a Fulani leader in the Southwest has called for calm. The Serikin Fulani of Oyo State and president of Jamu Nati Fulbe, a Fulani socio-cultural […]
Following the directive issued by the leader of the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), Professor Ango Abdullahi asking the Fulani to quit southern Nigeria if their safety was no longer guaranteed, a Fulani leader in the Southwest has called for calm.
The Serikin Fulani of Oyo State and president of Jamu Nati Fulbe, a Fulani socio-cultural group in the South- West, Alhaji Saliu Abdulkadir, said many Fulani have been living peacefully in the region for over 100 years ago would have nowhere to go.
Alhaj Abdulkadir told Eko Trust that the directive by Abdullahi and a coalition of northern groups showed their genuine concern for the plight of Fulani herders in the region.
“But I believe asking the Fulani to leave the South is not the way to go. If Fulani should leave the Southwest and return to the North today, what happens to the Yoruba people residing in the North? That would be the beginning of the disintegration of Nigeria, God forbid,” the Fulani leader said.
He, therefore, called on leaders to exercise restraint and caution in handling the farmers-herders’ issue “in the interest of the unity of Nigeria.”
Abdulkadir, who resides at a village called Gangan, an old Fulani settlement gazetted as a grazing area in the Ibarapa area of Oyo State, said he inherited the community from his father.
“The Fulani have been living here in Yorubaland before I was born. I had all my children here and I have a child who is over 40 years old. So where do you want us to go? We cannot blame Prof. Ango Abdullahi for his statement, but I want to stress that we should exercise restraint,” he said.
According to him, the age-long farmers-herders crisis has been compounded by the stigmatization of the Fulani people and the deliberate act of attributing all crimes committed in the Southwest to Fulani herders.
“It has now become a norm to blame the Fulani for every crime committed in this part of the country,” he lamented.
Abdulkadir urged the Fulani living in the South to remain calm and peaceful, and to always report any provocation to the appropriate agencies.
The Fulani leader also charged the police to be always fair and allow truth to prevail in handling matters relating to Fulani herdsmen and farmers, saying there had been instances where the police swiftly acted when the Fulani allegedly committed crimes but failed to act when the Fulani were at the receiving end.