Northern Nigeria

By Lawi Auwal Yusuf

The Tsangaya system in northern Nigeria started more than a century ago. It is a traditional and informal system of Islamic education where male children are taken to a far place from home to memorise the Qur’an and study other religious books. This will help them to concentrate more on their studies than in the comfort of their homes. They can be seen in every part of the region, and they mostly come from rural areas and are predominantly taken to the cities, while some come from neighbouring countries.

It has taken a parallel dimension in the last decades as there has been a massive influx of these young children into the urban areas.

This rural-urban migration is exacerbated by rising poverty in the countryside, dilapidated infrastructures, unemployment, rising cost of living and a corresponding decline in the standard of living. Moreover, monetisation of the rural economy, desertification, effects of climate change and lack of social amenities worsen the situation.

Similarly, this mass movement has its repercussions on the metropolitan areas such as overcrowding, squalor housing and homelessness, poverty, the spread of diseases, starvation, poor sanitation, joblessness, criminal activities and fanaticism.

The pitiful and awful plight of these vulnerable children, including minors of about five, is very sorrowful, disheartening, and sympathetic. These oppressed kids below the legal age of responsibility and accountability roam in nooks and crannies of cities hungrily begging for food wearing tattered, shabby and ragged clothes without shoes in the scorching heat. They wander from house to house, in marketplaces, on the streets, motor parks/stations, mosques, traffic intersections and social gatherings in search of livelihood. They scavenge through refuse and garbage, looking for food and other valuable materials. These miserable children sleep on the roadsides, under bridges, marketplaces, uncompleted buildings and other unfortunate places under intense bites of mosquitoes and other insects.

Moreover, they defecate in the open as there are no toilets to use. They equally lack access to safe drinking water, prophylaxes, vaccines and immunisations that can help to prevent them against dangerous diseases.

Some of them are not much acquainted with their parents, siblings and other extended family members. They know little about their hometowns. They depart home when they are too young and are rarely visited or go home to reunite with their families, while others never return. Some years ago, I overheard one of them narrating his ordeal that there were only two rooms in their mud house. One was for the parents and the other for the children. The father wanted to marry a second wife while there was no vacant room to accommodate the bride. So he enrolled them in Tsangaya school and arranged the children’s room for her. This is why tribal and political bigots revile and vilify the Northerners on this savage and barbaric behaviour.

These filthy children are left to fend for themselves as no one cares about them. Everyone abandons them. They do not get the psychological support, love and affection of their parents and the bond of kinship ties. They live their entire unwholesome lives away from home. In addition, they also fall victim to child labour, exploitation and abuse. Hence, the teachers and other older co-students ruthlessly maltreat the younger ones and confiscate the food and money they get.

They have equal rights to benefit from the state resources and the public treasury like every citizen. They have equal rights with the children of the so-called prominent personalities, the President, governors, ministers, lawmakers and traditional rulers whose kids are taken to Europe and America to study. They also have the rights to normal life, adequate healthcare, decent shelter, and qualitative education with the requisite skills to make them marketable in the labour market and equal opportunities. Unfortunately, they have been deprived of these constitutional rights and are treated in their fatherland as sub-humans.

In their teenage, they spend much of their time on the course of their subsistence than their studies. Therefore, only a few of them receive the desired education. The unfortunate ones grow up without adequate knowledge, socialisation, professional training, and skills that necessitate them to wander the street and do menial jobs. Appallingly, some end up in theft, mugging, thuggery, drug dealing/addiction, sexual and other street offences.

It is very irritating that these vibrant, vigorous and exuberant youths are not made very productive to our nation. It vexes me to see them idle, redundant and wandering freely without a specific purpose or destination. Had they been adequately trained and made more productive to the society, they would have become professionals in different fields and therefore facilitate its development. It would have been more advanced than it is now. Sadly, all the intelligence, talent and youthful exuberance are being squandered negligently and not made helpful for their benefit and the whole society.  This is why Nigeria still lags behind its peers.

