ISPE
International
Society for Poverty Elimination
(Member Economic Alliance
Group)
5, Moses
Orimolade Avenue, Ijapo Estate, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.
M: 08162469805
Email: nehap.initiative@yahoo.co.uk
16 March, 2016
His
Excellency,
Alhaji
Muhamadu Buhari, GCFR
President
and Commander in Chief of Armed Forces
Federal
Republic of Nigeria
Presidential
Villa,
Abuja.
Through:
The
Director General,
Department of
State Services,
Abuja.
Through:
The State
Director,
Department of
State Services,
Akure.
Your
Excellency,
EVOLVING PRACTICAL GRIEVANCE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION MECHANISM FOR
IMPROVING FULANI HERDSMEN / CROP FARMERS RELATIONS
The Leadership of NEHAP/ISPE/EAG (New End Hunger and Poverty/
International Society for Poverty Elimination/Economic Alliance Group) the
“Organization” extends its compliments to your Excellency and the esteemed
Members of the Federal Executive Council. We have been watching with keen
interest all efforts by your Excellency to reposition Nigeria so that it would
occupy its God-given position in the Comity of Nations. No doubt, it has not
been easy, but we are assured that with more genuine prayers and more
determination to work SMARTer rather than HARDer, we shall succeed and on sustainable
basis, to the Glory of God and the Benefit of Humanity.
2. Your Excellency, Fulani Herdsmen unleashing Terror across all South
West, South South, South East and North Central States has become a regular
occurrence that should be effectively checked now, before it gets completely
out of hand. This submission is the Contribution of NEHAP/ISPE/EAG to help
government and security agencies find sustainable solutions to the Fulani
Menace that is adversely affecting many Family Farmers and other Nigerians
including some of our Members in NEHAP Initiative.
3. The Fulani Menace underline root problems of Agriculture, Security, Development, Peace, Climate Change, Culture, Governance,
Accountability, Justice, Corruption, Terrorism, Slavery, Law, Order, Sanction
and Enforcement that need to be correctly Diagnosed as basis for Correct
Prescription, Surgery and Recovery Management, in each affected Community in
Nigeria.
4. It is hard to imagine that Nigeria in the 21st Century
could still encourage itinerant Cattle Herdsmen who continue to leave tales of
woe in their trail. It is clear that the Rights of Cattle Herdsmen STOP where
the Rights of Crop Farmers and other Nigerians START. The reality is that
Cattle Herdsmen have no regard for Authority and the Rights of other Nigerians.
The Police and DSS High Command at State and National Levels know this is FACT
and are struggling to address the situation within their operation area, with
limited success due to inadequate Political Support. This is Bad.
The Police and DSS Commanders, Officers and Men at Local, Area and
Division levels in their respective Agencies appear helpless and powerless in
the ENFORCEMENT of Law and Order and Sanctions while our Courts appear to Fear
or Favor Fulani Herdsmen and so Justice is Delayed or Denied affected Farmers
and other Nigerians. These helplessness and powerlessness is underlined by Legendary
Capacity to Corrupt Law Enforcement and Judiciary Officials, of Fulani Leaders
who Defend Fulani Herdsmen. This is a Scar on the Conscience of the Buhari
Administration led by a Fulani Globally Recognized as Anti Corruption Czar. The
Impunity of both Fulani Herdsmen and Fulani Leaders who consistently Defend the
Indefensible Must STOP.
Fulani Leaders openly VOW to Pay Millions to Bribe Law Enforcement and
Judiciary Officials rather than Pay Compensation to Crop Farmers. In
exceptional circumstances where a level of Compensation is secured, Fulani
Herdsmen go back to the Farm to Beat up the Farmer, sometimes to Death. Farmers
therefore face double jeopardy – Loss of Crops and Loss of Lives, once Fulani
Herdsmen embark upon serial attack on their Farms. Fulani Leaders consistently
DELIVER on this VOW and Fulani Herdsmen consistently go back to the Bush/Farm
to Kill any Farmer who manages to secure a level of compensation above which
they were prepared to pay. The RESULT is Fulani Leaders and Fulani Herdsmen
making Farmers and other Nigerians Slaves on their Land.
It is this Fear of Fulani Herdsmen going back to Farms to Kill Farmers
who take a level of Compensation (far below what is due and fair) that has made
Farmers Slaves to Fulani Herdsmen because they would rather lose their crops
than lose their lives.
