₦airaland Forum

Katsumoto: The issue is that, when traveling down from the North to the South, the cattle require grass to chew on. When there is little of grass to chew on, the herdsmen take the cattle onto the properties of others, usually farms, to graze. In the process, they commit two crimes
1. Trespass of private property
2. Destruction of property

When challenged, they commit a third and more serious crime - Murder and/or attempted murder.

I think you are being unfair by calling the herdsmen criminals. The vast majority of the so-called "private properties" you referenced are located far from cities and towns, in villages. The farmers who own these "properties" do not have any markings or barbed-wire fencing to indicate that the land is "private property. If theses farmers would properly safeguard their properties, the herdsmen will not mistake most of them as public land. These farmers should use some of the grants they are provided by the ministry of Agric to secure their farms and avoid unnecessary conflicts.

Katsumoto: Like Ndu_chucks stated, they are nomads and want to live this way but there are simple solutions that reasonable people will employ.
1. Grass is a product which is usually thrown away in many places. The herdsmen can offer to cut grass for free which they can feed to cattle or if time is of the essence, they can pay for it (grass) or hay.
2. The herdsmen can also pay property owners a fee to take cattle onto their property.

I don't have any problem with this, but the land owners must properly make it known that the land is private property and that grass is available for sale.

Katsumoto: The use of someone's property usually requires the payment of a fee or the waiving of that fee by the owner.

It is also impractical to provide secondary cattle routes through all the states of the federation. Land is a very important and expensive resource. If you provide a free path through all the states of the Federation, you will be setting very bad precedents in a nation where many don't want to pay for public services.
1. Others will require similar treatment
2. You will be sending the message that by resorting to violence when you are wrong, you can get your way.

I hope you are not assuming that all land is private property. There is nothing wrong with the federal government setting aside federal land for the benefit of all Nigerians. What you call secondary cattle routes can be designed and implemented with the donation of land by the Feds and some states for the sake of peace. I am sure we can find creative ways of doing this if we have the will.

phreakabit: And if negotiated, would you consider this a "fair" negotiation that will favour all parties involved?

Abokis get free lands in exchange for WHAT, free beef or what?! Arrant nonsense. What do they have to offer? . . . . There are some things even money can't buy. . . . . To avoid "collateral damage".

You must be daft if u think I was talking about negotiating with people like you.

The government and its officials who run the ministry of Agriculture and who have access to billions of budget naira are the parties who must participate in these negotiations.

They just need to do their duties for the greater good.

[quote author=tpia@]@ ndu chucks

^ and what's wrong with his statement?

can he go around in agbada when checking the roads and other projects? [/quote]His statement is accurate, but he did not have to use the said royal father as a door mat for cheap publicity.

Two Childhood friends of mine came to Nigeria for visits from their overseas bases, one was a Yoruba man and the other Ndigbo. These guys were offered chieftaincies because they went to visit the royal fathers in their homelands and made monetary donations to the communities. The funny thing is that, in one case, my friend's son was offered a chieftaincy title as well, though the boy only speaks English.

So Fashola's action here is not a big deal.

I am however beginning to question the wisdom of Fashola's PR people. Not too long ago, they humiliated a senior Army officer and now, they've humiliated people who will be needed in the future by Fashola. Was it really necessary to put this royal father on blast like this? Statements like this

Kabiyesi and his chiefs can continue to lead us, let them deal with all those traditional and chieftaincy issues. At the appropriate time, we will come and join them, but for now, leave us in our suits, booths, overalls and helmets, because this agbada is not good for clearing refuse and tarring the roads.

should not be released for public consumption. Otunba Fashola, wise-up buddy!!

jmaine: so what are the Nomads giving here

Your one liner does not do justice to your question. Do u mind expantiating?

[quote author=Ileke-IdI]Nobody is restricting their Freedom of Movement.
We're restricting the movement of their cows, who were not granted the same fundamental rights. Without their cows, some Fulanis are not even an issue. The fact is, they'd rather preserve the life of a future meat, than the life of another human being. Too bad that the distasteful few, left a bad taste for the rest of the peaceful Fulanis.

However, these cows are free to move about in my obe-ata.[/quote]Ah ah!!!You cannot separate the nomadic Fulani from their cows. Their movements with their cows is who they are and that is their identity. We need to be sensitive to this fact and understand that it is not really possible to socially reengineer a people within a short time period, in the manner you may be implying.

