John Tall Jukuns
The incessant influx of Fulanis to all nooks and crannies of the country poses grave source of concern to many discernible people. This suspicion is highly fuelled by the relentless killings, rapes and mainings of Nigerians and wanton destruction of properties coupled with displacement of individuals from their ancestral homes by suspected Fualani herdsmen.
Yet, many Nigerians beclouded by parochial and tribal reasons are aloof of the impending danger lurking in the corner. Others are afraid that the situation may snowball into genocidal war. Yet, a few want government to be proactive to avoid replication of history.
For instance, a story is told of how King Yunfa, the Hausa Sarki in Gobir (now called Sokoto) hosted a Fulani immigrant called Usman Dan Fodiyo and his group in February 1804. As a result of his ignorance, the whole of the Northern Region lost its kingdoms and were replaced by Fulani emirates since 1808. King Yunfa is said to have been killed in 1808 and the Fulani warrior (Usman Dan Fodiyo) established Sokoto caliphate, making himself Sultan.
Gradually, Fualani emirs pillaged other Hausa kingdoms were pillaged and took over the reins of rulership. The ethnic groups in the core north were the first victims of Fulani imperialism, a venture that occurred because the people were given access to grazing land as a result of the hospitality of the hosts.
They, however, failed to overrun the Bornu and Jukun kingdoms. So, the Shehu of Bornu and Aku Uka remain paramount till today!
The Afonja dynasty in Ilorin compromised by allowing a Fulani warrior known as Janta Alimi to settle in the area, and later the Fulani guerrillas killed Afonja in 1824.
And Ilorin, a Yoruba town under the Oyo Empire, fell into Fulani hands, becoming an emirate under Sokoto caliphate till today! Even the attempts of the O’odua Peoples Congress (OPC) to revert to status quo ante and crown an Onilorin of Ilorin became an exercise in futility.
The Yoruba warriors became wise and defeated the Fulani jihadists in Osogbo in 1840. If this did not happen, there would most likely have been Fulani “emirs” as rulers in Oyo Alaafin, Ibadan, Owo, Osogbo, Ede, Ado, and Igede Ekiti today.
The Bini Kingdom fought and repelled the Jihadists, otherwise they would have been conquered by the Jihadists. The Edo/Delta region beyond the present day Edo North Senatorial District which gave in allowed the jihadists to overrun and islamise them.
At the moment, the Fulanis are angling for grazing areas called grazing colonies which would open for them corridors through the entire federation. These grazing areas will in future become Fulani settlements, later commmunities and finally local government areas with elected officials or emirs.
Without sounding alarmist, see the havocs wrecked in and atrocities perpetrated in the once beautiful and serene Middle Belt states of Plateau. The same thing is happening in Jos.
Therefore, it will not be farfetched to conclude that the Fulani herdsmen are pawns in an agenda to overrun all towns in Nigeria so that they will have emirs in Owerri, Enugu, Benin, Agatu,Wukari, Abeokuta and other towns where FG creates “grazing reserves” for Fulani herdsmen!
If Yunfa did not accommodate Fodio and his warlike immigrants from Futatoro, Hausa sarkis would be ruling today in the North. And if Afonja did not conspire with Alimi, a Yoruba kingdom would not have been ruled by Alimi’s offspring till today!
It is a subtle continuation of the 1804 Fulani jihad by the fully-armed and protected Fulani herdsmen with an age-old agenda to overrun and Islamise the whole of Nigeria very quickly.
The grazing bill is not an attempt to solve the problem; it is a subterfuge to further progress the agenda. It is an age-old political strategy to create a problem, and not a “solution” that advances the cause, and then gives it a legal backing.
.Make it look like a win-win situation.
