Fulani Nationalists Fighting A Lost Battle By Ojo Aderemi

All hegemonies are organic. They decay with time. Time, the master of everything except God, is powerful. The philosophy of domination has cost the Fulani a great deal of time and progress. The world does not stay on a position. If you stay on a position for too long as an organism, you will start to decay.

While southern ethnic groups adapt with international trade, the North keeps putting pressure on the national economy and relying on privileges. Privileges as we know it is not permanent. You must work to create wealth. Creativity is the key to the future.

I give you an example, how many non-southerners are in the top ranks of ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron and so on? Few. I do not know any. Only Yoruba, Igbo and other southern ethnic groups dominate those spaces.
What about the tech industry? Nollywood? The Nigerian diaspora.

Despite the preponderance of Northerners in national government since the ouster and murder of Aguiyi-Ironsi in 1966, the North has been retarded in terms of growth and progress. The North is the poverty capital of the world at 80% (percent) according to the World Bank, has the highest number of out-of-school-children. In addition is maternal mortality, banditry and conflicts.

The only 2 times there were major shifts in the North since 1966 was when Murtala Mohammed started building Abuja and when a southern president is there to initiate major projects in the region. Even Abuja businesses are almost completely dominated by businessmen and women of southern origin. Also out of egotism, there have been relentless plans to emasculate the projects Jonathan initiated. Almajiri boys are back on the streets. The forestation projects too is dead.

Please bear in mind that the North does not hate itself. That is not how to imagine it. But then the North is ruled by a dangerous cataclysmic mentality. The leaders (except a few) imagine fake realities, are self deceiving.

Goodluck Jonathan initiated a plan on checking desertification in Northern Nigeria. The Great Green Wall (GGW). Millions of trees were to be planted on the northern fringes of Nigeria. The trees would check the expansion of the Sahara desert. 100 billions (in naira) was spent on the project. It was launched in Bachaka, Arewa Local Government Area of Kebbi State in mid-2014.

The last thing I heard about the project is that, a satellite photograph taken from space to see the impact showed nothing. The money had been syphoned by those who would have benefited more from it.

The implication is an existential threat to the Fulani. One would think that forestation would be the centre of the policy of the Nigerien and Nigerian governments presently ruled by Fulani men. Again no.

Quick fact:
An equivalent of over 110,000 football fields of grassland disappear every year in Niger Republic. Every year. This has caused, and still causes displacement of herders many of whom abandon their countries in search for grasslands in droves. Some abandon herding all together. You may think the Fulani elites would think through solutions. No. They prefer building a railway from Katsina to Maradi.

The nationalist groups then turned their eyes on the Middle Belt and the South thinking a conquest is possible.

In the modern age, pastoral culture has no place. Domination philosophy is obsolete. Resistance to herdsmen attack is going to be successful in the South and Middle Belt. The appointing of only Fulani to juicy position is another recipe for disaster. It stiffles creativity. It blinds the youth whose only focus in life is government appointment instead of creativity.

Postscript:
Reality has, and will always humble a proud people. The age of humility has come. The founding fathers of the North did not plan well enough. A time comes when you modernise or perish. That time is now.

I come in peace.