We have a problem, solutions are what we need.

Many people are shouting that the herdsmen should become ranchers and start doing "business" as done in modern times, but you fail to understand that the farmers who are "negatively" affected by the nomads, are the ones who have refused to modernize their farming, even after the federal government has spent Billions of naira in farm aid to these people. I'd suggest that you look at the 2012 budget and see how much money has been spent on Agriculture including farming. You'll notice that not a single naira was spent to help the herdsmen in a manner which would reduce the conflicts in question.

Let me use OBJ's Ota farm as an example here, not a single Fulani herdsman has ever grassed within the confines of the farm. Why, because OBJ practices modernized farming. If most of the farmers use the billions of naira spent on them for mordernization, the herdsmen will be able to live their nomadic ways in peace. Fence your farms up for starters and let the herdsmen be.

BTW, ilekebebeidi, nibo lo wa la ti ijo yi? so wa pa?

bigmaut: Does yur so called "natural paths" of d fulani herdsmen also cut across someone else farmlands

I hope you know that there is always a "give and take" condition in all successful negotiations.

asha 80: Ijaw rejects six zonal structure

The Chairman of the Ijaw National Congress, Joshua Benamaisia, told SUNDAY PUNCH that Ijaw people were spread across six states — Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Delta, and Ondo — in two geopolitical zones — South-South and South-West.

[b]Benamaisia said the Igbo nation were entirely within the South-East geopolitical zone[/b]there was need for the Ijaw nation to have its own separate territory.

Benamaisia said the prime aspiration of the Ijaw nation was the establishment of true federalism, where every ethnic group would control the resources in its area.

Is the bolded statement above by the Ijaw National Congress accurate? Are there no Igbos in the Niger Delta area/SS zone? Can't the Ijaw National Congress pursue an agenda without provoking Ndigbo?

@Sagamite & AjanleKoko, posts like yours make me believe that there is still hope for Nigeria. You guys see the big picture and do not allow tribalism to becloud your better judgements. kudos to you.

Dede1: If the cesspit called Nigeria is disintegrated, Fulani will not bother any government of emerged nation state with this utter and ridiculous postulation. Nigeria is wrongly configured and it brings the worst of streaming thoughts from the inhabitants.

You should have known by now that, disintegration, your solution to every problem we face, will cost your people more lives than the biafran war, auto accidents, accidental police shootings, kidnapping, and fuel tanker explosions. Why do you keep calling for this solution? Do you people love pain?

bayooooooo: There is no practical solution other than telling the Fulanis to stay out of trouble. The press is full of several instances of Fulani brutalities to host communities as they moved about the country yet this article effectively and deceptively portrayed Fulanis as the victims. Fulani herdsman killed two men in Ekiti, violated two women in Enugu, killed several in Benue etc . None has been brought to justice.

This proposal is nonsensical and illogical. They are in business to make money and should be able to spend money to further their business interests. It's even laughable that at this age such a proposal is being brought forward and not a proposal to ban them from roaming the country causing havoc here and there.

There have been attrocities on both sides. While urban sprawl is seen by some of you as a sign of progress, its effect on herdsmen in several areas are worse than what you've decribed above. Our objective should be to find a lasting solution to the problem. I'm afraid your emotionally generated solutions, based on gross ignorance, will not solve or even reduce the problem.

[quote author=Akanbi_edu]Solution, if the fulani wants land, he has to pay. simples.[/quote]You are not as bright as I thought. This problem is over your head, olodo.

[quote author=Dudu_Negro]Nativity is easily dfined by territorial domain and land ownership. You dont ask to be given right of way to something that is yours. Fulani is not asking for right of way in Sokoto, or Katsina, or Kano. Thy are asking for passage in lands that thy and admit is not theirs..

Your dfensive atgument is at best theorretical and even at that has flaws that will make practice of it impossible. Fulanis native land is limited to North. They have mo native land souh of Niger/Benue.[/quote]As a practical matter, you find the herdsmen all over the country and you cannot "repatriate" them to the North for obvious reasons. We have to come up with very creative land use laws and other solutions to address this issue. I patiently await good proposals and suggestions as to how to solve the problem.

Eko Ile: I don't know anything about his legal or immigrant status in the US and I'm not an ignorant jack a....ss like so many clowns on NL claiming they know what they really don't and can't prove. let me know when you find out or get hold of his passport or immigration papers.

Thanks for your honesty, one would have though you were connected enough to have that info.

