₦airaland Forum

noiseless: Personally, it will be nice to see from your pictures the reasons why governor Peter Obi and any other governors, that have governed that state in the past and "could" not deliver should be really ashamed of themselves. Throw everything in the open, there should be no room for being economical about the facts anymore, anyone who disagrees should balance or counter it with proof lol!

Couldn't say it better than you bro.
I wonder why people are always so jumpy about these types of things.

Unless I'm wrong (and I'm hardly wrong on these types of things), the green in the Nigerian flag was really inspired by Islam and not agriculture. The same with the OAU flag. Most Islamic countries have green as prominent parts of their flags. The white signifies PEACE (not unity); but how can we have peace when we are in a permanent state of siege (of sorts)? To many stuff swept under the carpet and too many prophets being blamed for prophesying truth.
Our peace will come with FREEDOM and JUSTICE.
Whether it will ever happen in Nigeria remains to be seen.

Abagworo: Due to irrational reasoning of most Nigerians we have failed to notice that all these herdsmen brouhaha is very recent. Herdsmen have always migrated across countries without any qualms right from pre-biblical times till the early part of this 21st century. This democracy has in recent times fueled and polarized Nigerian unity. We always knew that Fulanis came down South to Port Harcourt and go back to Sokoto grazing. Infact when I was little there were more of them along the PH-Enugu express way grazing as the cars sped by.

The question is what happened since 2000 that has led to increased frequency of clashes? Why were they not raping and robbing before then?

Could you at least tell us whose fault that is? Who changed the Fulani (fully grown men) into murderers and r-apists.
I am sure you will find a way to blame the rest of us for that.

I remember the argument I had with one of my brothers here sometime last week about this idea of allocating grazing land for Fulani herdsmen.
What every concerned group Igbo, Yoruba, Middle belt and Ijaw are saying in their opposition to this are exactly the same things I said.
Only fools don't see the rationality in the points they are making.

Abagworo: I 1st suggested this solution on Nairaland even before the Senators proposed it. I think as Nigerians people, we would prefer continuous war over nothing.

So, what does the FURIOUS reactions coming from the South and Middle belt tell you about the poor sense in your proposal?
Honestly Abagworo I don't know what you are about. I personally think that you are in business with one rich Alhaji whose money you find irresistible, because you have NEVER shown any passion or feelings towards the plight of your people.
You are too self serving for your own good.
Repent my brother.

My Igbo people say that when an adult steals a toy from a child and raises his hands (knowing that the child cannot reach it), all that the child needs to do is wait, because the adult cannot keep his hands up for ever. Whenever that hand comes down, the child repossesses his/her possession. There is always the force of gravity to restore justice!
I suspect that there will be a lot of "give me back my toy you thief!" in different parts of Nigeria in the near future. Mark my words.

In any case, I think time has come to relocate military barracks to remote areas. We don't need soldiers living in cities. The US soldiers I see sometimes while on high-speed subway trains all pay fares and are very calm and civil. Again whenever in uniforms, they are always either on their way going home from camp (barracks), or on their way to the barracks. Otherwise they are never in uniforms! They don't wear uniforms to travel around while running errands. I could be wrong about this because I hardly see them (their barracks are far away)!
We are under a civilian government; when will the barracks be relocated to remote areas?

One really gets the true sense of how BAD things are back home when one reads this type of opinion, and realizes that majority of those in the corridors of power in Nigeria actually think like this.

ndu_chucks: Fashola should thread very carefully. Smart leaders keep the Army on their side at all times, at all costs.

So, we are basically fked because our soldiers must be appeased, even if they s.hit in the streets, and if you don't let them do that then you are not smart?
So, who is smart in Nigeria: a man who insists on the law, or another who support lawlessness simply because soldiers are involved?
I cannot REMOTELY connect these Nigerian army men with the quality of the men we had in army in the 60s. How things have changed!
Quite sad.

