he recent statement by Retired General T Y Danjuma, one of the architects of Nigerian woes, that the reason for the Fulani herdsmen terrorism in Nigeria is climate change, is to say the least revealing.
General Danjuma played no small role in falsely portraying the 1966 coup as Igbo coup. He murdered General Aguiyi Ironsi, and has refused to disclose where he dumped his body, in spite of emotional pleas from his widow, nearly 50 years after he committed the grotesque act 'to keep Nigeria one'.
As minister of defence, he was able to account for the military budgets, without improving the army and his involvement in Nigerian politics have left him extremely wealthy, with oil well and tens of millions of pounds in his fund.
He has joined the chorus of those who Claim that climate change is responsible for terrorism by Fulani herdsmen and therefore, Igbos and other victims should accept to be killed and burnt out of their ancestral land to provide grazing grounds for Fulani cattle. This is not surprising, coming from a man who made his career hating Igbos and justifying genocide, discriminations and atrocities against them.
Joining the retired general are senators and governors from the north, the same people, who own the cattle and who trained and armed Fulani herdsmen and militia with assault rifles and ammunitions to invade the south to ethnically cleanse villages and take over farm lands.
Any wonder why many Igbos who have been under siege, since Buhari became president, see their future outside a country, where some people can justify such inhumanity and defend their right to act without consideration to the rights, safety and dignity of others.
These men, who continue to believe that their real motive is unknown, have ignored the fact that the what victims of the unlawful and inhuman act they justify object to, is that Fulani herdsmen choose to graze their cattle on farms and kill and, burn out villages of those who protest the destruction of their livelihood and unlawful takeover of their land.
This is the same northern oligarchy, which offered revenue sharing formula and poverty as reasons for Boko Haram and objected to America classifying Boko Haram as a terrorist group.
For years, the Islamic Fulani north have dominated Nigerian politics, threatening and intimidating all to have its way. In the period, they have produced several head of state and presidents through series of coups and rigged elections, where children openly vote.
During the time they have been in power looting the treasury, allocating oil wells in the south to themselves and fashioning policies that discriminate against Igbos and deprive Igbo region of investments, it did not occur to them to Pursue policies that would bring their youth into the 21st century through education, training and empowerment.
Rather, in their ethnically and religiously prejudiced minds, they are content to keep their youth ignorant, getting them drunk on hate, prejudice, and extreme Islam and, exploit them as herdsmen, Boko Haram members and political pons, while sending their own children to study in Europe and America and parachuting them into plumb jobs on return.
The misuse of climate change theory in the current climate of terror, subterfuge and hate, to explain Fulani herdsmen terrorism and the threat by northern senators and governors to those who object to this evil, is an after thought and a calculated attempt to deceive, obfuscate and intimidate.
It is a new low, in the attempt by the north Nigerian oligarchy to find reason for the unjustifiable pogrom, Fulani herdsmen have unleashed on the country. it is both sad and unfortunate and, exposes the depravity of the minds that created the Nigerian problem and what those who take up the challenge to address it, must confront.
The climate change excuse is unfounded and an abuse of the climate change theory. Those interested in climate change would be horrified that a genuine concept is being misused in this way.
It is mischievous to misuse the relationship between cattle rearing and climate change to explain the premeditated violence and pogrom sponsored by those with hidden agenda and perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen and militia against communities, whose farm they destroy. It is the height of insensitivity and abuse of power, to pay no attention to the damage their cattle do to the investment of farmers and the rights of the victims of their terror.
Indeed, there is a relationship between climate change and cattle rearing. However, it does not turn herdsmen into murderous psychopaths, who go on killing and burning spree, dismembering the bodies of their victims and reaping out their hearts after subjecting them to the worst barbaric inhumanity the mind of men can conjure. The fact is that climate change scientists agree that cattle rearing, in the way the Fulanis and other nomads do, is very damaging to the environment.
Apart from over grazing increasing the risk of erosion and desertification, cattle produce methane gas. "A cow does on overage, release between 70 and 120 kg of Methane per year. Methane is a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide (CO2). But the negative effect on the climate of Methane Is 23 times higher than the effect of CO2. Greenhouse gases, are very damaging to the ozone layer.
This is one reason, climate change activists advocate vegetarianism as it is better for the environment. The evidence would suggest that cattle rearing, in the none environmentally friendly way Fulani herdsmen carry it out, is damaging to environment and contributing to climate change.
Therefore, the northern Nigerian climate change theory for Fulani herdsmen terrorism, is spurious and an attempt to deceive the people about the real reason and motive, for what Fulani herdsmen are doing and the apparent anti Igbo posture of president Buhari.
- It is not climate change that makes Fulani herdsmen to graze their cattle in their victims farms, when there bushes they can graze.
- It is not climate change that bought AK 47 and ammunitions for Fulani herdsmen with which they perpetrate their horror.
- It is not climate change that tells them to attack innocent victims at night.
- It is not climate change that tells Fulani herdsmen not to show respect and consideration for other people's way of life and properties. To be continued.