@Eko-Ile, isn't Tinubu a US permanent resident who does not need a visa to enter the US?

@Katsumoto, lets assume that everything you wrote is accurate. Does that remove the problem at hand? Of course not. How do you propose that the problem is resolved, short of wiping out the nomadic Fulanis or killing them off? I am genuinely interested in practical solutions - our current government officials don't seem to have any workable solution or plan.



[quote author=Akanbi_edu]Malam _chucks, the quesion again.



____ Fulanis are in cattle as a business concern, not charity. They sell cows to other Nigerians like them.

____ Farmers in Nigeria are equally in business, sell farm produce to other Nigerians.

Now, Fulanis' business is affecting other business (farming) in every part of the country.

Why should land be given, free, to the Fulani? considering The nomads are into business and not some charity? More so, the nomadic fulani is more often than not taking care of the cattle on behalf of the "big men".[/quote]Are you a re tarded illiterate? I've told you people that the settled Fulani should pay for land like everyone else. I am however not as ready as you are, to detroy the way of life of the nomadic Fulani who number in the millions and are just as Nigerian as you are. How do you propose that we address this problem of nomadic herdsmen? Would you want to kill them off as well?

naijaking1: Mallam ndu chucks

So, you want us to help support Fulanis harm our own environment?
"It's been their culture since 1500 BC" you say? That's why the government must intervane, force them, jail them, or shoot them at sight if they refuse to give up their dangerous tradition. Every tribe gave up some ancient and unscietific tradition, why not your Fulani people.

There is almost no time to plead or educate them at this time, time is of the essence, especially given that all the funds made available for reforestation are stolen by the same people.
Theoritically, Lagos and Port Harcourt could become deserts within a few 100 years if we continue fooling around with these wandering Fulani grazers, instead of forcibly preventing them from killing all of us.

lol, I missed this hilarious post.

nwanne m, you live in the USA, ko? Why didn't the US government kill off the red Indians who refuse to give up their way of life, but instead set aside designated areas for them within the US called Indian Reservations?

You make the lovely Fulani grazers into some murderers while your people continue to worship your government officials who have directly and indirectly murdered thousands of you. Which kind double standard bethis?

[quote author=Dudu_Negro]The solution is a simple one.......land use acts! Since you are making ancestral way of life the core pointer in your defense, it is at par to counter the push with ownership of native lands. Feferal govt is a tenant on native lands and thereby is unqualified to redistribute that land without the conswnt of natives. This will take us back to seeking redress in the constitution and particularly on the land act statutes. Fulani can make demands to have right of way to native lands, just as much that natives of tjat land has the right to deny and shut them out.

If however, the Federal governmrnt intervene to over-ride natives and award zones for Fulani to graze on thrir land, then it will be a discriminatoty practice without equally awarding rights of way to natives in traditionally fulani habitats. We know this is impractical. The end result is Fulani will have autonomy on land use throughout regions of Nigeria..[/quote]How do you define native land and natives for that matter? Just so you know, tha land area along the paths which herdsman take to travel from North to South, East to West, have been considered their own land for centuries. If the herdsmen had had a different lifestyle, they would have possibly been natives of areas in every region in Nigeria according to conventional definition of natives. In their minds, you people are the ones encroaching on their generational properties. We cannot dismiss this reality, but consider it in proffering a lasting solution. These people are Nigerians as well.


Bashr8 & FSU, with due respect, Egbe ndi Israeli piafuka gi isi. mumus

One thing is certain, the normads are not going to buy no land from anyone. Its best to accept this reality and come of with creative ways to solve the problem. Since no one has a way of reengineering the way of life of these nomads anytime soon, I've suggested the creation of federal reserve zones where these nomads can live with minimal negative impact on the rest of us. May I suggest that the rest of you suggest other possible solutions and lets see what we end up with.

@naijaking1, I don't think you can blame the Fulanis for decertification which is caused by population growth and its demand on agricultural resources which promote the desertification process. You cannot blame them for over cultivation either, for obvious reasons.

You cannot simply wish 15million nomads away, you've got to find proper solutions to the problems you are creating for them and those you believe they are causing for you.

Katsumoto: You need to stop this line of reasoning.

Cattle farmers sell cattle for profit.

Why should society provide free land for cattle rearers?

Why are cattle farmers in the US and Europe not asking for free land?

If you want to raise cattle, then buy land for grazing and sort out your own logistics?

