Fulani Herdsmen or Terrorists?

Fulani Herdsman Holding Riffle Gun to protect his Cattle

 

 

 

 

 

The Fulani ethnic group (also known as Bororo'en, fellaata, fellah, fulfude, Fula and peul) are people that live in an area that stretches from Ouadai(chad) to far away Ethiopia, they are mainly found in twenty Nations in wide swath of Africa from Mauritania and Senegal to Sudan. They are grouped into The settlers and the Nomads. They are estimated to be about 25million people. They are mainly Muslims and rears cattle.

 

History says that the arrival of the Fulani In Nigeria Coincides with the Rise of Uthman Dan fodi and since then the Fulanis have been a Core member of the Entity called Nigeria. the Settlers are found in states like Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Taraba, and Adamawa. The nomads can be found in almost every state in Nigeria. The Nomads don't stay in a place for a long time because their Cattle need Fresh Forages which is very scarce in the dry season so they move the Cattle in search of Greener pastures. This search for Fresh forages causes Conflict between the Nomads and the Farmers with the latter claiming that the Farm produce in millions are being destroyed due to Grazing of Cattle on their farms. They (the farmers ) also claimed that their lands were being degraded on a daily basis and any attempt at complaint were met violence from the Fulanis then comes retaliation by the citizens. This incessant Conflicts in 2002 prompted the then Governor of Oyo State, Lam Adesina to place an embargo on the Nomads activities in the state. This decision was highly criticized by the Arewa forums and other concern citizens especially from the North and in order to find a lasting solution to the Violence, the then Vice President Atiku Abubakar together with former President Muhammad Buhari held a meeting with the Governor, traditional leaders and other stakeholders in which at the end of the day, the embargo was lifted but Violence did not stop.

Recently, the violent activities of the Fulani Nomads has become very rampant, they steal, they rape, maim, and destroy properties at slightest provocation. Their activities are mostly felt in almost every state with States like Benue and plateau bearing the brunt of the menace. But more recently, the Nomads have step up their game, they have abandoned archaic arms and ammunitions like Club, Dane guns, matchets and daggers. They now carry sophisticated weapon like Ak47, RPGs and grenades. They have been committing crime against innocent farmers and settlers for over five years now but the straw that broke the camel back came when they kidnapped a Yoruba in Akure. This Latest action sparked a lot of angry reactions from eminent Nigerians. Some even suggested that the Fulani nomads should be pursued from the south. The activities of this group has increased ever since President Buhari was sworn in.

 

A faceless Terrorist

 

Last week, the Fulani nomads heavily armed with sophisticated weapons reportedly killed over 500 people in Agatu village in Benue and just yesterday, they reportedly killed over 200 people in the same Benue state. This is not some fulani nomads-farmers conflict, this is a full scale terrorism. This is a bitter pill Nigerians can't swallow. The Yorubas, the Agatus, the igedes and other ethnic groups are being maimed everyday.

People can't sleep with their two eyes closed, people are being terrorized on there own land. The United State recently named the Nomads as the fourth deadliest group in the  world. Something needs to be done.

 

Nigeria need to Nick this menace in bud, the President as Grand commander of Federal Republic should address this madness, maybe he should go on live radio especially BBC Hausa to speak with his people, our boarder patrols need to be strengthened, we need to deploy men of The JTF to the most affected place, NEMA should provide abode for the refugees. Lastly we need to pray for protection against this uncircumcised savage.

 

Let me end this write up with the words of Martin Niemoller

     "First they came for the socialists and I didn't speak out because I was not a socialist, then they came for the trade unionist and I didn't speak out because I was not a trade unionist, then they came for the jews and I didn't speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me."

