03072019 - Buhari's Ruga policy, an explosive issue — SOYINKA

On the cattle colonies
G OVERNMENT
spokespersons in
Abuja have denied reports that
the Muhammadu Buhari
administration plans to establish
ruga, so-called cattle colonies,
in the 36 states of our peculiar
federation. The colonies are
Abuja’s cure-all response to
herdsmen-farmers clash.
This step, going by the words
of the paid mouthpieces, is
apparently the only way Abuja
knows towards permanently
ending incessant violence
between these two groups.
Fulani herders are the main
suspects in cases of violent
attacks bordering on ethnic
cleansing on farming
communities whose farms have
been transformed into grazing
fields.
President Buhari has been at
sea finding a solution to the
problem posed by the attacks
that have polarised Nigerians
along ethnic lines. Is the latest
gambit of any credibility? Can
this be the answer that we have
all along been looking for?
Abuja plans to establish cattle
colonies in states in mostly
Hausa-Fulani speaking parts of
the North that are predisposed
to such activity.
Which is to say that states in
the Southern and other parts of
the country that do not want
these cattle colonies are free to
opt out of the arrangement. No
group or individual is obligated
to establish ruga against their
wish.
Fair enough, you may say.
Indeed on the face of it, this
would seem a good answer to
the whole question of
unconscionable attacks, often
gory, that are perpetrated by
cattle herders. It has to be
admitted, though, that some of
these attacks, alongside
banditry and armed robbery, are
executed by opportunistic
Nigerians of other ethnicities
hiding under the guise of being
Fulani. Yet what we cannot run
away from is that the vast
majority of the attacks are the
handiwork of Fulani herdsmen
many of whom are allegedly of
foreign descent.
So I ask again: Are cattle
colonies the final solution to the
conundrum of hate-filled
encounters between farmers
and herders? Who bears the
cost of the establishment of
these colonies? Who owns the
land on which the colonies are
to be established?
Does the establishment of the
colonies offer closure to victims
of herdsmen attacks, violently
raped and killed after the
communities have been
destroyed? In what way does
the government of the day hope
to address the sense of wrong
and resentment borne by victims
and casualties of herdsmen
attacks? These are questions that
the willful step to establish cattle
colonies fail to address.
The terrorist enterprise of
these herders has been
recognised worldwide for its
deadly efficiency leading to
their being labelled one of the
most dangerous terrorist groups
in the world. The Nigerian
government is far from
acknowledging the complicity of
the Fulani herders in these
attacks, to say nothing of
labelling the herders terrorists.
It may be a measure of
government’s ambivalence, if
not confusion, about the matter
that, beyond the isolated cases
of arrests made in some South-
Western states like Ekiti, Ondo
and parts of the Middle Belt,
there has been no deliberate
Buhari appears
to enjoy
governing
Nigerians along
separate lines
attempt to go after the armed
men masquerading as cattle
farmers that have been
fingered in the many cases of
violent attacks.
Many Nigerians believe that
the only reason government
responses so far have been
lame is simply because the
president, Muhammadu
Buhari, is Fulani. His situation
is nowhere helped by the fact
that he is also a patron of
Miyetti Allah, the umbrella
body of the cattle herdsmen. In
a word, many Nigerians
believe that Buhari’s hands
have been tied by his ethnic
affiliation to the group of
Nigerians and foreigners
repeatedly accused of the
wanton elimination of Nigerians
and the decimation of their
ancestral homes.
Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2019—31
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In the wake of Abuja’s nonresponse
to the countless cases
of herdsmen attacks on farming
villages, in the absence of any
coherence, rhyme or reason to
Abuja’s knee-jerk responses to
questions about its pussyfooting
ways, its determination to
establish cattle colonies in parts
of the country which, before it
was denied, looked like a test
run for all the country, is a
needless insult. Is it not enough
that this government is not only
seen or perceived as doing
nothing but is in fact not
making attempts to convince
Nigerians that it plans to
address cases of herdsmen
attacks fairly? Does the
government need to be told of
the urgency of the matter at
hand and the need to be
sensitive to the concerns of
Nigerians who have for long
read ethnic meanings into the
behaviour of the president and
his minders?
It may now look very gross
and uncharitable that Nigerians
are opposed to the siting of any
kind of colonies, called by
whatever name and for
whatever purposes, in their
domain. But the Buhari
government should take the
greater part of the responsibility
and blame for this. Its laidback,
even indifferent posture, in the
face of the numerous attacks by
Fulani herders on communities
in the Middle Belt in the last
two years portrays it as
insensitive to the concerns of
non-Fulani Nigerians.
The gory killing of nearly 80
Nigerians in parts of the
Middle Belt in January 2018,
killings that did nothing to stir
the president into action of any
kind (rather he mandated his
then Inspector General of
Police, Idris Ibrahim, to go on a
fact-finding mission to Benue
and Taraba states), his
government’s plan to create
grazing routes from one end of
the country to another without
first bringing the rampaging
herdsmen to justice - blightly
ignoring all of these concerns
for about four years only to wake
up with suggestions of cattle
colonies is a disregard of
civilised conduct. Otherwise,
there could be a way about this
issue that is not as polarising
as what we have now. Buhari,
however, appears to enjoy
governing Nigerians along
separate lines.
Now it has been decided to
establish cattle colonies, where
are the thousands of hectares
of land owned by a ‘federal’
government that, itself should
be the creation of the
constituent states where these
colonies are to be established?