This mindlessness of the Nigerian authorities resulted in the December 1980 fracas in Kano. Maitatsine took advantage of this and brainwashed thousands of his students into extremism and fundamentalism. The conflict, which lasted for almost three weeks, put the city at an impasse and led to the loss of nearly 5,000 lives, including Maitatsine himself and enormous property worth millions were destroyed. The survived students initiated another tumultuous disturbance in the subsequent years, whereas in Bulumkuttu, Maiduguri and Kaduna in October 1982, over 3,000 lives were lost. Other riots broke out in Yola in 1984, where over 1,000 people were killed, and more than 60,000 people were displaced. And it also took place in Gombe in 1985.  

Furthermore, Boko Haram is more destructive, disastrous, and catastrophic that analysts see as an offshoot of the Maitatsine sect re-emerged with similar ideologies, putting the country in a war for more than a decade. Maiduguri has the largest concentration of these students, where you can find a Tsangaya school with thousands of students. Since the beginning of their offensive attacks in 2009, tens of thousands of lives were lost, and more than 2.3 million people were displaced, and roughly 250,000 fled to the neighbouring countries. The Global Terrorism Index declared it the world’s deadliest terror organisation in 2010. They have engaged in mass kidnappings of innocent civilians, including schoolgirls in Dapchi and Chibok and aggravated famines and food insecurity.  

The government should reinvigorate the Nigerian educational system to meet international standards. Similarly, there is a need to introduce an integrated educational system that will completely uproot the dichotomy between Islamic and Western education that will correspond with our religion and culture. A system that will give room for the memorisation of the Qur’an, Islamic subjects alongside the other conventional subjects to be acceptable to all. This was what Muslim countries like Sudan, Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and many others have done. A similar provision should be put in place for Christians to be fair and just to all. In addition, primary education should be entirely free, compulsory and accessible to all.  

The governments at all levels should make genuine efforts to eradicate poverty in the villages, combat desert encroachment and revamp agriculture which will help tremendously improve the income of the rural dwellers. And also provide adequate and effective infrastructures and social amenities to make their lives better and easier.

Apart from all these, the government should urgently evacuate and return them all to their homes and enact a statute that will be strictly and rigorously enforced outlawing this incessant desertion. The legislation should also oblige the parents to be responsible for their children’s custody, supervision, and safekeeping.

There is a difference between a man and a father. The latter is a title of birth and guard. So, it is natural to take up the mandate; it is unnatural not to.

Lawi Auwal Yusuf writes from Kano, Nigeria. He can be reached via laymaikanawa@gmail.com.

By Muhammad Sabiu

The Nigeria Police Force, in conjunction with local vigilantes, has on Monday succeeded in killing an infamous bandits’ leader in Niger State.

According to some media reports, the bandits’ leader, identified as Jauro Daji, was killed alongside other members loyal to him in the Kontagora axis of the State.

“It was the combined team of policemen and local vigilantes that killed Jauro Daji and score of his bandits who were on a mission to abduct innocent persons at a village.

“The notorious Jauro Daji who is suspected to be involved in attacks on villages and schools led other armed bandits in large numbers on motorcycles.

“The operation was successfully executed on Monday between Gulbin Boka to Dogon Fadama area under Kontagora Local Government Area. We also recovered ten motorcycles.

“We have recruited the services of local divers to retrieve the weapons some bandits who escaped with their corpses threw into the river,” an intelligence source told PRNigeria.

Niger State has also recently been badly hit by bandits’ incessant attacks, which saw many people killed and students in their hundred kidnapped.

Aishatu Aliyu

The Kano state Drugs and Medical Consumable Supply Agency has trained 80 students on mandatory industrial practical training at its office.

Presenting certificates at the graduation ceremony of the training, the Director-General of the Agency, Pharmacist Husham Imamiddeen, tasked the students to utilise their skills.