The Chairman, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Plateau State, Mr. Nuru Abdullahi recently said, 'nobody could deprive Fulani herdsmen of their constitutional right of free movemen'. Abdullahi asked “Why would they ask them not to go to the southern part of the country? It is their constitutional right to move freely as guaranteed by the laws of the land. What the various governments and security agencies should do is to prevent attacks and counter-attacks and such things that breed violence like cattle rustling and trespassing into farmlands'.
This is another way the Fulanis continue to avoid the issues and attempt to confuse the matter. Mr Nuru Abdullahi is being intentionally economical with the truth by misrepresenting the fact of the matter.
No one is or has the intention to deprive Fulani herdsmen of their constitutional right to free movement.
People are however very justified to be anxious about people who carry AK47 while conducting their business.
It is the Fulani oligarchy, who provide the weapons and the Fulani herdsmen, who use them that are depriving people of their fundamental right to their lives, security and livelihood.
No one has said that Fulani herdsmen should not move about like other free citizens of Nigeria.
The issue is their lack of respect for the laws, the rights of others and the impunity and callousness, which the Fulani herdsmen display in grazing their cattle in other people farms and attacking them, when they protest.
It is the herdsmen that are violating the fundamental human rights of the farmers, whose farms they destroy by grazing their cattle on their crops .
The problem is lack of consideration for others and the arrogant belief of the Fulanis like Mr Abdullahi that Fulani herdsmen have the right to graze their cattle on any ground, irrespective of the owner or what is planted on the land and, that Nigerians owe Fulani herdsmen grass for their cattle. No one should have the right to graze his cattle on any land. Cattle reading is a business like any other.
The main issue. Which people like Mr Abdullahi consciously avoid, is the total disregard and contempt, which the Fulani herdsmen show, in grazing their cattle on farms, thereby destroying the livelihood of others, while securing their own and making money for the owners of the cattle, who provide the justification and the weapons that make this evil possible.
The evidence would suggest that Fulani, herdsmen are not only looking for grass. They have been armed and instructed as foot soldiers by those whose aim is to continue dominate, conquer, and exploit the region designated as Nigeria. Moreover, the response of the government and security agencies to the terror they cause, has convinced most people that they are acting a script.
Finding a narrative to justify terror is the stock in trade of the Fulani led northern Nigerian oligarchy, whose political, religious and economic interests the Fulani herdsmen serve.
The the northern oligarchy did the same thing at the inception of Boko Haram. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, now Emir of Kano, as central Bank Governor, initially blamed revenue sharing formula for Boko Haram. Then he blamed poverty and worked very hard to stop America classifying Boko Haram as a terrorist group.
Since the beginning of the Fulani herdsmen terrorism, many prominent northers have either denied that the perpetrators are Fulanis or seek to justify their evil on climate change showing callus insensitivity and arrogant disregard of the Rights of their victim. It reflects the fact that Fulanis call other people 'Cato', the same name they use for cows.
This is they way the Fulani north operates in pursuit of their selfish and sectarian interests. They find convenient narrative for terror because it is usually for them, a means to an end.
Nigeria has existed for the convince of Fulani oligarchy and they see the country as their estate, where they must have what they want or death for those, who are compelled by their sense of justice to resist. This latest use of terror to achieve religious and political objective, may be the final stroke to the back bone on Nigeria.
This is just the beginning. Igbos will not stop protesting the injustice and hypocrisy of ,one Nigeria' until we have a new Nigeria based on Liberty, justice, rule of law and equality, or a new nation, which allows those who see their future in Islam and already under sharia laws to have their own country.
Fulani herdsmen and militia are terrorists fighting to take control, dominate and impose sharia laws and Emirs on others. We cannot allow this to happen in the 21st century.
For those who harbour the dream or ambition of Islamising Nigeria and turning it into an estate of their father Uthman Danfodio to exploit and dip the Quran into the Atlantic Ocean, I assure you that Igbos will never be enslaved in Nigeria, and should the Nigerian government under the leadership of Islamic minded Fulani oligarchy, push Igbos to choose between liberty or slavery, Igbos would fight for Liberty and justice.
As long as there is an informed Igbo alive, he or she will fight for justice and Liberty. Igbos are a peace loving and proud people, we would rather die fighting for freedom and justice than live as slaves in out own country. This is in our DNA. This is why I am involved. It should be one nation, one law, equal treatment or we peacefully go our different ways. Nigeria does not have to be an abusive relationship, where the abusive partner frustrates the effort of the abused partner to end the abuse or leave.
No one should be part of a country where a group arrogated to itself the right to take other peoples' land, graze their cattle in their land and kill at will, people who resist their greed, hate and injustice of their action.
It would seem that northern senators are right, it maybe time for us to go our different ways so that Fulanis can have their Islamic country, where they can graze their cows on other peoples' farm and kill those who tell them it is wrong, callous ignorant and unjust.
I am angry that Nigerian political class asked Nigerians to choose between a man, who is tolerant and fair, but relaxed about corruption and timid to exercise his powers and another, who is not afraid to abuse his power to advance sectarian objectives and strengthen the hold his ethnic group has on the country. I am outraged.