Kayode Abiodun
Twitter: @abiodunsays

JUMOKE ORISAGUNWA V. AYODELE DANIEL DADA : A JUXTAPOSITION

This post by one of my Facebook friends spurred me on to finally write something extensive on the whole Jumoke affair- the bread seller cum super model.
Some have so much criticised the the idea of idolizing Jumoke that it looks as if they envy her or have 'beefs' for her. While some think she is worth the whole hype. The rest are either indifferent or ignorant of the whole affair. I was almost publicly indifferent until someone compared the Unilag Graduate, Ayodele Dade who graduated with a CGPA of 5.0, the highest possible. It made me have interest to give voice to my opinion.
To me,  all the issues, arguments and contentions so far is based on our 'value system'. I mean our erroneous and junky value system.
Some believe that companies and government pay too much attention to useless endeavors as beauty pageants and modelling at the expense of education, I mean school education.
From my perspective, personally I don't value school education as much as life education. I value talent and skill more than academic qualifications and achievements. The school qualifications MAY not have real value in real life, in the field. I appreciate an artist who can draw a beautiful image more than a first-class Engineering Graduate. I prefer the shoe-maker who makes nice footwears to the graduate of Sociology anytime, until that graduate can exhibit some skills he acquired in University to affect the society positively. Sir, your certificate won't rise up and make the society better, it is about you and what you have inside of you.

As we are all different as humans, we have different value system, but the thing is that some have a rather atrocious value-system. Personally, I value practical more than theory. Nowadays, our Universities are just mere instruction grounds. He who knows how to carry out instructions more, makes the highest grades not necessarily the most intelligent student. There is ZERO regard for Creativity and Innovation, and unfortunately those are the things that move greater countries ahead, not the mere 'paper qualifications'. In fact, go and check the most innovative (and richest) people in the world today, they are drop-outs. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard , Mark Zuckerberg (Harvard) , Steve Jobs (Reeds College) , Frank Lloyd Wright, America's most successful Architect, James Cameron (Fullerton College) Nikolai Tesla (Austrian Polytechnic, Graz), many more examples abound. Note, most they didn't drop out because they are dullards but because of financial incapabilities and extreme divergence, insurgence. These are the ones I call, 'Too cool for school'.
Some would say are they Nigerians? Yes they are  not. We have A few Nigerian examples of drop-out to glory anyway, Wizkid, Tu face, etc. But even if we don't, it is because of our flawed value-system.
My own problem with the whole Jumoke and endorsement issue is the fact that those banks and other companies will only use her nakedness to divert attention to themselves. In fact, to me, she is not exceptionally beautiful. As someone said sarcastically, "She is just there". Anyway beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
It is not her seeming beauty that appeals to prospective companies but her willingness to display it in nudity and depravity. She is from a humble background, she would be more than willing to do anything 'noble'  to make it big. At least she is not sleeping around with anybody, or at least, not yet.
TY Bello is an opportunist, she just took advantage of the poor lady and her ordinary story to make both of them rich, her richer. We have many bread seller who are more beautiful than Jumoke, we have many bread sellers or pure water-seller who have photo-bombed. She was not lucky to have photo-bombed, we all do. She was not lucky to have photo-bombed TY Bello's photos, many have done that. She was JUST lucky to have done so when the already unpopular photographer needed to rise to fame again, all of these still coming back to an Orchestration of TY Bello. It is a cycle. A facade created by the photographer herself. She is smart. Like Linda and gossips.

Nothing spectacular about her story naturally, until TY BELLO made it spectacular. She brought it to this point of awe. She was just a smart photographer. And trust me, Social Media should get a medal in this game of the minds.

All na PR.

It is high time we restructured our value system and understand the dynamics of value and development. We should pay more attention to talents, skills and innovation rather than mere paper qualifications and certificate. If your certificate is not backed with skills, intelligence, sense of innovation and creativity, please take the back seat. Your laudable CGPA won't make that car move, the road-side mechanic would....