The problem here is that Fulani businessmen should be running this types of ventures but will not because they have their eyes on oil wells and contracts leaving the business to nomadic, illiterate, and irrational herdsmen who go around trespassing and destroying properties belonging to others.

Don't be surprised that I agree with your post in as much as we are talking about the settled Fulani. The Fulani were probably all nomads in times past, but some clans later settled in towns and villages (settled Fulani), while others continued nomadism (nomadic Fulani). The two groups are otherwise similar in all respects. However, while the settled Fulani see cattle-rearing as a hobby and businesses, the "nomadic Fulani" considers it a way of life.

The distiction is very important. You people calling for the destruction of the way of life of people who have been living in Nigeria since at least the 1500s are quite insensitive. We can find solutions to the problem but we must be sensitive to the way of live of the millions of herdsmen in question. I'm afraid until a reasonable and comprehensive solution is found, you people better learn how to fend off daggers and vicious sticks.

bashr8: why cant the fulanis buy lands for grazing afterall they make billions from sales of cows and nigerians buy them its not as if we get them for free, its buisness and not an act of patriotism. live stock farmers dont go about asking govt to give them land around the country for poutry or fish farming so why cow.

Your question clearly indicates that you are ignorant of our history and are looking for a naive and simplistic solution for a very complex problem.

Farmer-nomad conflict is second only to Boko Haram among dangers threatening Nigeria. Violence has erupted between nomads and farmers in Nasarawa, Taraba, Benue, Plateau and Adamawa states recently not to talk of similar conflicts in the SW, SE, and SS. I'd suggest you first read up and try to understand the root cause of these conflicts before suggesting dumb solutions.

Maybe your brother Akanbi_Edu can assist you with the education.

naijaking1: Next, someone will tell it's their tradition, culture, or whatever. I say change it and get on aboard 2012. If people graze in their own lands, they will rotate and map plots of land for different seasons, like it's done all over the civilized world.

You know better than the post above. Stop pretending that the kind of social reengineering required for what you are suggesting has ever been done successfully anywhere in the world

Can you people stick with issues rather than personalities and anonymous screen names? I'd appreciate it immensely if you'd stop trying to pidgeon hole me into belonging to one tribe or the other. What objections do you have to what I've posted and why do you not see the benefit of the said designated "Herding Zone", "Fulani Reserves", "Nomadic Xing", or whatever you prefer to call the, soon to be created, federally reserved territory?

asha 80: only god knows what an indigenous plateau man would make of your statement.i guess the territories are only the north.

Not really, I think areas which could be designated "Fulani Reservations" which carves out the natural paths of the Fulani herdsmen from North to South, East to West, would be beneficial to all if done properly. This could actually prevent you people from provoking the nomads to dagger you, since they have no other means to convince you to be respectful of their way of life.

Ogbonaikenna: guy you are a bastard

mumu Ogbonaikenna, note the following: O bialu be onye abiagbuna ya, mgbe o ga-ala mkpumkpu apukwana ya n'azu

afam4eva: How about trading zone for the Igbo traders throughout the country. What do you think?

Make your case for the trading zone and lets see if it would benefit Nigeria. In the meantime lets focus on the topic at hand, but if you open a thread on this trading zone of yours, I'll read the thread.

@asha 80, many of the Fulani vs locals conflicts are triggered by urban sprawling. Please read up some of the conflicts in say, Jos area.

afam4eva: How can you deny someone of something that does not belong to them. If they need land, they should buy it like many Igbo men are doing throughout Nigeria.

Your view of the problem at hand is quite simplistic. A lasting solution would probably need to contain the designation of certain federal land which would cut across several state, as "Herding Zone". This kind of zoning will go a long way in addressing the Fulani/Local conflicts which have increased nation-wide lately. It would keep you people away from encroaching on Fulani historical territories and check your sprawling.

Uncivilized people, who have been brainwashed to believing that they are superior to fellow Nigerians, simply because the said fellow citizens are nomads, are exposing themselves again. You people on the one hand cry all over NL that you are being marginalized and cheated e.t.c, and on the other hand you want to deny your fellow citizens equal rights under the law. SMH @ ignoramuses

[quote author=Dudu_Negro]We need explanation for why DNC issued invitations in flagrant violation of US law and why Tinubu and his invited team passed scrutiny by FBI, SS and ATF. Waiting..........

