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By Akanji Alowoludo, Bauchi
Nigeria Government has been berated for excluding Fulani herders from participating in the Electoral process of the country as well as enrol their children for formal education considering their nomadic nature.
The Government was therefore called upon to as a matter of necessity evolve means that will make the herders who are always on the move searching for greener pastures and water participate in the electoral process.
The Federal Government was also called to create centers across the country where children of the herders can attend formal classes within the short period they will spend at the various camps along the cattle routes.
The call was made by the Ardo of Fulani in Zindi village, Misau LGA of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar while speaking with members of Journalists for Public Health Development and Initiative (J4PD).
Speaking in a harsh tone on the plight of the herders, the old man lamented that herders in the country have been neglected for a long time in spite of the fact they the revenue (Jangali) they are remitting is part of the internally generated revenue acrueing to the government.
He stressed that, “All the cattle routes have been invaded and turned to farmlands while the deserts they were using for grazing have been developed to settlements. We have been frustrated and humiliated, we are losing our cattle every now and then with government doing nothing to ameliorate.”
The Ardo added that as it is now, if left to continue, a time will come when herders will not have anywhere to freely move in order to graze a development he said will aggravate the farmers/herders clashes.
He also said that,”In the past when the routes were functional, it took them fewer days to move from one transit camp point to the other until they got to their destinations. But now, it is taking longer days because almost every route has become a farmland, which, they must avoid and meander to cross.”
Abubakar Abubakar, Secretary to Ardo
The Fulani leader pointedly accused the government at all levels of complacency in the hardship facing herders across the country appealing that something can still be done to salvage the situation.
Also speaking on the issue, Secretary to the Ardo, Abubakar Abubakar stressed the importance of education for the children of the herders thereby calling on the government to revisit the issue of Nomadic schools.
He lamented that at the beginning, the Nomadic schools were functional which helped some of them to have basic education but now it has been abandoned by successive administrations in the country.
Abubakar Abubakar also believes that, the situation is not beyond redemption if government wants to do that appealing that the Fulani particularly the herders should stopped being treated as second class citizens of Nigeria considering the fact that they are paying revenue and other taxes to the coffers of government.
He concluded saying that, “We, Fulani herders are the most vulnerable, farmers will attack us, drag us before the Police who will extract money from us, while crossing the road with our herds, onrushing vehicle will knock some down, yet we are forced to pay for repairs of the vehicle and settle the Police. The cheating is too much on us.”
The herders with their herds were camping in Zindi before moving to Gashua, Jakusko and other locations in Yobe state where they will stay for about 8 months before coming back to Darazo, Misau Jama’are LGAs of Bauchi State in February or March of the following year. It is a yearly routine.
