An Njenje Media organized Virtual Conference took place yesterday, February 5, 2021 with the theme; ‘Killer Herdsmen Invasion Of Southern Nigeria And The Middle-Belt Region, Causes And Solutions’.
The close to 3 hours meeting moderated by Media guru, Maazi Ezeoke had opinion leaders, technocrats, public analysts bare their minds on ways to address the menace of the killer herders.
The conference had in attendance, Ovation Publisher, Chief Dele Momodu ; Human Right and Environmental Right Activist, Mrs Annkio Briggs; A former Managing Director at DAAR Communications Plc and President-General of the MIDWEST MOVEMENT, Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki.
Other guests at the conference are, Afenifere Spokesman, Mr Yinka Odumakin; Dr. Jonathan Asake, the President, Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU); Comrade Delly Ajufo, the Coordinator, Anioma Redemption Group; Lt Col. Tony Nyiam (Rtd) ; Dr Sam Amadi, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Commission (NERC) ; Mr Tabara Samuel, a Human Right Activist.
The session started with the Host, Maazi Ezeoke welcoming the panelists and in the process explaining the purpose of the conference, which is to find lasting solutions to the menace of killer herders in Southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt.
The host began the session by playing a video clip from Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state.
The video had the Benue governor calling on the President to act fast on the ensuing insecurity in the country being propelled by herdsmen.
The Governor in the video had called for the arrest of the leadership of Miyetti Allah over their role in the crisis while claiming that President Buhari may not be aware of the gravity of the menace.
Don Pedro Obaseki in his opinion said every indication that this conglomeration is a nation is a lie. “Like Awolowo once told us, that Nigeria is a mere geographical expression. As Ahmadu Bello once told us, God did not create Nigeria, the British did.”
He asked a rhetorical question on who would tell the President that the house that was built on a park of cards is crumbled.
He said all indices is pointing to a dead Nigeria, that ‘it’s just a conflagration, a contraption , badly skewed and badly coupled together”.
‘Nothing in the last few years particularly seem to aid the existence of Nigeria, not to say that is to be too economical with the truth, Nigeria is an anomaly, Nigeria is in the whims and caprices of a man who sat behind the sanctuary of his lovedom and legislated away the freedoms of our people.”
He said Nigeria has to be looked into properly and all the Federating units must be made to sit down and decide their continued togetherness.
He called for the disbandment of the present constitution that seem to further widen the impartial gulf.
He said Nigeria’s crisis is beyond the Herdsmen but the Herdsmen are repercussive of an endearing system that is built on crazy fault lines and unless those fault lines are addressed, the problem will continue and that would be the end of the country.
He called for the dismantling of the present federation to allow everyone to sit on the table and decide on what paradigms to federate.
CEO of Ovation International, Chief Dele Momodu countered the assertion of the Benue Governor that the President is not aware of the happenings but said we are just making excuses. He said it’s obvious those working in proxies for the President understands his body language and as such acted within those ambits. He said with his closet affinity with the President, he reads the newspapers.
The veteran publisher is of the opinion that President Buhari is trying to protect the interest of his kinsmen and he recalled that before he became the President, he has always been their godfather.
He noted that the herders are enjoying the protection of the President, the reason they can brazently display weapons that are not licensed by the State.
He said the Northern Muslims are overpampered while their Northern Christians do not enjoy the same privilege.
He prayed Nigeria should not go the way of Somalia and expressed his disgust for example in a video of Sheik Gumi with bandits.
He said recent actions and body language of the President are looking to authenticate the rumor in some quarters of a Fulanization agenda.
He called for a creative think-thank to address the structural imbalance of the country.
Comrade Dele Ajufo , coordinator of the Anioma Redemption group asked on the basis do Nigerians want to remain as one. He recalled an Ahmadu Bello interview in 1954 where he disparaged the Igbo’s, which to him, together with other instances showed the aversion of the Fulani’s to the Igbo’s and the Southern Nigeria.
