‘Minister’s order has thrown us in deep crisis’
The FCT minister recently ordered herdsmen and their cattle out of Abuja. How does this directive affect herders in the city? Well, if you look at this directive from government’s perspective, you will say ‘yes, cows shouldn’t graze in the city’ but government must also look at the best ways of handling the situation. Everybody […]
The FCT minister recently ordered herdsmen and their cattle out of Abuja. How does this directive affect herders in the city?
Well, if you look at this directive from government’s perspective, you will say ‘yes, cows shouldn’t graze in the city’ but government must also look at the best ways of handling the situation. Everybody knows that before the FCT was created, the Fulani were here alongside the Gwari people. There are Fulani born here and they don’t know any other place but Abuja. When government came, resettlement houses were built for the Gwari people but the Fulani were ignored.
What about the grazing reserves earmarked for the Fulani in the FCT?
We have huge problems moving into the grazing reserves. Those who moved to such areas have been attacked by the Gwari people. They said the land the government earmarked as grazing reserves belong to their ancestors and government would have to compensate them before they can allow the Fulani to have full access to the areas. So you see, even those who moved into those areas are enmeshed in hostilities with other the Gwari who claim ownership of those places.
Are you saying the Gwari people denied you access to grazing reserves?
The situation at the moment is that they attack us when we graze even in areas that are not farmlands. As I speak with you, there are many cases of attacks, killings of Fulani going on in some of these areas. We have writing to the Commissioner of Police, and even the minister. Unfortunately nobody is punishing those perpetrating the heinous act, yet they are sending the Fulani out without looking at these issues.
Do you think the minister’s meeting with the leadership of Miyetti Allah did not address these concerns?
Look, some of those in the Miyetti leadership who visited the minister are people who are disconnected from Fulani at the grassroots. In fact, some of them cannot speak Fulani consistently for 10 minutes and have lived all their lives in the city, so they do not understand what the Fulani are going through in the forests and villages in the FCT – they are the ones being attacked or killed on daily basis. The minister should have involved a delegation of Fulani leadership from the villages, and forest in the FCT in order to address our concerns because there are factors that make it difficult for them to move out of the city.
What kind of situation do you think the Fulani have found themselves right now in Abuja?
To be honest with you, the Fulani are in a very complex situation at the moment. Some of them don’t even know where to go to in this country. These are people who have lived all their lives in Abuja and you wake up one morning, and say they should move. The grazing reserves are not safe because of constant hostilities with the Gwari. In other parts of the country the Fulani is seen as a threat. Of course, some of them are contemplating going to neighbouring countries but what about the threat of rustling? Honestly many of them don’t know where to go to at the moment.
What do you think the minister should do in this regard?
The minister is a Fulani man and understands the difficulty we face today. He should look for the leaders of Fulani from every village or area in the FCT, sit down with them, listen to their challenges and see how these people can be resettled in safer reserves so that they can live normal lives again.
Can you tell us about some of the skirmishes between the Fulani and Gwari?
Just within the short time we were ordered out of Abuja, there have been increased attacks on Fulani people. In fact, the minister’s order threw us in deep crisis. Yesterday, a Gwari man gunned down a Fulani man from a tree in Gosa. He is lying critically ill at the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital. These are the reasons many Fulani prefer staying in the city. They are willing to move but the hostility between the Fulani and Gwari remains a huge issue.
If the bushes or forests are safe, many of us will prefer to remain there with our animals than in the cities. So, the minister should please address these issues. We are also human and have concerns.