Aren't the Fulanis Pushing Us: A Reply to Femi Awoniyi

By

Mohammed Bala

mohammedbala@hotmail.com  

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.