©2016
Abayomi Ahmed

Email: optimysticx91@gmail.com 

Twitter: @optimysticdex

A MOTION IN EMOTION



 A MOTION IN EMOTION

                                                        

 

It was a Valentine evening, Ayo and Tolu were lovers that have been together for some time. As a usual trend on every 14th of February, gift are always being exchanged by Spouses, Lovers, and friends who are dear to the individual's heart.

Ayo was so eager to meet with his lover in other for him to share a token of his heart with her. He took out his phone to get a call across to her so that they could fix a place to meet.

On that faithful evening, he drove his newly acquired Range Rover jeep while Tolu was at his right side of the driver's seat tightening her seat belt before selecting a cool blues music from the genres of music selections inside the Car. They both went on a picnic at a reserved garden a few kilometer from Ayo's office place. They later branched at a shopping mall where they branched to get some gift items for each other as they both agreed to do.

"After getting some gifts items at the mall what's next?” that was the question from their both thoughts!!! Ayo's house should be next.

 

Immediately both step into Ayo's apartment, showers of sweet words started rushing out like a busted pipe from Ayo's mouth.

 "I love you. I know you also do, you mean so much to me. The more I get closer to you the happier I am. I'm ready to spend the rest of my life with you, your love and attention is what I needed most. I give myself to you and also expect that from you also. Please let me love you more ... I love you!!! ".

"Kunmi, (as Ayo is fondly called), you know I love you and will always do but ..." Ayo grasp her hands and moved closer to her with a closer eye contact between the two.

Hmm, are you imagining the action that took place after the eye contact?  EMOTION!!!

 

 It is a person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data. It is a natural biological drive with a cognitive evaluation that responds to the inward or outward stimulus. For instance, the Stimuli that elicit the emotional response between the two ‘‘lovers” is the closer contact between the two, the sweet words from Ayo’s, and the event that occurred in the environment at that period (Val Celebration).

Valentine day is meant to be like other days in the Calendar to celebrate Love.  

Love has been defined by many scholar but let me make a reference to the book of life that defines love as God "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." 1 John 4:7-8. Love should be an attitude we should all imbibe but we can't claim to love without first knowing LOVE (GOD). The primary qualification for celebrating love is the ability to control our emotion. Anyone who cannot controls his/her own emotion has no business celebrating love with other people.

The question now is ‘‘how can I control my Emotion?’’.   Emotion are Natural biological traits that has been indebted in us for us to subdue. It is our own responsibility to take control of emotion. Many a person finds his/herself in a position in which it is the emotion that takes control of he/she instead of otherwise. You might say ‘‘after all I am so anointed/holy to be carried away by Emotion’’, yes you might be right but sometimes your emotion is not a respecter of your anointing. The bible even stated it clearly in the book of Life:

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 KJV “18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

19 What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's”. The bible didn’t say walk away from fornication (which is control by Emotion) but says flee; ‘‘flee’’ is not to walk away from something but to take a fast race away from the thing. The best way to ensure your emotion does not override you is to run away from it. The action of moving away from an object is known as MOTION.

 

Get me clearly, I am not saying Emotion is negative or devilish. We all have emotion, and moreover aspect of emotion does not always relate to sexual drive alone but my main focus on this write up is on sexual immorality which is caused mainly by inability to control our thirst for pleasure. As we celebrate the season of love together, whenever emotion want to override you, change to MOTION. Rom 6:12 says ‘‘Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.’’ NKJV. Do not lust after the flesh but live a life that will glorifies God (1 John 4: 7-8). There is no relationship after God. Any love relationship after the body of Christ is lust (the strong physical desire to have sex with somebody, usually without associated feelings of love or affection). As I drop my pen for now let me quote apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:9 “I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators.

 

The little gift I have for you is this black on a white paper “Whenever Emotion want to override you, change to Motion”.

Shalom!!!

 

Written by:

Ayokunmi-Solomon Jimoh

Twitter: @apostleayoks

 

 

Birthday Shoutout goes to a friend; Elizabeth Atinuke Ariyo. May you age in grace!