He said, “Amongst the responsibilities of the Drugs Medical Consumable Supply Agency is the production of qualitative and Affordable Drugs to the people of Kano State.”

The DG also stated that the Agency has a quality control unit, whereby tests were conducted before the release of drugs.

Pharmacist Imamudeen added that the students conducted their mandatory six months training on quality control, after which they were certified.

The trainees then commended the Agency for equipping them with the acquired skills and support during the training period.

By Garba Sidi

It’s well-known that the Jigawa State government paid half of the registration fee to its indigenes each year. That’s how any governor in this state inherited it and continued it. Still, unfortunately, the present governor, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, came with some injustice in this matter of scholarship. For three years, the money has not been paid.

The government conducted a screening exercise on 28/01/2021. However, after five months, they selected only three schools within the state and disbursed the money to some students, not all and stop till now. Then, they went on to the media and announced that they gave scholarships to all Jigawa state students. It is an injustice.

Sadly all these injustices that happened, neither the Jigawa state assembly nor the commissioner of education uttered a word about the matter. While students are suffering from poverty, and some even dropped their studies because of registration fees. Those House of Assembly members and commissioner of education are busy taking their children abroad to study in expensive schools.

Unfortunately, it looks like there is no Students Union Government in this state. This is because the Union has failed to discharge its responsibility to fight for students’ welfare. Unfortunately, the acting president of this Union is busy travelling from Kano to Katsina, and others state fulfilling the mission of another group he joined some time ago.

Days ago, leaders of Jigawa state schools’ chapters visited the state capital, Dutse. They met with Special Advisor on students matter on this issue of scholarship. His reaction was, if students protest, the government will not ever give scholarships to any indigenes of Jigawa state. That typically showed students have no freedom to struggle for their rights as the constitution of Nigeria gives to anybody.

May Allah bless us with good leaders.

Garba Sidi wrote from Jagawa State. He can be reached via sidihadejia@gmail.com.

By Abdullahi Adamu Faggo

There is nothing which, indisputably, guarantees peace and harmonious existence than justice. Justice alone can end banditry, kidnappings, communal clashes and ethno-religious crises, amongst others. A lack of it espouses the notion of reprisals, retaliation, and jungle justice within the affected areas. It allows marauding hoodlums, bandits and thugs to unleash an onslaught on equanimous, meek and defenceless communities. 

Islam promotes justice, provides practical solutions to lingering and inexorable brawls in different communities. Therefore, I expect that any perspicacious and sagacious leader/follower will accept that justice is the only mechanism that protects the inalienable right of everyone, guards against the plundering of properties by brigands and prevents the inviolable souls from being attacked. 

Further, most incessant attacks on various communities continue to linger because the culprits, accomplices, and syndicates usually go scot-free. For example, the recent attack on innocent Muslim commuters in Rukuba, Jos, where suspected disgruntled Christian militias killed about 28 of them in cold blood, unchallenged. The incident has portrayed the level of lawlessness and injustice in our society. Likewise, atrocities committed by some Muslim/Christian herders on both Christian and Muslim communities are also part of the examples of dominant and pervasive injustice by our leaders for deliberately refusing to bring the malefactors to book for justice to prevail.

In contrast, the system of justice, which was both advocated by Jesus and Muhammad (may Allah be pleased with them both), ensures proper retribution for the wronged, the subjugated, the oppressed and defenceless citizens. Exultantly, this system was the one that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) used to end the sustained hostility and animosity between Al-Aws and Al-Kazraz, who happened to be the archenemies of one another.