Rochas is the only governor in the East that has indicated his interest in the presidency. He is performing, and will continue to perform until the next elections. So, WE ARE BEHIND HIM.
I don't even want to address those who underestimate this man because they will eat the humble pie. lol
He has vision, ambition, intelligence and drive; these are the qualities we need in a GREAT president.

Rochas whenever Jona leaves!

While typing this I couldn't help thinking about the cows that adorn the hills surrounding my house here in the states. Those cows are not always there. The lands are empty and very green, so the owners felt like leasing it out to cattle farmers. The cows are brought there for a few days and they are taken away again after these days. I personally see them every morning while driving to work. When the land owner wants to develop his land, of course the cow grazing stops, and the cows are moved back to their farms. BTW the lands are always fenced and the cows are not herded. They are smart and mind their grazing business. lol
Why can't we do that in Nigeria?
Must we stick to 19th century mindset just to appease the Fulani?

Obiagu1: ^^^ Some part of your concern was addressed in my last post.

However, I understand what you mean by future expansion but if we treat such routes as greenbelt areas, then it might work.
Future developers will stay away from any greenbelt area/route even if it wasn't a grazing route.

Well I am assuming that this "greenbelt areas" would not have a single human being anywhere near it, say like the national forest reserve areas near the border with Cameroun. lol
The point is that anything that would bring these herders in contact with other people, eg villages in any part of Nigeria, will inevitably lead to conflict.
There are hunters too who go to hunt "bushmeat", and there are girls who go to fetch water from the isolated streams only to get r,aped by these herdsmen in the bushes whenever they come across them.
If a Fulani herdman r.apes a girl in the jungles of any town in Igboland, wouldn't the men mobilize to go to that jungle to teach them a lesson?

This will only work if the Yankari games reserve is given to them as a "grazing route". lol

Obiagu1: One of many possible solutions to Fulani clashes in Nigeria is this:

1. Set up a committee with state governments' involvement to allocate the Fulanis grazing routes from North to South and forbid them from grazing elsewhere.
2. Set up special police or rangers posts that are within certain radius of each other, maybe 2-3 hrs, to monitor violators along the routes.
3. Forbid farmers from ever killing Fulani cattle even if they graze on their farmland, rather they should report such to the rangers, who will be provided with a direct line, to track down those herdsmen.
4. Punishment should include either heavy fines, seizure of the cattle or jail term.
5. Money from fines will be used to compensate the farmers/herdsmen who are victims.

Everything on your solution list is sound except the bolded which I consider a TEMPORARY solution; and since this problem is OLD (Fulani see nomadic herding as part of their culture, which BTW I don't agree with), there would be no end in sight for this problem.

Let me give one illustration.

Every land in Nigeria is owned by a COMMUNITY or individuals, even though the Land Use Act vests all lands in the state governor, the fact remains that people will continue to own these lands and continue to expand their use through various acts of development -housing, commercial, recreational and agriculture -farming for example. In a situation whereby a state government designated route runs close enough (as would eventually happen due to continuous expansion of human activities due to population growth etc) to houses,farms, or even streams of water used by villagers, conflict will return, this time with the Fulani being emboldened in their assertion of their "rights".

Whatever happened to good old RANCHING for heaven sake.
Buy land, and create ranches and stay there. This is 21st century. Muslims no longer make pilgrimages to Mecca on caravans. They board airlines and land in Mecca. Simple. Why should the Fulani stick to outdated culture and want to bend the rest of us along that culture?

Ileke-IdI:
Kini eleyi maa n so, nitori olorun?

what does canibal ethnicity have to do with my thread? Fulanis have been NOMADs since God knows when. . . . they'll change when they decide to change.

You miss his point entirely. lol
There were also slave catchers in the past, now most of them have "upgraded" to "employment agents".