O'dua is pushing forward, haters go quench![/quote]US laws may not have been violated because Tinubu was invited to the convention. If a person schooled in the USA and then worked for American companies Arthur Andersen, Deloitte, Haskins, & Sells, and GTE Services Corporation for almost 5 years upon the completion of his education, as Tinubu did, then that person must have obtained the status of a US permanent resident.

Unless you can prove that Tinubu is not a US permanent resident, then Tinubu could have made the over $5,000 contribution to the Obama campaign which led to the invitation to the convention. Many many Lagos state officials are US permanent residents - this is not unusual at all.

You don't get to work for the companies listed above for 5 years without being a US permanent resident.

Even you, with your US permanent resident status can choose to quit your Wall Street Corporate Law practice (Experts in derivatives design),return home, become a governor, contribute $5,000 to a republican candidate and get invited to a republican convention. kini big deal?

If the OP's story is true then Tinubu's PR folks need to be fired. But I blame Tinubu for allowing his people to put out the information which indicated that he, Tinubu, was a special guest the convention, rather than, being invited generically because of campaign contributions.

Tinubu should have known that the lie would be exposed sooner or later. na dis kind ting dey fuel doubt in the minds of those who do not trust Tinubu. SMH

Nigeria and my people all over the country are richly blessed. I love our passion regarding anything we hold dear to us - we defend our various tribal leaders, even if we know that they are blatantly wrong. The IQ of the average Nigerian must be highr than those of the national averages of most countries in the world. I challenge anyone to prove the IQ statement as false.

We need to fight for Nigeria, in the same manner with which we support our national football teams, during imoportant matches, where Igbos, Hausa, Yorubas, Igala, Idomas, Kanuris, Sho Shos, Gwaris, & others, all team up and offer unconditional support to our teams and genuinely wish the teams successes.

We have been blessed with lack of a major enemy, hence we fight each other. Nwanne m, we need to start praying for a genuine external threat against this country, or alternatively create one. I was hoping that Gadaffi would pose this threat, but as providence would have it, he is no more. Maybe an attack from Ghana, Cameroon, or Benin would do the trick, unfortunately, those West African pricks are no match for Nigeria. South Africa nko, those one don't have the guts.

I patiently await a gestapo President who will create a real enemy for Nigerias so that we can all drop the tribalism bull crap and work as one. I wouldn't mess with our brothers in the North of Sokoto, those ones no dey hear word, as Fela talk, na zombies full dat side - tell dem make dem carry fire cracker go attack Abuja, na joro jara joro dem go go.

Sigh! How I wish some country, some nation, heck any bati, would pose a real external
threat to Nigeria.

Arysexy: Declaring oil producing state is not the issue, anambra fought for it and got it, its long overdue, the issue is who owns oil well OPL915, read below the only oil well in contention is OPL915 which borders btwn Anambra, Edo, Enugu and kogi, dat oil well alone cannot make kogi an oil producing state, enugu even have additional 2 yet to be tapped

I'm tired of educating you people who have refused to learn despite my patience. OPL915 is not an oil well, dummy. Its an oil block!!!. The ownership of this oil block is not an issue since it is jointly owned by Orient Petroleum and NNPC. NNPC is a joint owner of every oil block in Nigeria.

[quote author=Yeske!]Pray tell, where exactly is the refinery located and please be precise.[/quote]Okwute angry Palestinians piafuka gi blokos!!

Now, it appears you people are joining unrelated issues. The refinery is located in Anambra State and Kogi State and others will receive their due ROI once the refinery start s generating revenues. Even Orient admits that, very recently, several states including Kogi bought shares in the company.

The issue of this thread is centered arround declaring a state "Oil Producing", a move which translates into more revenues from federal allocation. Why shouldn't Kogi state be declared "Oil Producing" just like Anambra, which the President promised will be name "Oil Producing". Put tribalism and sentiments aside and declare that this action will simply create enmity among brothers - thanks to GEJ

malawian: shame on you too. Of all countries in the world, you claim malawi?

Delafruita: you seem to have poor comprehension skills.i admitted that tinubu took advantage of his position to enrich himself.by saying he is smart,i meant he didnt just transfer money from state account to himself.rather,he assigned duties to himself and carried out those duties at exorbitant rates.if he just stole the money,why havent the efcc been abble to find any evidence against him?when a man steals and does it in a smart manner,he should be applauded for his skills.

You should be ashamed of the bolded statement above. You should not applaud a man that steals under any condition unless your moral compass is completely defective.