Thus, when Prophet (SAW) migrated to Madina, he signed a treaty between them (Aws and Kazraj), Muhajirun (immigrants) and even non-Muslim allies. This had provided lasting solutions that brought about peace and harmony between them. Below is part of the treaty they gave credence to in the presence of SAW, as contained in Ar-Rahiq Al-Maktoum:

1. They should resist and stand against injustice or seek to appropriate something unfairly, encroaches upon or causes mischief among believers;
2. They all should stand against one who does so even if he were one of their offspring;
3. If one kills a believer intentionally and there is evidence for that, he will be retaliated in like, unless the family of the slain person pardons him;
4. All believers are to take a stand against him;
5. A believer is not allowed to advocate or give shelter to an initiator of evil or troublemaker. 

If our society today will adhere to these teachings, extrajudicial killings will indubitably come to a standstill.

Abdullahi Adamu Faggo is an academic staff at the Bauchi State University, Gadau. He can be reached via abdullahiadamufaggo@gmail.com.

By Abdullahi A Alkasim

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State frees 3,717 inmates of Correctional Centres in Kano from 2015 to 2021, all in an effort to decongest these Centres, as requested by President Muhammadu Buhari a few years back. The President urged state governors to help decongest Correctional Centres nationwide.

He made the disclosure when he received, in a courtesy call, members of the Presidential Committee on Correctional Centres Reform and Decongestion, at his office, Thursday, under the Chairmanship of Justice Ishaq Bello.

“President Muhammadu Buhari thought it right when he called for the decongestion of our Correctional Centres. Looking at the happenings in those Centres. That, we should respect life and we should have hope in our inmates,” he stated.

He disclosed that “We adopted two major strategies to answer the call of President Muhammadu Buhari, for decongesting Correctional Centres.

We put in place the Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, under which we release inmates two times a year. All during Sallah festivities. Sallah-El-Fitr and Sallah-El-Kabir. So far we have released 3,717 inmates from 2015 to date.

We paid for them, fees they were not able to pay that landed them in those Centres. We also give them transport money after they regained freedom. We recruit some of them in the state civil service.

We are also keen on the administration of justice. Many at times it is not all about releasing those inmates, but we still have a greater percentage of those in these Centres as awaiting trials individuals.”

Justice Bello, who led the Committee, commended governor Ganduje’s “…demonstration of interest and passion when it comes to issues of justice.”

Explaining to the governor, “We have gotten into files and received cases today when over 28 people regained freedom.”

“Furthermore it is crucial to mention that with the support of the Kano state government, the Committee was able to secure the release of about 368 inmates from various correctional centres in Kano state at the of the first visit,” he disclosed.

On a day like this, three decades ago, Taraba State was created from the defunct Gongola State. Unarguably, one of the most promising states at the time of creation.  Being the third-largest state in Nigeria in terms of landmass, most of it being overly fertile. There is hardly a crop that grows in Nigeria that does not grow well in Taraba. In fact, many thrive best here.

While I cannot call myself an Agriculturist, I certainly know one or two things about farming being someone who is very proud of this profession and has had experiences that will forever remain green in my mind because of Agriculture. I am extremely passionate about Agriculture. I know the potentials that we have in Taraba. Unfortunately, states with far fewer potentials than Taraba have harnessed theirs and not Taraba for one reason or the other. 

Taraba state has tourist potentials that are unmatched in this country. It is aptly described as “Nature’s gift to the Nation”. As a result, we have some of the most beautiful places anyone can contemplate or dream of visiting in Nigeria. Travelling from: Sardauna to Zing, Ibi to Karim Lamido, Ussa to Yorro, Kurmi to Gassol. In fact, across the length and breadth of Taraba, all one sees is one of the most breathtaking scenery you can find in Nigeria.

The lush green countryside, amazing mountains, wonderful waterfalls, and sonorous birds give sounds that you may not be wrong to call music. Since my elementary music teacher taught me that music is the arrangement of sounds that are pleasant to the ears. On a serious note,  you have to fall in love with nature once in Taraba State; of course, I have done that. One has to. Taraba is that special: you can’t escape it.

