Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, has trod
where angels would fear to tread: he has banned the medieval practice of grazing cattle all over the place in Ekiti State. He has promised to send draft
legislation to this effect to the state House of Assembly to be passed into law. When this is done,
both cattle and herdsmen caught on the wrong side
of the law will be sanctioned. The beasts will be
confiscated while the herdsmen will cool their heels
in gaol. Not only is the practice of itinerant rearing of cattle archaic, it also negates the giant strides that Mankind has made from the Stone Age. Grazing
cattle in an unruly and unorganised manner over
farmlands, destroying the means of livelihood of law-abiding citizens and trampling their inalienable rightsis an affront to the legal order and an unwarranted assault on those at the receiving end of the bestiality of both beast and herdsman.

All over the country are strident cries against the
callousness of the herdsmen who not only feed their cattle on, and as a result destroy, farmlands, thereby complicating the problem of skyrocketing prices of foodstuffs in the land; they also main, rape, and kill innocent indigenes of the communities they traduce to the bargain. They kidnap and torture, they demand and collect ransoms before releasing their victims.
Most times, the victims still get killed even after
ransoms have been paid. Cattles have been known to cause fatal accidents on the highways. The increasing wave of armed robbery attacks in many of the rural communities has also been traced to herdsmen who wield AK-47 in broad daylight in flagrant violation of the laws of the land which frown at the proliferation of small arms. The authorities look the other way while these atrocities are perpetrated across the country.

The latest bus stop of the audacious bestiality of the
herdsmen was Ekiti state, at a community called Oke-Ako in Ikole Local Government Area of the state. Not less than two residents lost their lives instantly while scores of others suffered varying degrees of injuries and the community as a whole was sacked. Reports said it was reprisal attack or vengeance mission by the herdsmen, in that earlier; the community had repelled a similar attack and got some of the assailants arrested by law-enforcement agents; even though they were reportedly left to go scot-free soon after. As if they expected the community to simply fold its arms and do nothing, the herdsmen returned penultimate week to teach the Oke-Ako people “a lesson.” The community got wind of it and alerted the security agencies but for reasons which bother on complicity, duplicity, and dereliction of duty, the appropriate authorities failed to act.

A government that is pouring troops into the Niger
Delta to “crush” Niger Delta Avengers looked the
other way while Fulani herdsmen avengers swarmed and over-awed Oke-Ako. Whether in the cities or in the rural areas, the security agencies appear the same: They wait until the deed is done before showing face! This is one reason to support the clamour for state police. It is also another reason why each state government must endeavour to act outside the strait-jacket of the FG-controlled security apparatus. Until reason prevails and the security architecture is decentralised, each state must find ways and means to circumnavigate the current strictures of a centrally-controlled security force, such as arming vigilante groups.

Fayose deserves commendation for blazing the trail
in his resolve to compel cattle owners to do the right thing: Look after their cattle in ranches as is done in other parts of the world. Seizing lands to create grazing routes all over the country as some nit-wits are contemplating in the National Assembly is not the right way to proceed. This is private business and should be privately organised and financed. The decision of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to use tax-payers money for this purpose is not only superfluous but also an act of corruption. For one, Buhari is said to be patron of the cattle owners’ association. For another, he is the owner of herds of cattle and, in that respect, an employer of herdsmen, be they Fulani or otherwise.

So, there are two very serious issues involved here:
Conflict of interest and compromised conduct
leading to deliberate dereliction of duty and or failure to activate his Oath of Office. The president wants to use tax-payers’ money to improve his stock; this is not acceptable. It is akin to what President Jacob Zuma is facing more than a hundred corruption charges over in a South African law court. The president’s tardiness; nay, lack of interest, in threatening hails and brimstones against the Fulani herdsmen in the same manner he has repeatedly done against neo-Biafra and neo-Niger Delta militants has been put down to the twin evils of selfish interest and tribalism. This president must not only act as the president of the whole country in an even-handed manner, he must also be manifestly seen to be so. So far, this has not been the case. In his appointments – from the beginning to the latest ones that he made last week, he has left no one in doubt that he, a Fulani man, is the president of the Fulani and not of the entire country. He has marginalised the other ethnic groups to the consternation of his most ardent supporters. I have begun, myself, to regret voting for this man. Only crumbs have come the way of the South-West, for example. The president’s statements have also done very little to conceal his unbridled sense of partiality; for instance, the “us” (Fulani/North) and “they” (other tribes/South) that he made at the emir’s palace in
Katsina recently.

