Aren't the Fulanis Pushing Us: A Reply to Femi Awoniyi
By
Mohammed Bala
People assume and arrogate to themselves the power of knowledge, especially
on matters that are not of any interest or concern to them. I see no reason
whatsoever for the above named to delve into issues of which he is a novice
and absolutely lacking in any facts concerning the existence of the Hausa
and Fulanis. I think his type have tried all along, to anatomize the North,
using all sorts of tactics like religion, tribal sentiments and politics but
have woefully failed. It is indeed a very gargantuan task for any body, no
matter what weapons or tools he uses, to successfully divide or
disharmonize the relationship between the Hausa and Fulanis in Nigeria. A
million of the above type of writers cannot make us pale.
To begin with, historically the religion of Islam came to the north of
Nigeria through the incursion of trading north Africans, mostly Muslims.
They were not Fulanis or Hausas, infact they were Arabs. The commercial
activities they conduct up north of Nigeria was with the Hausas, who
according to history were great merchants. All this while the Fulanis were
only known as cattle rearers, and have been wandering the plains of west
Africa with their herds for grazing. It is evident that even today, the
Fulanis past time is cattle rearing and will continue to be so. Now commerce
means goods and money, which has made the Hausas and the Fulanis trading partners
for a very long time. The Fulanis traded their goods cattle and milk
to the Hausas who consume same. Any interested person can confirm this from
the north of Nigeria even today!
Now the religion of Islam was not brought to the north by the Fulanis. At
all. The Usmanu Danfodio jihad the writer mentioned as the source of the
religion in the north, just because Danfodio was Fulani, was a figment of
his tiny, whimsically and tribally oriented mind. Let me open your ears wide
enough for these facts to enter your basically empty head, so that you as a
Nigerian is supposed to at least know of, and can courageously aver to same
anywhere. The religion of Islam was already established in the north of
Nigeria even before the advent of Danfodio. What happened was that the
religion was not being practiced strictly according to the injunctions of
God the almighty. There was an absolute need for it therefore, that it
should be practiced correctly and hence the Danfodio jihad.
It appears from the write up that the writer was either confused or out rightly and biasedly
choose to denigrate the His Royal Highness the Emir
of Gwandu on the issue of fifty three briefcases. I am not holding any brief
for the respected Emir, but my belief is that neither the Hausa man nor a
Fulani man will abuse any paramount ruler from any part of the world. Our
moral up bringing has taught us the value of self respect and that of our
elders. However I wonder why the writer did not find it expedient to submit
his complaints to the Chukwudifufa Oputa panel about the briefcases, for
redress and instead channeled same here.
Another untenable assertion by the writer even to the most unintelligent
mind is that a Fulani Emir "secretly receiving", illegal allocation of
crude
oil", and parades himself as the leader of the Muslim faith in his domain.
Waoh! this is sheer trash and utter nonsense. In the first place the writer
is inferring that illegal allocation of crude oil is being done in Nigeria.
Well you can go back home and receive your share, since Germany is not your
homeland and you won't find any allocations there. Go back home and stop
fanning the embers of hatred between your people. As for the illegal
allocation of crude oil, I say over to you that the writer should provide a
conclusive proof of the deal to the M.D. of NNPC, Mr. Gaius Obaseki who will
undoubtedly stop the illegal crude oil allocation, abi Obaseki?
Sometimes ago, a very confused and disorganized writer asked the Government
to demolish the edifice housing the National Assembly in Abuja, because it
has a doom on the top saying it looks like a mosque! That also to erase the Arabic
inscription on our currency. These type of people just do it for the
sole purpose of hurting other people. The doom on top of the National
Assembly is also found on the Capitol which houses the Congress of the U.S.
The inscription on the Naira in Arabic dates back to when our country was using the
pound. The Arabic inscription only announces the value of the currency in
Hausa language. This was done to mostly assist the local and illiterate
people of northern extraction to read in the local writing of Arabic letters
in Hausa.
Let it be made abundantly clear to the writer that he has taken a topic that
is verily inconceivable. The two tribes have been united in faith and blood
to the effect that no living Hausa or Fulani that has no one another's blood
in them. It will be an uphill task therefore for him or anybody for that
matter, to causing disharmony between a people that have existed together
and are having the same traditions and beliefs. There are issues that need
to be addressed by such writers. Issues like the forging of certificates of
the University of Chicago and that of Government College Ibadan by Governor
Bola Tinubu. The killing of the Late Bola Ige, the then Minister of Justice
in his personal house, and the labeling of the OPC as a terrorists
organization by the U.S. and the subsequent arrest of its Secretary, Mr.
Kayode Oshinowo in Germany. But no, they have a punching bag in Sharia,
Hausa/Fulani and the North. Enough of such crude and myopic topics please
with tribal and religious tunes.