Opinions

Still on herdsmen’s killings, hard wood plantation

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7 years ago

THE Bible says: “But know this that in the last days, perilous times will come, for men will be lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy (3) unholy, unforgiving, slanders, without self control, brutal, despisers of good, (4) traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (2nd Timothy chapter 1 vs 4. The word of God is what Nigeria needs today. The Usman Danfodio war of 1804-1809 retained the Fulani in Nigeria. They had already captured Kwara and Kogi states populated by Yoruba-speaking people and they had an edge. Today, nomadic herdsmen are trying to usurp the entire country to achieve their ulterior motives; this is why care must be taken. These people live mostly in the bush and I am not surprised that they are killing people. We should not allow them to overrun our communities.

I have a simple solution to curb their unfamiliar excesses. Fellow Nigerians, there are many fishes in the ocean. In Nigeria today, there are many that nature has forbidden from eating red meat. Those who comply are still living well. This is because there are numberless alternatives to beef. Let us boycott beef; this will leave us with meats like rabbits, snails, goats, bush meat, Guinea pigs, fishes, turkey, chicken and many others, to mention only a few. These are enough as substitutes to beef in Nigeria. They can be reared domestically and on a commercial basis. Their feeds are simple.

For the above and many other reasons, fellow Nigerians, we should not allow some inhuman agents to continue wasting the lives of innocent citizens in this beautiful country. The nomadic herdsmen have declared war on Nigeria. Before things degenerate further, let us borrow a leaf from the sage, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo, during the Civil War. He said, “who will be fighting a war with somebody and still be feeding him?” The currency was changed. We must so something. We can do away with beef.

On the other hand, within a short-time in this country, we shall be importing planks for building houses. We must by now be thinking of substitutes to planks in Nigeria. This is very glaring while travelling from Lagos to Oyo and Osun states; it is difficult to see any hardwood like Iroko, Arere, and mahogany trees. The Federal Government should address the issue of planting hardwood wherever they can thrive well. It’s a matter of urgency because timber takes a lot of time to grow; we cannot afford to be importing wood for our future constructions.