Friday Discourse (113): Fula and their masters in Nigeria
By
Dr. Aliyu Tilde
Jam
bandu na?
I
have dedicated the third part of this series to the economy and the growing
insecurity of the Fula naturalis
in Nigeria. So I have discussed the imperative of his movement from
one place to another as well as the problems and dangers that doing so poses
to his life and that of his cattle today. His demands are not hard to meet, if
it were not for the betrayal from his domesticus
brother. The necessity of coming to his rescue has been emphasised,
particularly given the fact that though he alone toils to keep the cows alive,
he is not their only beneficiary. As an addendum, I have a message from Bayero
University Kano followed by a prelude to the next article.
How
the Fula came across the cow
remains a mystery. I often wonder if he is not under a contractual obligation
with nature. It might have told him, the day he broke away from the Jews, the
Romans or the Indians, whichever theory you believe in: “take these animals
and live by them, with them and for them.” He promptly accepted the offer
and faithfully followed its command. Except the Hindu, it is difficult to come
across a person preoccupied with cows as is the Fula.
From the former, the animal derives the veneration of a deity, and from the
latter the dignity of a profession.
In
the age long relationship between the Fula
and the cattle, it is difficult to distinguish the master from the slave. But
I have finally concluded that the cattle are the masters. He strives to meet
their demands for food, water, space, security and protection against
diseases, among others. Though other domesticated animals do also require each
of the above, however, the aggregate demand of the cow in this respect is
obviously the greatest.
In
his effort to meet these requirements the Fula
earned the notoriety of being one of the most travelled nomads of the world.
While most nomads did not go beyond the boundaries of their countries or
empires, he has successfully
traversed the African continent beginning from his earliest known location in
North Africa. If there is no record of his cattle tasting the waters of the
Mississippi, the Euphrates or the Ganges, we can certainly claim that they
have tasted those of inland rivers of Africa: the Senegal, the Niger, the
Benue, the Nile, the Congo and much beyond.
Wherever
he went, pushed more by necessity than by adventure, he came across, and
learnt to live among, different peoples. He learnt to tolerate their
temperaments, and know their strengths and weaknesses. He has seen the rise
and fall of nations, of which many he, as a domesticus,
contributed to build, and few he conspired to ruin.
However,
resources are no longer in abundance because populations have increased while
arable landmass has shrunk. The ensuing competition over these resources has
become intense especially after the advent of modern nation states. Another
danger to the Fula, which
accompanied such states, is the growing restriction on cross border movement.
The naturalis does not know an
international passport. He looks trapped today like bacteria in a petri-dish.
If
we take Nigeria as an example, the Fula
was earlier restricted by Tsetse-flies to the Northern Guinea Savannah,
especially after the collapse of soil fertility in the Sahel. Desertification
has exacerbated the situation by further reducing the forage yield of the
region. A southward migration became necessary. Consequently, in the last
three decades, he dared the flies and downwards he penetrated the forest
regions of the Southeast and the Southwest.
He
does so not only for the sake of food, but also for keeping his herd
healthier. The new areas are richer in minerals, particularly nitrogen and
phosphorus, than long inhabited ones. As they move southward, the cattle can
feed on grasses that are richer in these minerals, enabling them escape the
fatal ravage of phagotic diseases that make them eat soil and other hard
materials.
Earlier,
he used to migrate southward annually, returning home as the rains start to
stabilize. Recently, with less Tsetse-flies, with the availability of
effective drugs, and with the relative security brought about by colonization
and independence, many Fula
have yielded to the temptation of remaining in lands between the lower Benue
basin and Delta region. This has brought about some cultural problems. I have
lamented on this for long, for unlike in Hausaland, where there is a cultural
continuity as a result of Islam, in many southern states the Fula
have to forego certain values, tolerate or learn bad habits, and practice the
forbidden. Imagine a daughter of a naturalis
married to non-Muslim husband in Calabar or Nsukka! Taboo. Living under such
circumstances, and with the indifference of the naturalis
to religion, they have become very cheap targets of evangelism.
But
after building homes, fortunately (?), they have today realized that those
isolated settlements are food, not safe, havens. Their lives, together with
that of their cattle, are under real danger.
As
the struggle over its diminishing prosperity intensifies; with its security
apparatus overstretched; and its leaders handicapped by the doctrine of
democracy or the impotence of incompetence, Nigeria is faced with a rising
trend of intolerance.
The masses, under the influence of the elite with whom they share religion or ethnicity, are overdosed with ethnic sentiments and religious bigotry more than what their heart could bear and beyond what their mind can accommodate. Many times, they would burst like a balloon, naturally, at the spread of the smallest rumour or following the slightest misunderstanding. While the elite who instigated them earns the relevance he desired, the masses suffer the loss of lives and property as well as the anguish of terminated relationship and the agony of living in perpetual bitterness. This is the trend, in Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Enugu, everywhere.