He recalled Tafawa Balewa saying he’s vehemently against Nigeria’s independence as there was no basis for unity for the north and south. He goes on to quote Tafawa Balewa’s assertion that they in the North do not the Southerners around, confirming the North long held animosity towards southern Nigeria.
He said the constitution must be brought down and that the National Assembly that can do that is also a product of the fraudulent constitution and must also be brought down.
According to him, the hegemony of the Fulani must be checked.
The President of Southern Kaduna People’s Union, Dr Jonathan Asake inferred that the herdsmen killings started in the middle belt before moving to the South.
He opined that the FG are blocking the reunion of the communities to their former state. According to him, the change in demographics is the intention of the Fulani to supplant themselves and replace the original inhabitants of the communities being attacked. He claimed this is an agenda that predates the Buhari government but the Buhari government is brazenly implementing it.
He also called for the review of the 1999 constitution.
The only lady guest in the conference, Mrs Ankio Briggs in her remarks sensationally noted that ‘God did not make Nigeria, Lugard did’. She said whether Nigeria stays together or not, she would remain an Ijaw woman and that her geographical location would not change unless by nature.
According to her, Nigeria today is finished and her primary aim ain’t to save Nigeria but her aim is how her own Ijaw people survives.
She said the Herdsmen killings is an intent to destroy and enslave every other person and a continuous push for hegemony and that would be resisted.
As a solution, she said ‘we have to agree as a people that our independence and survival as ethnic nationalities should be paramount’.
She concluded we have to save ourselves before we have to save Nigeria.
Afenifere spokesperson, Yinka Odumakin said the South West has been very vocal on restructuring and true federalism but now it has gotten to a point where the SW need to ask itself who it wants to restructure with.
He posited that restructuting is not enough and In his exact words ; “If we restructure Nigeria, will the Herdsmen stop killing?, Will the killings, robbery and rape all over Nigeria stop?” .
He recalled that the eviction order given by the Ondo Governor for herders in Ondo Forest got Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu infuriated even before the herders themselves responded, pointing to the FG complicity in the menace.
” The Publicity Secretary of Afenifere said Buhari knows what he’s doing and he’s pursuing a Fulanization agenda giving different instances to back up his assertion.”
He also called for a new constitution to give members their rights to live freely with an option for the different nationalities to opt out of Nigeria if they get tired.
Lt Col. Tony Nyiam (Rtd) in his remarks said that all the regional fighters and activists have all fought against neo-colonialism.
He hampered on strategic thinking and said the academia around are posturing theories that are just wishful thinking which would take us nowhere.
He agreed the solution is to bring down the constitution but noted nothing can be achieved without going the way of a liberation struggle.
Dr Akin Fapohunda said we are all operating in silos and said everyone is feeling the pains and advised the conference should go beyond this meeting to form a strategic thinking group.
He opined that Nigeria is no longer redeemable unless we restructure and it’s no longer IF but when and how soon.
He also called for an exit clause in the constitutional reform.
After explaining the restructuring term, Dr Fapohunda highlighted 4 steps in making it happen;
- The body should agree that there should be no elections in Nigeria until there is an agreement that the restructuring plan is suitable for all.
- The 1963 constitution can be reused to rework a new model as it’s an elegant document that allows the States to be autonomous.
- The different regions to organize themselves to take over the running of the geographical areas.
- We should prepare for negotiations
Speakers, Dr Sam Amadi in his presentation called on the government to bring up measures to nip in the but the incessant carnage occasioned by the Herdsmen attack in the South and Middle Belt pointing out that Nigerians resorted to self defense that made regional security groups like ESN, Amotekun and others, an indication of the failure of the Nigerian security architecture.
In his closing remark, the moderator and CEO, Njenje Media, Maazi Tochukwu Ezeoke thanked the discussants for their time and summarized the submissions of guests with a promise to reproduce them in summary for public consumption.
He clarified that not all Herdsmen are killers but the focus is ridding the society of the ones with nefarious inclinations.