In the event that the president is not at all minded to be the father of all, the onus lies with everyone to
take his or her own destiny in his or her own hands.
It is imperative for other governors to follow the
example of Fayose and enact laws that will outlaw
cattle rearing in their respective states. The president must also be prevailed upon not to spend a dime of tax-payers’ money – or oyel (oil) money – on any grazing route of trouble and acrimony. Then,all men and women of conscience must get ready to defend and protect Fayose because he is already being attacked for his courageous act of protecting the interests of his own people.
Anti-Fulani charges and the badge of an ethnic
jingoist are already being pinned on him. But I am
disappointed that Fayose appears to be falling for it.
He had no business denying that he is not an ethnic
jingoist. Most Nigerian leaders are ethnic jingoes! In fact, those making the allegations are themselves the worst culprits. What is President Buhari himself if not an ethnic jingoist by all his appointments,
statements, preferences, and body language so far?
We all knew him to be one before he became
president. Since he became president he has been
even more so. In Nigeria, only the Yoruba belabour
themselves unnecessarily not to be seen as tribalists.

Put an Igbo person in a position and he fills
everywhere with his or her fellow Igbo person. That
is the bitter truth – and everyone knows it. The other tribes are also the same – only the Yoruba are not. We are always talking fair play; we are the
nationalists while the others are very proud tribalists.

This way, we have suffered. Is that not why Olusegun Obasanjo, in his eight years as president, handed over the presidency, first to Atiku Abubakar, and later to the Igbo while the Yoruba, whose turn it was, got nothing? Even the Yoruba in Obasanjo’s cabinet suffered in the hands of Fulani and Igbo. Ask Borishade. Ask Adeniran. Since the Otta farmer left the presidency, which other president has towed his line of fair play to tribes other than their own?

LAST WORD: Senator Iyiola Omisore said he was in
court with EFCC penultimate Tuesday in the morning but before the end of that day, he had been declared wanted by the same EFCC for remaining “elusive” for more than one month!I am sure I saw photographs of the same Omisore in the newspapers at PDP congresses and conventions. Did he use the Yoruba “iboju” to cover the EFCC’s eyes or he used for himself the “egbe” or “ofe” to disappear from those venues? Should we now call Omisore the “Black Pimpernel”, the nickname given to Nelson Mandela for his disappearing acts during the ANC-declared armed struggle against apartheid in South Africa?

FEEDBACK
It is because of you and Diran Apata that I buy
Sunday Tribune. You make my Sunday! I am a retired lecturer of European History at the University of Ibadan. Your writings are so true and factual. I keep on telling friends and foes alike that Nigeria cannot make it until we accept the facts and go back to practical federalism. Know what? I blame you Yoruba! You have all it takes to lead but you would not. Change will not come! —Dr K. Irene Princewill.

May Almighty God continuously enrich your
knowledge, guard, and guide you. Your contribution
to national development is well-recognised. —Prince Adelegan Adegbola, fcpa (President, Oduduwa Cultural Foundation).

I have just gone through your write-up on the state of the nation; it is quite pathetic! The greed for oil is the root cause of our problems. The situation was
compounded by the military when they introduced
the unitary system of government. We now have a
situation where the component state governments
run to Abuja cap-in-hand for monthly hand-outs. This country can never move forward with the way it is structured. The feudal lords who are against the
restructuring of the country are the worst enemies of their own people. Nigeria will continue to be on the dark side of the world! Please do not expect our
bosses at the National Assembly to even suggest the restructuring of the country. This is their “own time to have a bite” of the national cake. —Dr Martins Ahiakwo.

tribuneonlineng.com/fulani-herdsmen-fayose-bells-the-cat

It's Welcomed

What else shall we say

You want to feed your animals, buy grazing lands...

Why should the Federal Goveenment take lands from at the expense of a States and its people and gave to businessmen (herdsmen) to graze upon when the only interest/profits accrued to these states are raped, maimed or dead citizens...

What the FG is simply saying here is that they are only protecting their interest.,,

if not that, than why using tax payers money to fund private business...

funstufz:
You want to feed your animals, buy grazing lands...

Why should the Federal Goveenment take lands from at the expense of a States and its people and gave to businessmen (herdsmen) to graze upon when the only interest/profits accrued to these states are raped, maimed or dead citizens...

What the FG is simply saying here is that they are only protecting their interest.,,

if not that, than why using tax payers money to fund private business...

That's corruption itself.

I thought that phrase is[b] "belt the cat" [/b]and not[b] "bells the cat".
[/b]

Surprised to see bells the cat on Google though and it's explanation.

m1500:
Cattle rearing is a private enterprise and should not be sponsored with the tax payers money. Ranching remains the only viable option.

Go tell Mr Buhari o, if he still has any listening ear left with him.
The man a is national mistake !!!

m1500:
Cattle rearing is a private enterprise and should not be sponsored with the tax payers money. Ranching remains the only viable option.

Go tell Mr Buhari o, if he still has any listening ear left with him.
The man is a national mistake !!!

Nice move fayose those that dig pit of death for u wil b d 1st to die

This Fulani herdsman issue just shows that Buhari is not a just man like he wants to project himself!!!

His apologists will not open this thread

futurenix:
I thought that phrase is[b] "belt the cat" [/b]and not[b] "bells the cat".
[/b]

Surprised to see bells the cat on Google though and it's explanation.

That's why it's good to read vastly, you learn a lot as well as improve tremendously.