Sadly, this has not translated to much development. I weep whenever I visit towns, villages, and hamlets in Taraba. I weep not only for the abundant natural resources being exploited but that should and would have been utilised for the benefit of all and the growing distrust and polarised nature of my dear state. Here are people who have refused to unite to defeat their common enemies: poverty, violence, unemployment, underdevelopment, drug abuse, kidnapping, etc. This shouldn’t be our reality.

Whoever fans the embers of disunity is not a good human being, to begin with, let alone being a good and responsible Taraban whether one is: a traditionalist, a Muslim, or a Christian. For God’s sake, we have all suffered for our failure to rise above prejudice, hate and do the needful for our dear state. We disappointedly all continue to play blame-games, while everything is ruined before our very eyes. Tarabans have to think and rethink whatever approach we have been using over the years have left a lot to be desired.

The truth is that we are all in this together. I know this for a fact because I get to mingle with Tarabans from all walks of life. My friend Jerry in Jalingo is no less a victim than my friend Ado in Yelwa, Sardauna local government. The old man I met in Dakka, Bali, local government struggling even at old age to feed his family is not different from the ones I meet in my hometown or any place I visit in Taraba.

The public primary schools in Jalingo, the state capital, don’t look much different from the ones in Borno Kurukuru, in Bali local government; the ones in Pantisawa In Yorro LGA and the ones in Kufai, Gassol local government, or anywhere in Taraba state. The difference is that some of our teachers do extraordinary things to nurture children that can become responsible citizens against all odds. So today, I pay tribute to our teachers and all those who defy all odds to develop our state. Thank you so much for your sacrifice and service to our dear State. 

The plain truth is that we are all victims in one or the other. Whether we agree or not, whatever faith we profess or the party we support. A selected few benefit in any state that constituted authorities have failed to live up to their responsibilities, and most of the time, even those that benefit the pleasure are ephemeral. 

We still have the opportunity to stem the tide and chart a new course for the only State we have and one that some of us love unconditionally. To change things for the better. But, we cannot do it alone. We must do it together: Christians, Muslims, and traditionalists. Until we unite, leaders or rulers will continue to exploit us and set us against one another. It is high time we commenced the building of a Taraba where merit matters and all Tarabans matter. A Taraba where things work and all that work hard within the ambit of the law can prosper without hindrance. A Taraba where the glass ceiling will be completely shattered. 

Happy 30th anniversary to my dear State, Taraba. You will be great despite all the apparent obstacles to stop that from coming to fruition no matter what happens. We will keep on trying until we get it right.

We today live in a state far more divided than ever. But I find solace that we still have good men and women from all parts of the state and of all religious beliefs who are sincerely ready to see a complete revamping of our dear State. These Tarabans give me hope. For just like me, most of them do not have a bean and have no political goals to pursue rather a whole state, and indeed, nation to build. 

I see hope boldly written on the face of my friend Jerry, a barber whose dream is to one day be a big employer of labour despite his financial constraints today. I  find strength in the words of my friend Abdulhamid who supports his family with the little that he has while working relentlessly with little dependence on the government.  

I know God willing things can and will change when Caleb, an ex-drug addict who has turned over a new leaf, advocates for peace and works towards our unity. Likewise, I believe we can change for the better when Zakiru freely works to better society and seeks success against all odds. Yes, Zakiru with even some hilarious jokes to it. 

I have no reason to believe things will continue the manner they are today, forever because of the realities of the moment. I know we can change. Although, the time is entirely dependent on how ready we are for that to happen as Tarabans. 

Today, I urge us all to mull over our challenges as a state. I plead with you all to reflect sincerely and see how we can all join hands to build the state that should be the envy of every state in the country because of our resources, which I know, once we get it right, Taraba will be the perfect example of how to move Nigeria forward being a state that can correctly be described as a mini Nigeria, with all that is inherent therein Nigeria. We must not fail our dear state as Tarabans; we have to stop failing this beautiful State now. 

Happy 30th anniversary Taraba State. God bless Taraba State, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani wrote from Turaki B, Jalingo, Taraba State.