Since cattle herding is a private
concern, does Abuja plan to
establish and finance, say,
cotton or cocoa farms for farmers
in parts of Southern Nigeria?
These are questions thrown up
by this latest plan that Abuja
chooses to ignore. The push to
establish cattle colonies for the
use of cattle herders reconfirms
what many have long suspected
and alleged: that the
government of President Buhari
operates a hierarchy of ethnic
groups in which the Hausa-
Fulani occupy the highest rung
with all the advantages that
come with that.
How can he use ‘government’
money to create ranches for
private investors even if they
are illiterate Fulani herders and
not expect other Nigerians to
ask questions? Where are the
python dances he has created
to address Fulani herdsmen
attacks? What is Buhari doing
to create a sense of unity among
Nigerians?
Practical agriculture, vocational education, and the school curriculum
By Daniel Ighakpe
AGRICULTURE was once the mainstay
of the Nigerian economy. Before the
discovery of oil, commercial farms blossomed
and farming was seen and practised as the
main occupation. The North had cotton,
groundnuts and other products. The East had
palm oil, while the Southwest had cocoa.
Agriculture laid the foundation for Nigeria’s
industrialisation, contributing the largest
share to an economy that was experiencing
very boisterous growth.
However, after the discovery of oil, with its
increased production and the huge revenue
which it attracted, less and less attention began
to be paid to agriculture. Nowadays, most
people in Nigeria, particularly the youth, are
not interested and do not want to engage in
farming any longer.
Most young people and unemployed
graduates today are only interested in whitecollar
office jobs. Unfortunately, there still exists
the misconception that farming is a profession
for the poor and illiterate, which entails
grueling toil in the farmland, with a mere
pittance as returns.
These notions have been fuelled over the
years by lack of proper training for those who
go into agriculture, causing them to demonise
and abandon the venture. This leads to an
ageing farming population. Nigeria’s
population is currently growing faster than
there are farmers to feed the nation.
Nevertheless, agriculture still remains the
largest sector of the Nigerian economy. It
employs two-thirds of Nigeria’s working
population. Agriculture accounts for
approximately 22 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP.
Our priority now should be to get young
Nigerians acquainted with the nitty-gritty of
agriculture at an early age, introduce them to
the business aspect of agriculture and also
ignite the interest of school students in
agriculture and encourage them to pursue
agriculture-related occupations.
One such initiative that aims to accomplish
the above-mentioned objectives is the recently
launched ‘Green Schools Initiative’ by Notore
Chemical Industries - one of Nigeria’s leading
agro-allied company. This initiative rallies
stakeholders in the agricultural and
educational sectors to expand the secondary
school curriculum with the intention to get
students more involved in the practical aspects
of agriculture within dedicated farmlands in
their respective schools.
According to the company, the scheme will
involve Notore partnering with secondary
schools across Nigeria to establish
demonstration farms that will be used to teach
students modern agricultural techniques and
best practices. The hands-on approach of
demonstration farms accelerates the adoption
of international best practices, which will give
the students a competitive edge over their
counterparts in other sectors.
The initiative, it has been said, will start off
with 120 unity schools and top state-owned
colleges across the country, with plans to
significantly increase the number of
participating schools. This is certainly a worthy
initiative that should be commended and
encouraged indeed! Private schools, the private
sector, other non-governmental organisations,
and other extension agencies can also emulate
such a novel initiative. This will help to
inculcate the love of agriculture and farming
among the Nigerian youth.
Another important area of the Nigerian
educational system that needs to be given
serious attention is the inclusion of vocational
education and training in the school
curriculum. In Nigeria, there is too much
emphasis on university education and merely
acquiring paper/academic qualifications, not
bearing in mind whether the holder possesses
the required knowledge and skills. Nigerians
Schools in Nigeria need to
introduce vocational
education and training into
their curriculum to enable
students to develop skills that
can be of benefit to them in
the future
generally have this mentality that a university
degree is more important than technical/
social/vocational training. We live in a society
that places a high value on white-collar jobs
and ‘professionals,’ a society where blue-collar
work is considered as low status.
Parents want their children to pursue careers
that will enable them maintain or even increase
their high status. They want their children to
get high-paying professional jobs. They see
vocational education as ‘secondary’ and ‘not
important’. They just want academic success
for their children. Many schools even place a
high premium on college admissions and
gaining admission into top ivy-league
universities.
This has reduced the economic opportunities
for those who are more work oriented. It is,
therefore, very necessary and important that
parents be re-educated and enlightened
regarding the value of occupations that are
not high on the social status scale.
The inability of our educational system to
provide youths with the demands of industries
has led to increased frustrations. This further
validates the fact that vocational education
brings both immediate and lasting economic
returns for the country and its citizens.
Schools in Nigeria need to introduce
vocational education and training into their
curriculum. By doing so, it will assist students
to develop skills that can be of benefit to them
in the future. Until vocational education is
taken seriously, only then will the economy
become better. Vocational education and
training can contribute to the reduction of
poverty, hunger and unemployment. It can also
help people become self-reliant.
Vocational, entrepreneurship, or skill
acquisition programmes include training in
skills such as agriculture, tailoring/sewing/
fashion designing, cooking and baking,
photography, video editing, hair styling and
making, barbing, musical instruments
training, cobbling, make-up and gele tying,
carpentry, painting, plumbing and so on. It
can help students to build up their talents and
also enable them to be self-reliant, or otherwise
to secure well-paying jobs that can help them
take care of themselves and their families.
•Ighakpe, a researcher/author, wrote from
Lagos
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