Fulani should stop nomadic herding. They should buy lands and create RANCHES. The day I catch a cow on my land is the day the cow dies. Period.
My land is my land. It is an economic asset to me just like the cow is an economic asset to the Fulani. His economic asset should not feed on mine.

The Fulani herdsmen have in the past kept their activities under check in SE. Nobody told them to do that, and nobody will tell them to do that again if they step out of line. All these talks about protecting their cattle while trampling upon farmlands is only fatuous and moronic.
They should pray that other communities in SE don't see them as a problem, else they will not be there. Simple fact. lol

My dear brothers and sisters,

I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to all for your opinions and contributions to this constitution making process. I write because I just received a copy of the finished work from our Moderator PointB, and I say confidently that it is a SUPERB document. It is lean and "mean", but agile and gallant.
It would lay a SOLID foundation for a movement that will change Eastern Nigeria, and Nigeria as a whole. The principles which come together to inspire the true intents of the constitution has not been seen in Nigeria since the 60s. Things worked in Nigeria until January 1966 when all things fell apart.
What we want to do is to amend mistakes and tow different paths as we navigate a future for ourselves and future generation of Easterners and Nigerians.
As I stated earlier in this process, this effort will be slow but steady; forward ever, backward NEVER.
While reviewing the document, I suddenly realized that the whole idea can be stolen in its entirety by charlatans and fakes, so I will advise my council members that we should keep some of our visions in close chest.

Council members are please advised to read the document and let's decide the next course of things.
Thanks to all who gave this exercise a fair chance!
God bless,

Yours truly
Onlytruth, ndu di n'eziokwu 1 of Igboland, Eze Ndigbo Nairaland.

CHESSBOARD: Yes the STF following the instruction coming from DHQ and guess who is the chief who took that decision, Ojukwu is proving something to Gowon even in death

My brother I beg you in the name of God to leave us Igbo out of all these. This operation is being made by the NIGERIAN ARMY.
Stop trying to tag us for what the nation's army is doing.
Eji m aha chineke ayo gi.
Dalu nwanne.

No make dem no leave na. lol

BTW was this quote actually someone's statement?

Also, moving the Fulani is not like moving other people. Their masters – the cows – must be taken into consideration. The cows have to graze in a secure place, away from farms. Otherwise, na another wahala kuma.

So na cow be fulani master? I don die.

jmaine: “The one that took place about two weeks ago is something never seen before, where terrorists dressed in military uniform and fatigue attacked and killed innocent people, women and children. Reconnaissance carried out from the air and on ground confirmed that many of these terrorists are still in the mountainous areas.

Their hide-out

“They were detected in the following villages: Mahanga, Kakuruk, Kuzen, Maseh and Shong. Having been identified, the STF approached the Plateau State government to provide a temporary camp for internally-displaced persons, IDPs, to enable the operation to dislodge these terrorists. Camps have been provided in Riyom and Barkin Ladi councils.

“The Defence HQ is not doing this because we think the Fulani are the culprit. We are not after the Fulani. That is why we are saying the people should leave so that we can take out these criminals and terrorists. I repeat, we are not out to wipe out the Fulani.”

Plan, operations
On what would be done in terms of compensation for property belonging to the communities damaged in the event of an assault, Iruonagbere said: “We are a professional force that have been involved in peacekeeping operations in many parts of the world and we are bound by international rules relating to operations.

“That is why we are not using enormous but minimum force involving light weapons. So there is no need to destroy property. Ordinarily, by going to this length to explain what we plan to do, we have compromised the operations, but the kind of terrorist threat we are facing in Plateau State is an unusual threat.”

Good then. However I couldn't help noticing the extent to which the Nigerian army is going to explain this operation. I hope it is not because this involves the fulani. For the first time in Nigeria, I'm seeing a professional military acting in accordance with international best practices. Let this conduct mark the military's attitude towards other parts of Nigeria.