Ibrahim Yahaya

A proverbial Hausa dictum states that ‘If you see your neighbour’s beard go in flames, you should wet yours’. For instance, this can be simplified to mean that if you notice the car in front of you crash because of high speed, you should apply the brakes. Emphasis is on being cautious and proactive at all times. But that was not the case with the people of Niger State, at least in terms of action as Kaduna went ablaze.

When news broke out about the hike in tuition fees in Kaduna State, the internet went agog, followed by public uproar and protests. And…. as you would expect, nothing more than grouses here and there as parents were forced to comply with the increment or keep their wards outside the walls of the varsity.

The decision stood, despite the opposition, protests, and ‘aluta gra-gra‘. But, like an infectious disease, it has now spread its tentacles to the neighbouring Niger State. So much for solidarity, eh?

In the cold hours of Wednesday, 4th August 2021, another shocker hit the public space. This time, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, followed suit in the tuition hike competition, with a staggering increment somewhat above 150%!

Where do we go from here?

The students are confused. The parents and guardians are even more so. There is fear that there would be a repeat of Kaduna State which appears to be the vanguard in the hiking tournament.

Agreed, education is expensive. But the same ought to be made affordable in the interest of social growth and development. No society prospers on gargantuan illiteracy, and none ever will. So, isn’t it ironical that a region (North) already struggling with many out of school persons and abject under-development is striving so hard to make education unaffordable? Does it make any sense?

For the umpteenth time, where do we go from here?

How can a state deem it fit to impose above 150% increment in tuition fee where the same state is struggling to meet the minimum wage mandate? For a while now, this same state has failed to pay 100% salary, for God’s sake. Look at Borno State, for instance; it is a region blighted by insecurity, yet they pay wages in full when due and equip their educational institutions with state of the art facilities without resorting to milk the lot on educational grounds. So what is wrong with Niger State, please?

It wouldn’t be long before conspiracy theories begin to fly here and there, justifiably. And, don’t be shocked to see the lot argue that an agenda is being pursued to deny the poor access to education despite it (education) being a fundamental human right. It is bad enough that graduates roam the streets without meaningful jobs. But, I hate to think of a scenario where those roaming the streets are aggrieved students compelled to drop out of school due to ill-advised policy/policies by those in the corridors of power.

Now that the fire has reached Niger State, our neighbours should better wet their “bear-bear” by supporting them to help persuade the government to reverse this increment.

This fire should be extinguished here and now!

Yahaya Ibrahim can be reached via yahayaibrahim006@gmail.com.

By Ahmadu Shehu, PhD.

It is generally considered an impossible hyperbole when the current trajectory of ethnic profiling against the Fulani people in Nigeria is linked with the road to Kigali. But, except something drastic is done, for most dispassionate observers, this is as sure as the sun rises from the east. Therefore, as Mbororo (i.e. a herdsman), I write from experience to call the attention of Nigeria and the world to the danger facing not only the Fulani but also millions of Nigerians who look like them. With this article, I hope to save the world from escapism and blame-game when our negligence eventually allows the deed.

Let me quickly disabuse the minds of my audience. I do not stand for any criminal, regardless of ethnic, religious or regional background. I do not also hold excuses, whatsoever, for any form of criminality. However, the world needs to understand that the unfolding events in Nigeria are beyond ordinary and are very alarming, even intimidating for every Fulani person of whatever background and socioeconomic status. We are all sinking into a dark hole, scared of what tomorrow may hold for our children or us for simply being Fulani and herders.    

The Rwandan, Bosnian and Burmese genocides, and indeed the worst human tragedies in history, such as the Holocaust in Europe, are all events no one anticipated as possible outcomes of “simple” stereotypes, ethnic and social profiling. For instance, when the Rwandan actors of genocide characterised the Tutsis as cockroaches, not even the victims of that profiling imagined that they were meant to be crushed and eliminated like cockroaches without a drop of human sympathy. But such is the power of language. Its control over our minds and worldviews means that our emotions and worldly experiences are conceptualised, i.e. conceived, and coded, i.e. expressed, based on metaphors that underlie our bodily experiences. This is the subject of Conceptual Metaphor theory[1]. 

