“If the federal government is interested in fairness and unity, it must do the needful or this would set the ball rolling for an eventual breakup. ” ―Ebuka Onyekwelu
Arising from its meeting in Asaba the capital of Delta state, the seventeen governors of southern Nigeria present, except the Imo State governor (represented as deputy) made bold statements that the unity of Nigeria is conditional. “Southern Nigeria remains committed to the unity of Nigeria based on justice, fairness, equity, oneness, and peaceful co-existence”… Before now, the government of Nigeria has maintained that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable and makes bold to say so at any event. But, every unity must be negotiable and subject to renegotiation. In addition, there has to be some established threshold on matters of existential importance. For instance, you cannot say that unity of Nigeria is not negotiable when southern Nigerians are treated as second-class citizens in their own country. Southeasterners, particularly Southeasterners are alienated from the current government, and yet the government says one Nigeria is sacrosanct.
Fulani herdsmen, forced by climate change and the depletion of Lake Chad by over 90% to move down east in search of forage for their cows, have become a major threat to the existence of Nigerian people in their ancestral homelands. But government looks away, meanwhile, the same government has moved with the speed of light to proscribe IPOB as a terrorist organization. The same government that refused to arrest and prosecute violent herdsmen causing havoc and killing villagers at will in different parts of the country, moves to arrest, torture, and kill IPOB peaceful protesters. Under this very offensive circumstance, supervised by none other than the government, what exactly does the government think the unity of Nigeria means to the section of her citizens who are at the receiving end? And so, the meeting of southern governors who, for the first time eschewing political and personal differences, jointly expressed a caveat to the much taunted non-negotiable unity of Nigeria, is a major landmark that moving forward, if the federal government is interested in a fair and equitable unity, then, it must do the needful. But if not, this meeting has only set the ball rolling for an eventual breakup of the country. The seventeen governors of southern Nigeria can easily be supported by a handful of governors in the north-central geo-political zone. And with that, more governors will be boldly making antagonizing statements against the federal government, Nigeria, with that development, cannot remain the same.
Group resolved that open grazing of cattle be banned across southern Nigeria
Southern governors also agreed to ban open grazing throughout southern Nigeria. This is the second most audacious move and also the second point of the forum’s communiqué. “Observed that the incursion of armed herders, criminals, and bandits into the southern part of the country has presented a severe security challenge such that citizens are not able to live their normal lives including pursuing various productive activities leading to a threat to food supply and general insecurity. Consequently, the meeting resolved that open grazing of cattle be banned across southern Nigeria”, the resolution reads.
The insecurity threatening every nook and cranny of Nigeria, especially southern Nigeria and parts of the north-central zone today started merely from herdsmen invasion of cultivated farmlands in different parts of the country, especially in north-central and southern states. Upon any attempt to resist this act of trespass by herdsmen, farmers and villagers are visited with terror by the herders. Throughout north-central and southern states this was the pattern of the crisis. Herdsmen deliberately lead their cattle into cultivated farmlands, destroying other people’s hard work, and when the farmer or villagers stands up against it, the herders use all manner of violent force to subject and displace them. Amidst this grievous injustice and intimidation, the government simply looked away, thus encouraging them to continue and they continued.
No human interaction can survive this level of maltreatment and neglect.
To date, not a single Fulani herdsman is known to be in prison for the crimes they commit against citizens and the state. Yet, there are members of IPOB held for engaging in peaceful demonstrations. All these are signs of possible support to the herdsmen owing to their ethnic origin, or, at least, approval of their vexatious illegality and gross abuses by the government. Herdsmen also carry their cattle and obstruct traffic, sometimes causing accidents in different parts of the country. All these notwithstanding, the government still wants everyone to accept that Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable. You cannot carry your cow and deliberately lead them into people’s farmlands to graze there and thereby destroying their hard work. Now, when they protest, you attack and kill them, and the government will look away. You cannot allow this to happen, except you just want to throw everywhere into chaos. And this is saying that the Buhari government has failed to acknowledge the stake of all Nigerian peoples in her government and country, and consequently failed to manage their differences, while also showing no respect for bounds. No human interaction can survive this level of maltreatment and neglect. As of today, the whole of Nigeria is experiencing insecurity at a scale never seen before but we must observe that it all started with this pattern of herders’ behavior, and by how the government chose to deal with it.
And so, the Southern Nigeria Governors Forum acknowledges that the non-negotiable unity of Nigeria and the activities of herdsmen across sections of the country are the two most potent challenges to the wellbeing and safety of all Nigerians. What is left now is a stern implementation of the communiqué. For instance, a ban on open grazing should be fully implemented. The South-South region and the Southeast region must use the instrumentality of the law to establish a regional security outfit with a defined power and source of funding. The ban must also be backed by legislation passed by all the state assemblies of the southern states. Now, southern governors must move to give action to their decisions. That is the next necessary step that must be taken.
♦ Ebuka Onyekwelu, strategic governance exponent, is a columnist with the WAP