Obiagu1: I completely disagree with you. We can't take the back door or like you said "doctrine of necessity" to solve social issues. First of all, Nigeria has a constitution and every Nigerian has the right to reside wherever he chooses without fear. It's incessant failure of the government to resolve the issue that's the problem not the Fulanis. Fulanis need grassing lands, farmers need farmlands. It's not beyond the government to forbid Fulanis from grassing in certain areas, but they should be provided by law where to grass legally.


Good you brought up Hausa vandals in the North, Alayes in Lagos and Igbos. Just a simple scenario to put this straight, assuming the Hausa vandals continue pillaging Igbo businesses in the North and the Igbos decides that enough is enough and decides to even initiate the first attack without waiting to be attacked first. What happens when the situation gets out of control like it is in Jos and the Igbos hitting the Hausas really bad? Will the Igbos be sacked from the North? Should the Igbos always wait to be killed first before they attack because they are settlers or mugus?

As an Igbo, this is a very dangerous precedence. Our government should do their job. How many killers have they arrested and prosecuted?

Theoretically you are right that the government is not doing enough, but practically, this may be one of the FEW options left to the government. Remember that Nigerian constitution did not recognise "Acting President", but the "doctrine of necessity" was enacted by congress to allow that position which is how we got to where we are today.
All I know is that I cannot count the number of times Igbo have had to relocate from the North, from 1945 till date. The Nigerian government sometimes order shoot at sights to calm the situation (BTW I don't agree with that tactic), but that is what they do. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. As I write this, my brother in law (who is a medical doctor at ABUTH) is holed up at home in Kaduna unable to go to work or even move to the East.
That is Nigeria. It was like that in the 50, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s.
The Fulani should learn how to live in peace and how to take losses. We have been doing that since time immemorial in Nigeria. It is part of our own sacrifices to be Nigerians. The Fulani's sacrifice may be in the form of forced relocation. Nigeria would not be the first country to do that.

spyder880: There are thousands of plots of pure forest there. About 8 square kilometers of uninhabited bush land!

I have always stated that we have more lands than we need in Igboland.
Abagworo has been one of those spreading lies here that Igboland is small.

Thanks again for the picture bro. You are making us very proud with them.

ndu_chucks: Foolish Eze prescribing lawless,unconstitutional, and senseless military action to bring law abiding villagers under the control of Nigerian laws. SMH at turning logic upsidedown.

So, how else would the government bring the murdering tribe to compliance with the Nigerian laws?
Are Fulani the only settler group in Nigeria?

Your duplicity is rising to unprecedented levels these days.
You are one of the people urging the Nigerian security to shoot UNARMED MASSOB members, but you would take a contrary view when it comes to a group that is virtually at war with almost every host community in Nigeria.

My friend there is a level to which a human can descend in fatuity and still remain a human.
Stop descending!

Secondly, in all my reading of Nigerian history, I have never seen a Fulani lament the plight of Igbo who are forced to relocate to the East, even if they are being bombed or massacred, the fulani (from the most educated to the cow men) NEVER feel other people's pain and NEVER prognosticate a scenario where they are on the receiving end. Why should an Igbo person prognosticate a scenario that would NEVER- if followed logically- place us side by side these Fulani murderous group? We tend to dissipate our energies on things that can NEVER be our business while abandoning our own business.

I don't really agree with the logic behind the Ops point because there is an ON GOING Fulani vs everyone else war in different parts of Nigeria. It is even disingenuous to compare Fulani with other settler groups in different parts of Nigeria.

For years, Hausa vandals in the North and "Alaye" boys in Lagos have pillaged Igbo businesses and shops with Igbo only fighting back when they are INDIVIDUALLY (personally) threatened or killed.
That is not the same with Fulani who would attack and sack whole villages simply because ONE COW is killed by a villager. The story is the same in different part of Nigeria, from North to South to East to West.
What the Nigerian government is doing here is what I call "doctrine of necessity".

