Readers must be heard

At some intervals it is necessary to pause to hear the readers’ comments to pieces that have appeared on this page. In my view, readers’ comments must be heard so long as they are expressed within the ambits of civilized discourse. Today is one of those moments. Please read on: Re: Resolving the Pastoralists Dilemma. […]

At some intervals it is necessary to pause to hear the readers’ comments to pieces that have appeared on this page. In my view, readers’ comments must be heard so long as they are expressed within the ambits of civilized discourse. Today is one of those moments. Please read on:

Re: Resolving the Pastoralists Dilemma.

Thanks Mr. Gambo for the wonderful piece on the more than ever current problem.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian urban elites care less about the developments that are present in the country’s rural life. The ever persisting clash between the two groups of our rural population (farmers and cattle breeders) has been a long conflict that predate colonialism. The colonial administration was clever enough to bring temporary solutions to the problem through the creation of government forest reserves, cattle routes, grazing grounds, cattle water ways. The traditional leaders also played important roles in resolving problems and small conflicts before they degenerate into crisis.

Unfortunately, with the advent of military regimes all organized approach to problems and local conflicts were ignored. The traditional institutions lost their ability to provide solutions. Nobody listens the village head. The grazing field, government forest reserves all disappeared.

Decrees wouldn’t have been the best way to approach these issues as these cattle-breeders are partially migrants. The farmers too whose population is in the increase needed more arable lands. The climate change too carries additional problem.

Of all the Nigerian or say West African ethnic population, the nomads would be the ones who benefited the least from western education and investment in urban development. Even the poorly implemented agricultural policies of the Nigerian Government still favours only the settled population be it in the cities towns or villages.

Nigeria lacks long-term approach to problems and issues. It leaves issues unattended until they develop into serious crisis. Even then the government of the day simply deploy troops to disperse the crowd while that particular problem remains. The fire brigade approach is an uncivil way, crude and short lived. Unfortunately, that’s what our military dominated elites love doing.

Whenever a serious government in Nigeria sets up inquiries, the reports, recommendations and advice never see daylight.

This is caused by the fact our elites and intellectuals are lazy to read and make research.

It is a pity that the Fulani elites who have many times been at the helm of affairs since independence yet their nomadic compatriots are at the receiving end. After independence, the nomads were paying cattle tax (jangali), head tax and market tax. Yet they were denied basic civic services. It was the Hausa politicians of Kano who brought about an end to the exploitation of nomads by abolishing all these taxes.

When Prof. Jibrin Aminu as Minister of Education introduced nomadic education, he had plans for modern settled ways of rearing cattle and animal breeding. All the schools had enough plots to teach the Fulani nomads new techniques and ways of settled breeding. Immediately Prof Amin left the Ministry of Education, the Fulani nomadic leaders (Ardos) and city dwellers sold the plots to developers. Currently President Buhari has appointed an urbanized non-nomad as the chairman of Nomadic Education. Most of the headmasters are non-Fulanis not to mention their not being nomads. This is not how to find lasting solutions to the lingering ethnic and communal clashes between the herders and the farmers.

–           Dr. Saidu Samaila

Re: Are we ready for the white revolution?

Your write up on the above subject made quite an interesting reading especially on the need to integrate herders into a modern non-migratory system with value chain for maximum and better yield.

Government must provide enabling environment for Indigenous investors to thrive as against the current setting of too much attention on “foreign direct investment”.

I think the worst deserter to this economy was the free fall of the Naira under this administration.

That has gone a long way to affect everything under the sun, which has monetary value.

Government should have adopted a selective stiff tariffs method on luxury items as a protectionist measure rather than outright devaluation which has left millions poorer and a few currency speculators richer.

Government must adopt known economic policies that work and not this speculative philosopher King presumptive approach which tend to render us all impotent in all ramifications.

–           Izuagbe Ibrahim

Sir, I read your column on the back page of Daily Trust newspapers and am highly thrilled by the prospects of profitable dairy farming. I have very few years to retirement and have started rearing cows and other ruminants as a retirement plan. I’m highly impressed by the strides made by MD Abubakar with regards to backward integration and collaboration with local Fulani herders in a symbiotic relationship.

–           Abubakar Musa Omar

Re: When the skies fell on Skye bank:

I am one of your ardent readers of your Tuesday Column of Daily Trust. I hereby commend your thoroughness in this write up. The Skye bank problem is an insider abuse case and can be found in almost all our banks. However, the heavy nonperforming loans were not approved by spirits and obtained by spirits. Thus if the Central Bank of Nigeria cannot compromise their responsibilities, let all the defaulters be tried to recover all the monies.

–           M A Babakatun

It is unfortunate that in Nigeria there those who are untouchables. Remember the cases of Erastus Akingbola of Intercontinental bank and Cecilia Ibru of Oceanic bank. The cases are now history.

–           Faruk Garko

Re: Time for hard measures to end killings.

Your piece today is another added voice towards ending the persistent crises and killings prominent in Northern Nigeria. Your proffered solutions will bring about lasting peace if implemented.

But regrettably, one thing that marred your write up is that you looked at this issue from a myopic and sentimental standpoint. You were in a hurry to paint Jos case to look gruesome in the eyes of everyone, even by not sparing close to 500 words. I strongly condemn hoodlums blocking highways and killing innocent people, but Dura, Riyom are not only the case in point. Why you used only about 10 words on Kawo and Maraban Jos, who always block roads anytime there is crises. Why you did not mention Bauchi Road axis of Jos who are always fund of that. Why you did not mention the Fulani who terrorise Plateau villages and who are always on the offensive, and the President and Governors are not doing nothing about it. What about Zamfara where innocent people are being killed day and night.

Finally, as long as there is no justice and tolerance, there will never be peaceful co-existence, and my advice to you is that you should always give a balance and objective reportage.

I believe in the beauty of our diversity in Nigeria, and God will not have allowed diversity if it were not good for us. I have a lot of friends who are Muslims and we have been together since childhood days.

Thank you and best regards.

–               Sylvanus Joshua