‘I am a citizen of Ogun State’: Sarkin Fulani’s inspiring stand

If you seek to understand the Fulani presence in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun state, at one level one needs to  come to terms with the life of Ahmadu Rufa’i, grandfather of Mohammed Kabir Labar, present Sarkin Fulani of Abeokuta. You  must also  possess knowledge of the inner dynamics of the long distance trade involving […]

If you seek to understand the Fulani presence in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun state, at one level one needs to  come to terms with the life of Ahmadu Rufa’i, grandfather of Mohammed Kabir Labar, present Sarkin Fulani of Abeokuta. You  must also  possess knowledge of the inner dynamics of the long distance trade involving both cows and Kola nuts between north and south. This is an activity which existed  long before the arrival of the European on these shores, and it is also part of the  sometimes complex  but charming process of state formation in Africa.
Labar tells the story of his itinerant grandfather in a few well chosen words “My grandfather Ahmadu Rufa’i left Kafur in present day Katsina State some 120 years ago. He embarked on a journey first to Zungeru in Niger state. There are train stations there, and soon he boarded a train to Lagos. When he got to Lagos, he could not cope with the environment there, and so he moved on  to Sagamu.”
At Sagamu he met a gentleman  from South Africa, who was seeking  a herdsman to look after his goats. “He took him to a ranch in what is now Owode Egba local government in present day Ogun State, and my grandfather was with him for 9 years,” says Labar who adds that  Ahmadu Rufa’i  soon advised the South African to employ another herdsman, especially as the ranch was expanding and doing very well.

This made his grandfather to travel home to bring his brothers son, father of   Sarkin Fulani Labar, to Abeokuta. “When he got to Katsina, he found that his elder brother had passed on leaving only 2 children, my father and his younger brother.But soon after their father’s death, my dad and his brother migrated from Katsina to a place now called Mambilla plateau in Taraba State. He finally caught up with them on the plateau and returned with Sarki Labar’s father to Abeokuta.”
According to Labar “They stayed together for 12 more years at Likosi.At a point my father went back to Katsina to get married. He also used the opportunity to dispose of his cattle, since he preferred to stay in the south west. When he returned to Abeokuta, he continued the work with his grandfather  and the latters friend from South Africa, and very soon he had his own ranch. His grandfather passed on in 1985 at well over 100 years.”
Longevity seems to run in the family, for Labar’s father who is now 95 and resident in the rocky capital, was among the first Fulani to settle in Abeokuta, and Sarkin Fulani and his brothers and sisters were all born in the city, and all of them can speak Yoruba as well as Fulfulde. Labar says “I was born in 1973 and I had my early education in Effurun, Delta State. At a point I returned to Abeokuta learning Yoruba in schools, especially the Army Childrens School, Lafenwa barracks. Then I proceeded to Katsina, where my family come from.”
Sarkin Fulani points out that it was the activity of Fulani merchants in the area that led to the establishment of the Randa market in Abeokuta “We receive 5 to 6 trailers each day containing 45-50 cows. At least 30/35 cows are slaughtered each day. There are people who travel  from Lagos to  come here and buy whole cows and take for their ceremonies.”

He salutes the indigenes of Abeokuta “They, the indigenes are a very happy people. They believe that they can gain from us, and we have made each other to understand the advantage of living together and doing business together. This is our simple  approach to life.” On the recent call in some quarters that the Fulani should leave some parts of the south west, he states “It is unwise for a particular tribe to ask another  group to leave, because we are all Nigerians. We think we should be able to settle our differences.”
Labar explains “There are Yorubas in the north, and if they are asked to leave, the nation would have a huge problem. In Ogun State we enjoy the cooperation of government, and a committee was set up to look at the clashes between the farmers and the Fulani pastoralists.”

According to him “Ogun State hosts many Fulani during the dry season, and around October/November many come here from different parts of the country to engage in the business of cattle rearing for a period of 4/5 months. The committee took the bull by the horns. We resolve differences without retaliating, or taking laws into our hands.”
Next, he speaks  on the  quality of the soil and the weather conditions in Ogun, as this  connects with  the Fulani nomads “If you come here, you rear your cows within a short period of time, but rearing cows is more expensive here than any other part of the south west. Also, the rearing of cows and selling of same is much more profitable here than in   other parts  of the country. In Ogun and Lagos, the people consume a large number of cattle every day, much more than any other state, and much more than any other country in West Africa or in the sub region.” 

On his state of origin, he exclaims “I am a citizen of Ogun State, and I have 4 children who were born here. I also have the national population commission certificate which indicates my state of origin. My children go to local schools, they speak Fulfulde as well as Yoruba and Hausa. They, like me, are Ogun citizens and can easily adapt to the weather and the environment. If they try to go to the north, I don’t think they can endure, and stay for a very long time.”
Illustrating this point, he recalls with some laughter “My nephew went to the north for national service. He couldn’t cope and had to return to Abeokuta to complete his service. He preferred to be in the south west.”
Sarkin Fulani opines “I prefer to see myself as a Nigerian, rather than being referred to by tribe. Wherever you are, you are bound to contribute to that community. Yoruba and Fulani intermarry here in Ogun, and so there is no need to create enmity. In the USA a black man is the president. One day a Fulani here can rise to become  Governor of Ogun State, just as a Yoruba man could become Governor of Kano State.”