If all it takes to pacify and bring the Fulani under the control of Nigerian laws is this action, then I say FULL SPEED AHEAD FOLKS.

Let's complete the discussion on the constitution and then retire to the process of rationalization and reconciliation. After that we shall present the finished document here.
BTW our logo is still up for finishing.
We are almost done. Let's get it done.

Why do I have a strong urge for a chuckle? lol
Poetic justice.

Sam_Ikenna: I suggest we consider adopting one year as a full term for the office of our Eze with 4 terms as the constitutional limit for re-election. And for handover process, I think one of our brothers previously wrote that we elect a new Eze two months before the end of outgoing Eze's term - for continuity and smooth transfer of responsibilities, I believe its important that we choose that model.

For dissolution of ENYI, maybe we should let the imeobi decide that in council meetings, not everything should be out in the open for now. And for articles 7 and 9, I second Onlytruth's prayer to have them deliberated on in the council.

@First bolded, I totally agree my brother. One year is enough for any Eze that wants to make an impact here on Nairaland. Another issue is beginning to arise though, and that issue is the "defined" and "complete" role of the Eze Ndigbo Nairaland in ENYI as a movement. In the interim, he doubles as the figure head of ENYI for now, but let us bear in mind that ENYI is not the same as Ndigbo Nairaland. ENYI is far bigger and wider: ENYI is being created by Ndigbo Nairaland of course, but when we start operations offline, ENYI then assumes a far bigger and wider role. So Eze Ndigbo Nairaland may not have enough time to run ENYI and still comment here on a regular basis. So, when we get to the stage of constitutional "reconciliation" (if you like), then we the council members will have to deal with this issue in-house, and then present it to our people here. If they don't like it, they can defeat it by calling for a simple vote.
Umunna, I hope I'm not going completely off course with this thought.

@Second bolded, yes I completely recall our agreement on that. It is a settled issue.

@Third bolded, I second it completely.

remark D: If a third person is needed to "second" the notion, then i vote in favor of the notion to have the council determine sections 7 & 9, but with one thing to add...majority of members will have to review or agree before what the council suggests is approved. Power belongs to the people! (Uhh that doesn't sit well in my ears in this context... so power belongs to ENYI!)

I agree with the bolded. A simple majority would suffice though. Democracy is the bedrock of Igbo culture and we should encourage that culture in the whole East and in Nigeria.

Moderator PointB

I move that we deal with Article 7 -Terms of Office, Elections and Removal from office in the council. I don't think anyone would object to what we decide afterall we are not paying yet. IMHO, this section will be reasonably expected to come alive if folks start paying.
Ihe ruo na ego, onye obula eteta n'ura! hehe.
For now, the council will have to make the call.
So, in essence, both Article 7 & 9 may need to be handled simultaneously. I am open to any contrary view.

My brothers, thanks for all your focus and commitment. We are almost nearing the end of this process. I am very proud of us all.

Moderator PointB, thanks for a great job collating and streamlining the whole document so far. You did it excellently.
Yes I agree that Articles 7 and 9 are very crucial. I really would like our people here to say what they wish to happen with terms of office and removal from office. When we start paying, of course all paid members will decide how their money should be spent. So brothers, please say how you want tenures of officials to run, else we the cabinet members may have to draw up what we think is the best, and you may or may not like it.
So, let's hear your opinions now. I personally would prefer that the whole process ends before the end of next week (Weekend of July 20).

I will be back to comment more. Still doing some reading for now.

@PointB, I think we should complete this as soon as possible so that we can move on to more urgent tasks at hand. The conclusion should allow us to move on. So, let's get it done.

FACE: Thanks for the compliment. This process is not very different from policy writing, which I have done in my areas of interest for large and small organisations. Once, I was discussing an issue with an architect and he asked me if I was sure of what I was saying when I referred to policy and I said; "we wrote the policy".

Guys, we have been sent to the 3rd page; let us hurry up and get this done and start real work.

Endorsed!