2019: We are yet to endorse a presidential candidate —Miyetti Allah

Two weeks ago, the national organ of Miyetti Allah rose from a meeting with no clear decision on who to endorse for the 2019 elections. Have you taken a position now?

Yes, we had our national association meeting recently where each state presented its report, including their challenges. You will agree with me that the problem of the Fulani in Benue State is different from that of Sokoto and other states. In some, their challenge is problem of kidnapping. In others, it is cattle rustling and so on.

On the issue of endorsement, my visit to Sokoto is part of our nationwide consultation with our members to review each state disposition to our cause and plights and sensitise them ahead of our decision to endorse a preferred candidate that would be based on our aggregate opinion.

My visit to Sokoto has also enabled me to interact with the chairman and members of Miyetti Allah. I heard their problems and challenges, and got first hand information on what the state government is doing for the benefits of the Fulani race.

Prior to the 2015 elections, when the presidential contest was between a Fulani and a non-Fulani, you endorsed former President Goodluck Jonathan. Why is it taking you this long, even with two Fulani as strong contenders?

It is true we endorsed former President Goodluck Jonathan. And the reason we did that was that we were already in love with him to the extent that we made him our patron.

Let me emphasize here, Fulani people don’t double-deal. That is why we endorsed Jonathan. The reason we are yet to endorse anyone between the two leading candidates is that we are yet to see or hear from any of them, their plans and programmes for the Fulani.

Fulani herdsmen don›t need electricity. The only thing we need is grazing land. Up to this moment, none of the leading candidates is saying anything about the Fulani or how they want to solve farmers/herders’ clashes.

Be assured that the Fulani have their PVCs and we shall surely mobilise and vote against all those in government that cannot protect our interest.

Does it not bother you that your members are labelled as the tormentors in clashes with farmers?

What people term as incessant clashes between herders and farmers are the handiwork of desperate politicians who always want to escalate mere misunderstanding to score cheap political points, even at the expense of their people.

Fulani love peace, having in mind that it is under peaceful atmosphere that their business can thrive. I will buttress this with two instances. In Taraba State, the Fulani have had their cattle colony for ages. They already have their own grazing land and during a senseless attack which had nothing to do with herders/farmers clash, hundreds of Fulani were killed.

In Benue State, the governor, as a result of his hatred for herdsmen, introduced and signed into law the anti-open grazing bill. That anti-open grazing law is political, anti-Fulani herdsmen and not intended to solve herders/farmers’ clash.

How does Miyetti Allah, as the umbrella body of Fulani herdsmen, regulate activities of Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria?

Regulate them as how?

How do you monitor their activities and movements to curtail the usual accusation by farmers that they overstep their bounds?

Let me tell you something, Fulani don’t have boundary. A typical Fulani doesn’t have a boundary. Fulani can migrate to Cameroon to rear their cows and come back. As I speak with you, no fewer than 20,000 of our members are outside the shores of Nigeria. And no matter how far they travelled, they would still come back.

In Benue alone, about 15,000 of our members have migrated to Cameroon and you can’t ask them not to go, since Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol has given everyone free movement across borders. You can’t say because you are a governor or you are somebody, you can install boundaries for a Fulani.

If governments can have census of its people, Why can’t Miyetti Allah have census in various states to help you to moderate and monitor your members?

Unfortunately, government is yet to recognise the importance of Fulani herders. As an association, we cannot conduct the census of herdsmen alone. All Miyetti Allah is doing is to protect our people and we are ready to support government at all levels to protect the interest of the Fulani. But they are not serious.

What form of recognition do you request from the government?

We have, through several media, asked the government to bring back our grazing reserve areas. I mean those gazetted and those not gazetted. Please, help us inform the government to let us go back to the era of grazing reserve.

As of the time we had gazetted international cattle routes, national and state cattle routes, herders/farmers’ clashes were alien to us. But where are the gazetted cattle routes now? Government has relegated the interest of Fulani to the back-ground. They are not providing anything, even to give them education. No place for them to settle.

How true is the story, sometime ago, that Miyetti Allah turned down Federal Government’s offer to create a grazing reserve?

Our Association is backing the call for grazing reserve, cattle colony or whatever name they call it; be it ranch or anything. We need them. We need a solution.

I just came to Sokoto and visited my people in Wurno and many other places. In the course of my interactions with them, their stories were pathetic. Their problems are worse than many those of other places. No single cattle route for their cows and that is how it is all over the country.

There were cattle grazing reserves for Fulani and their cattle. Why this sudden argument over ranching or cattle colony, when we had something similar? All government needs to do is prepare the place where Fulani were used to before.

•  2019: Resist vote selling, buying ― Bauchi guber candidate

Recently, the National Economic Council approved a grant of N5 billion to Kaduna State to develop ranches for herdsmen in the state. Are you giving assurance that this will bring solution to herders/farmers clashes?

Where are the ranches? Those on the pages of newspapers, on television screens or where? Anyway, we are waiting to see the ranches. We hope this is not another propaganda to divert attention from finding a lasting solution to this perennial problem.

Cattle rearing is a personal business. Why can’t individuals establish their ranches instead of waiting for government?

The people in government are intelligent. If we are now saying cattle rearing is personal business, why did they create grazing reserves for the Fulani since time immemorial? If farming is a personal business, why do governments at all levels keep giving farmers subsidy, seedlings and implements, whereas, 99.9 per cent of cows that we breed and consume in this country are by individual Fulani with no form of assistance from government? Despite all our efforts at moving up and down, in and out of this country, under the sun or in the rain, all we get is harassment and intimidation from those who would still benefit in the form of consumption of our cows.

If we direct our members to move out of the country, I can assure you that the economy of this country will collapse.

Since the Benue State governor signed the anti-open grazing bill into law, his major opponent in the All Progressives Congress (APC) has also vowed to strengthen the law, if he wins governorship election. What will be the fate of the Fulani in that state?

That Anti-Open Grazing Law by Governor Ortom was signed because he wanted to change party. He did not do enough for his people when he was in the APC. But the good thing is that the people in Benue are very educated. Governor Ortom could not confuse or convince them with this law. Even the Fulani are challenging the law in court because we cannot accept it. We are also telling our people that when they arrive Benue borders, they should be law-abiding and peaceful in their conduct. We are in court with Ortom.

For the candidate of the APC, I believe that if elected, he would be governor for all and not leader for only the Tiv people, because Benue comprises different ethnic groups with a rich history.

Fulani herdsmen, from time immemorial, reared their cows with sticks and cutlasses. At what point did herdsmen begin to carry arms and ammunition?

Fulani do not rear cattle with arms. I will want to leave it at that because, even President Muhammadu Buhari who has volumes of security reports on his table, has debunked this. This is mere propaganda that has not worked against migrant herdsmen.

When Boko Haram was all over the places, enemies of Fulani in this country were also trying to link Fulani with Boko Haram.

Thank God, the security agencies were working and doing what they should do by not linking any tribe or Fulani to Boko Haram. Instead of being deterred by this propaganda, Fulani will continue pursuing their livelihood under peaceful atmosphere.

We have seen instances where accidents occurred and people died and some people would just snap the photographs and post them on social media, saying it is Fulani that killed the people. This thing is happening all over.