The most heinous aspect of this unfortunate development, and which affects the Fula naturalis most, is how religion, in confederation with ethnicity, is stripped naked of its innocence and conscripted to serve in the battalion of ethnic cleansing that is different only in proportion, but not in intent, from those perpetrated by Serbians in former Yugoslavia and the Hutu in Rwanda. It has served to elevate intolerance above patience, violence above dialogue, and chaos above tranquillity.
But
one would assume that the theatres of political struggles are restricted to
the cities, that they should have little impact on the life of the rural Fula.
Not so in Nigeria. Those that use ethnicity to achieve their political aims
still have their vestiges rooted in the countryside. They have found it
convenient to return and preach their doctrine of violence among their people.
And the Fula, who belongs to a
different culture, is made to suffer the full brunt of their rage.
Where
city dwellers, with all the police stations, barracks, modern means of
communications and transportation, and the benefit of togetherness, cannot be
protected in times of crisis, what do we expect would be the fate of the Fula
who lives in the bush, alone with his family? He becomes a punching bag,
someone on whom other tribes will vent their anger after finding city dwellers
hard nuts to crack. On a simple promise of a stipend from one local political
leader or another, some youths will storm his settlement, burn it down and
drive him away. He is turned into a refugee overnight. When luck is not on his
side, he is butchered, together with his sons and daughters, and his cattle
are taken away by the invading thugs.
This
has become his most recent fate. Examples are too numerous to mention, a fact
that makes it difficult to convince the pessimist that it is not a calculated
attempt at ethnic cleansing. Plateau and Taraba states are the recent areas
where he has suffered the worst of brutalities. In all these encounters, he
has suffered losses of life and property that the mannered would prefer to
bury than to render.
It
is not clear when this rising trend of violence will end. But if it is true
that such atrocities are provoked by declining prosperity; if it is correct
that democracy encourages the reluctance to amend; and since there is no end
in sight to both evils of poverty and maladministration, the Fula
will be reckless to
invest in hope better than he could in despair. He has since started to
retrace his route, back to the friendly areas of the North.
On
our part, the domesticus and
other Nigerians as well, I feel it is time we abandon our hypocritical stand
regarding these helpless people. The country cannot afford to see its sole
source of beef laid up by insecurity at a time when its foreign exchange
earnings are declining. Insecurity worsens our plight as Nigerians. It must be
fought and discouraged in all ways possible. But we shall take up that monster
in another article shortly.
The
main suggestion regarding the plight of the naturalis
is obvious. We cannot run away from finding means that will limit his
migration into hostile areas where there aren’t adequate provisions to
protect him. He must be encouraged to remain in the Northwest or the
Northeast. May I cease the opportunity to, for the first time, praise Obasanjo
for mustering courage, after the last September crisis in Jos, to affirm that
Nigerians must be free to live anywhere in the country, pursuing their
professions and enjoying full rights as citizens of this country. We welcome
such assurances, but unless enough evidence is there on ground, the Fula
will find it difficult to return to certain places.
Fortunately,
governments in the Northwest and the Northeast have the basic infrastructure
required to meet the demands of the Fula.
All their states have grazing reserves. They only require rehabilitation, and
such other things like gazetting and reclamation from trespassers. Restoration
of stock routes is also essential. Their livestock departments, together with
the expertise of federal establishments like National Animal Production
Research Institute in Shika and the National Veterinary Research Institute in
Vom, can supply the services required to enrich those reserves with all the
modern forages and facilities that will sustain large populations of cattle.
Dams can be constructed, in addition to many existing ones, which will serve
their cattle and irrigate their fodder.
There
is also the need to cultivate what I call grazing fields, thousands of
hectares planted with improved varieties of fodder that will pin down the naturalis
to their areas. Such grasses are perennials, once they are planted and catered
for during the first season, they will survive any drought and their coverage
will increase annually by the natural dispersal of their seeds by the cattle
themselves. The innumerable rivers we have are long enough to sustain millions
of hectares of such forage along their banks. We hardly have reason to fault
nature.
The
fault is in us. It is shameful to note how the Fula
domesticus has so far treated the plight of the naturalis
with wanton abandon. He has preferred to concern himself with the contracts of
public utilities in urban areas at the expense of the dire needs of rural
people. But if he would sit down, for just a moment, to remember that his
immediate father or grandfather was a naturalis,
and that he only narrowly escaped living like one, he would have been overcome
by pity; and the nobility he claims would have persuaded him to behave
responsibly.
All
northerners must give a helping hand to the cause of revitalizing the
livestock sector. The argument of resource control will continue, given the
trend in the past twenty years, to gain momentum until it is finally settled
to the disadvantage of the North. Then, livestock will be one of the few
sectors that will immensely contribute to the economy of the region.
It
is surprising to see how a country like Burkina Faso has endeavoured to
remarkably meet this challenge for the Fula
in their country. Nigeria – with a greater population, and more cattle and Fulbe
– has preferred to ignore it completely, if not for the recent effort by the
PTF and the Pastoralist Resolve (PARE) of our former Head of State, Major
General Muhammadu Buhari. The PTF has completed all the paper work on grazing
reserves which present governments can readily use to forge ahead.