The world looked on as the influential media of Nazi Germany propagated hateful stereotypes against the Jews, poisoning the minds of the majority, providing a fertile ground for the emergence of one of the most despicable men in history, Adolf Hitler, as the Chancellor of Germany. Coming to power under these circumstances, Hitler had all he needed to implement his long-desired goal of “cleansing Europe” from the Jews.

It began by implementing bigoted policies, such as boycotting Jewish businesses and isolating the Jewish population in segregated ghettos, followed by the policy of extermination fondly described as “the solution to the Jewish question” in Europe. The so-called “Jewish question” tells you that Jews were objectified, problematised and removed entirely from the human society of Europe. It went to the extent that most people saw them as a nuisance, a source of their problems, and therefore, unsympathetic to their course. Today, there is seemingly a sad “question of the Fulani problem” in Nigeria, on which the dubious media and politicians thrive.

Today’s Nigeria is to a Fulani what Rwanda of the 1990s was to a Tutsi. The prerequisites for the looming disaster have been met and are consistently, persistently and comprehensively being propagated, promoted and disseminated. Of this, the world must not claim ignorance. Despite their historical contributions to the Nigerian and African civilisations, the economic value chains they have helped sustain and subsidise for centuries, the scholarship they have institutionalised on the continent, and their passionate, patriotic contributions in the creation and growth of this entity called Nigeria, the Fulani are today being commodified and dehumanised in deliberate ethnic profiling.

Like the Jews in Europe, Fulani folks are the herders of Nigeria, holding the largest share in the country’s livestock sector. Unfortunately, this cultural means of livelihood has fallen under persistent attacks and other bigoted attempts to impoverish the herding population. Once the most prosperous, most self-reliant and wealthy in northern Nigeria, millions of the Fulani people have become destitute, impoverished by the twin evils of bad governance and climate change. The results of this are apparent: many have turned to criminality as means of survival. Instead of treating the root causes of this menace, the Nigerian governments at all levels have resorted to criminalising every Pullo and whoever that looks like “them”.  

At every checkpoint of the Nigerian security agencies, one demography is a primary target: The Fulani. The state that has deliberately refused to educate and enlighten them, despite being the highest tax-paying single ethnic group, has turned its security agencies into lions that hunt and extort these vulnerable citizens without discrimination. Police stations, prisons and other detention centres around this country are filled with innocent, young Fulanis without being charged or tried.

The results of this indiscriminate maltreatment are blanket distrust, anxiety and hopelessness that eventually provide the basis for these people to see no reason to abide by the law. Such people are hardened and no longer fear the law, for whatever the law was to do against them for being criminals have been meted against them as innocent citizens. They have lost their livelihood and now their dignity. They have nothing to lose for being a criminal or even a terrorist. This natural law of social injustice applies to all human beings, regardless of ethnic, religious or other backgrounds. 

Similar policies to those deployed to ensure the exclusion of Jews and their final settlement into ghettos designed for their final extermination have long been propagated in Nigeria. It is no coincidence that ethnic warlords who gained political power in Plateau and other middle-belt states in 1999 orchestrated the indigene–settler dichotomy deeply rooted in the hatred for peace-loving neighbouring ethnic groups, perceived as prosperous minorities.

False stories of dominance have been normalised and entrenched in the minds of unsuspecting innocent citizens for political purposes. This deliberate and dangerous xenophobia have plunged these areas into endless ethnoreligious crises, animosities and restlessness. The far more dangerous outcome from this is the reactionary tendencies that have continued to be the basis for the emergence of ethnic chauvinists and bigots as leaders, ala Jonah Jang and that buffoon called Samuel Ortom, the governor of Benue State.