There
is also the unexploited area of improved varieties of cattle, artificial
insemination, and many modern methods in animal husbandry. I was surprised to
read that the Sardauna personally two such cows from overseas and kept them on
his farm at Bakura. That would have served as a good example to others, if not
for the apathy of Malam B. But
the idea died with his death, until its reinvention by Admiral Murtala Nyako
recently. And even now, Nyako is a lonely voice.
It
is not true that the Fulani cannot be settled, as it is often portrayed. That
misconception has contributed immensely to their present state of neglect.
Given the harsh realities today, and the above-suggested facilities on ground,
most of them will be glad to settle down. If failures were encountered
previously, they were largely because adequate attention was not paid to
meeting the requirements of their herds, which we listed at the beginning of
the article. Without meeting those requirements, it will be difficult to
expect the Fula to stay and
watch his cattle die.
Our
argument is simple. With a responsible leadership, almost every state can
sponsor the establishment or rehabilitation of grazing reserves and their
management, with the attendant facilities of clinics and dams where perennial
rivers are absent. Every local government can assist the Fula
and the country at large by creating smaller communities in suitable places
with at least a veterinary clinic for his cattle, a dispensary for his family
and a school for his children.
Once
this is done, the Fula naturalis
will no longer find it necessary to maraud in search of food for his cattle.
He will not be forced to abandon his culture or religion. He will not be
exposed to brutal violence in other communities. Other Nigerians, on their
part, will be assured of beef and employment. Above all, however, we have
enabled the Fula to continue
fulfilling his contractual agreement with nature: service to his masters –
the cattle.
_____________________________________
The
Ardo Fulbe of Bayero University
Kano invited me via email to their annual Fulfulde
Day last weekend. I had the
pleasure to honor it; after all, I could not turn it down after putting the
challenge strongly in the first part of this series. It was a successful day,
which I believe Fulani students in other campuses should endeavor to emulate.
There were speeches, paper presentation, drama, and cultural dances before an
impressive gathering at the Twin Theatres. The sweet memory of the crowd and
of the warm reception I enjoyed will linger in my mind until the next
occasion.
I
had the privilege of meeting many senior Academicians like Professors Ahmed
Jalingo and Professor Isa Abba. I also met with an old friend, Gausu Ahmad,
the first time in thirteen years, but regretted missing the opportunity of
seeing Mal. Abubakar Jika for the first time. Jika’s arrival at BUK, as
confided by many of his colleagues, has given the Department of Mass
Communication a new vitality. I saw a notice board carrying articles of the Writers
Collective club. With efforts like these, the future of the North
in journalism is certain to be very bright. I doff my hat for people who
change society by marrying their words with their actions.
I
never knew that this column was being followed with a lot of exuberance and
deep interest, until that day. Apparently, the column, at least at BUK, has
succeeded in capturing the interest of the students and commanded the respect
of their lecturers.
For some hours, I was treated like
a celebrity, close to what Hausa films star Fati Mohammed or Princess Diana
enjoyed. I only missed a shot with their ex-balloo,
supposedly as a result of her pulaaku,
not mine! But even when there was no prior acquaintance to warrant a hug
(taboo!), or an intimacy to permit a kiss (blasphemy!), I thought there was
enough pain in farewell to justify a reminder!!
Beyond
the numerous snapshots, the readers interrogated me regarding some of the
ideas that I expressed in this column: ideas on IBB in 2003, the Fula
series themselves, women rights, private schools, and so on. The interesting
thing was the respect in which questions were asked and the due regard they
were answered.
I
promised Professor Jalingo a correction on my list of emirates in the
Northeast that have enviably remained custodians of Fulfulde.
I omitted Muri that has a distinct history from that of Gombe and Adamawa. Mi
tuubi. Thank you Prof also for the advice you gave the organizers.
I believe they will work with it. Next year will record more success.
I
am grateful to the officials of the organization and also to Mal. Abubakar J.
Njiddere (sai ka yi, as I heard
them say) for the sumptuous meals throughout my stay, and in case of the
latter, for continuously giving the students the encouragement they need. I
also accept the challenge he posed before the audience, that “Tilde must
deliver his paper next year in Fulfulde.”
Great. Sai yendere feere, kadi sai to
giidal hauri.
On
a serious note, during the occasion, I saw the need to clarify some issues
regarding the promotion of Fulfulde.
I explained myself there, I suppose to the satisfaction of the audience, in
order to dispel the normal apprehensions. I believe the ideas of interest some
readers also.
While
still in Kano, I had the liberty to discuss with a critical friend, Dr. Aminu
Taura, a versatile consultant psychiatrist (!), who was initially against my Fula
advocacy, in many respects. Somehow, though a full-blooded kado,
I was able to convince him about the political significance of Fulfulde
having a firm root in Hausaland. It
will likely be the future second language of their Hausa. How we arrived at
that will also be explained next week, the last in the series. I promise.
Useni, bear with me. Keep a date with the column and learn more fulfulde. Jam waala.