The decades of cattle route blockades across the country has confided herders, who are mostly the disadvantaged category of the Fulani people, to the deserts. More than anyone else, livestock herders cannot do without water and green vegetation. Those are the only sources of livelihood for their stock and subsequently their only means of subsistence and culturally the essence of their lives. But, of course, a country such as Nigeria that cannot help cater for its human population may not be expected to care for its environment – forests, waterways, trees, vegetation have all disappeared, leaving us on drylands. These social and ecological factors have pushed millions of Nigerians whose livelihoods depend on the livestock to possible extinction. I will show you how.

My father had three herds of cattle and two of sheep. Each pack was around 70 to 80 heads of cattle. Each cattle would approximately sell for 80 – 100 thousand naira. Do the math. From the late ’80s to the early 2000s, less than ten cattle were left in my extended family. Add this to family growth and needs. Now you can imagine! Our family had moved thousands of kilometres through these years, from Maini in Niger to Dapci in Yobe, up to the Mambilla Plateau, down to Banyo, Doualayel in Cameroon, and finally Mamukan in Jada LGA, all in search of pastures to nurture the cattle.

With everything lost to the criminal state actors, ethnic discords, climate change and economic instability, an ever-growing family of four is now over twenty and can no longer sustain its only means of livelihood. Sad as this may sound, my story is humane and less tragic than what the herders go through today. The rate at which herders lose their means of subsistence is alarming. By a stroke of a police pen or at gunpoint by cattle rustlers or kidnappers, a Fulani may lose everything he ever worked for to escape detention or rescue himself or his loved ones. Why are we surprised at the natural consequences of this cruelty?       

What has been discussed so far may seem to be based on the unintended consequences of a dysfunctional state, corruption, population explosion, climate change, and the failure of the Nigerian state to implement developmental and social programs for its citizens, which arguably affect all citizens, albeit disproportionately. However, the resulting crises have provided fertile ground and ample opportunity for bigoted politicians to seize power and deliberately formulate and implement desperate, dangerous, racist, chauvinistic policies aimed at ethnic cleansing of the herders’ population. Mind you, herders, not Fulani population, for now, because the road to Kigali is systematic. This is the subject of the second part of this essay.        

Dr Ahmadu Shehu is a nomad cum herdsman, an Assistant Professor at the American University of Nigeria, Yola, and is passionate about the Nigerian project. You can reach him at ahmadsheehu@yahoo.com.

[1] If you are interested in the details of this theory, read Lakoff & Johnson, 1980.

By Muhammad Sabiu

The Hausa-speaking community on social media, especially Facebook and Twitter, is today celebrating World Hausa Day for the seventh time.

However, Nigeria’s Twitter ban early this year has reduced much of the day’s celebration on the microblogging site.

The day was first introduced and celebrated in 2015, courtesy of concerned social media users such as Jamila Kabiru Fagge, Abdulbaki Jari, Bashir Ahmad, Salihu Tanko Yakasai, Faisal Abdullahi, Ila Bappa, Maryam Ado, others. The objective was to promote the Hausa language, its development and the challenges it faces as one of the major languages in West Africa.

The day allows Hausa users to come up and post witty Hausa sayings and make corrections as to how the language is used in conformity with its orthographical rules.

Hausa is one of the most spoken languages in Africa. It is spoken in about 30 African countries, with over 100 million speakers.

The language gathers momentum each day as several renowned media organisations broadcast in it. For example, media houses like the BBC, VOA, DW, Radio France International and the like broadcast in the Hausa language.

However, some social media users lament some challenges that the Hausa language and its people face today.

For example, Nurudeen Dauda wrote the following in his article: “Our people almost regarded begging as [a] profession. All well-meaning Hausas should and or must make [a] serious effort towards discouraging our people from begging. After all, we are not the only people suffering from poverty in Nigeria. It is among all!”