In fairness some Police IPOs’, DCOs’ and DPOs’ want this Fulani Impunity
to End but Law Enforcement High Command at State and National Levels assume
that Fulani Impunity is Figment of Peoples’ Imagination as so do not DEMAND the
POLITICAL SUPPORT each High Command requires to contribute its quota towards
amicable resolution of Fulani Herdsmen, affected Farmers and other Nigerians
conflict and in ways that promote and protect the common interest and common
future of Fulani Herdsmen, Crop Farmers and other Nigerians in all affected
Communities, Local Governments and States in Nigeria. The reality in Nigeria
today, is that Fulani Herdsmen will serially destroy your farm and Fulani
Leaders who defend them will Bribe Police to turn Complainant to Accuse, such
that the Farmer is now Locked up by the Police on Fulani Instruction sometimes
for weeks – even at State Command Detention Facilities with Fulani Boasting the
miserable Farmer will only be released at his say so. The DSS Operatives at
Local Government Level are aware of these anomalies but being short staffed,
they are not able to help correct the numerous overwhelming security lapses and
flaws as they would have wished and so the ogre of fear, slavery, blood, tears
and debts are reoccurring decimals for Farmers and other Nigerians. This is
Worse.
This submission is NEHAP/ISPE/EAG’s contribution towards removing these
helplessness and powerlessness and the underlining corrupt practices and
related offences, without which the pain, misery, fear, slavery, blood, tears,
debts and deaths, that is the lot of increasing numbers of Farmers and other
Nigerians cannot STOP. Should this be
the case Fulani Menace Time Bomb, slowly ticking would certainly detonate –
sooner or later and the RESULT would make Boko Haram Child’s Play.
5. The seeming inaction and indifference of the Political Leadership at Federal
Government, 36 State Governments and FCT and 774 Local Governments levels,
in-spite of Fulani Herdsmen worsening atrocities in the last few years, is of
grave concern to Traditional Rulers, whose people including widows, bear the
brunt of Fulani Herdsmen attacks – some have lost their lives and many have
been reduced to penury with the destruction of their Crops in many cases
running into over N5 million per farm. Yet Traditional Rulers, as Fathers of
the Towns and Villages cannot muster the POLITICAL Will to raise Strong Single
VOICE in Defense of their suffering people, including increasing numbers of
Traditional Rulers whose farms are destroyed by Fulani Herdsmen. This is a
puzzle.
6. The Nation Newspaper in its Editorial of 4 February 2016 described the
suggestion that government could map out grazing reserves as “laughable”. A Key
highlight of the Editorial is the Statement “The government has a pressing duty
to come up with an effective Policy, Program,
Project intervention, 3PI and 3PI Training as One (Italics ours) that would
rein in the criminals operating as cattle rearers. Unless this is done now, it
could snowball to another social conflict beyond the capacity of the security
agencies”.
The Big Issue is if government
does know why Fulani Herdsmen are
Fighting Crop Farmers and other Nigerian, government will not know HOW to find lasting solutions to
Fulani Herdsmen / Crop Farmers and other Nigerians Crisis. The correct answer to this all important How To(s) question lies in simultaneously addressing Prevention and Treatment issues and in
ways that ensure “Delivery is the
Strategy” and that mean “DOING and
not Talking”.
It is pertinent to note that you cannot defeat real enemy you do not understand; you cannot solve root problem you do not
understand and you cannot answer Big
question you do not understand. Therefore without minimum certain level of
understanding in each of these 3 dimensions, government will continue to dance
around Fulani menace.
Your Excellency, please recognize that the Fulani Menace is cancer which left untreated could easily destroy
our Country, it is a Time Bomb which
allowed to detonate, would certainly make Boko Haram Child’s Play.
7. The Time is NOW for the
Federal Government to take the Lead, with your Excellency as Co Chief Champion
in the Great Task of finding Sustainable Solutions, fully implementing these
solutions with effective monitoring and evaluation of this implementation.
These are very Technical issues
that Government on its own cannot undertake without Government and concerned
Stakeholders at all levels getting Technical Advice and Support from External
Consultants with demonstrated minimum certain levels of Hard Competences:
Learning and Skills and Soft Competences: Character, Courage, Disciplie and
Mindset required to Mobilize National
Collective Action for Fulani Herdsmen, Crop Farmers and other Nigerians
Harmonious and Mutually Beneficial
Relationship in each Community across Nigeria, where Fulani Herdsmen
operate.
8. To improve Stakeholders Coordination, there is urgent need to
Establish High Level Political Forum on Tackling Fulani Menace and Joint Action
Committee on Fulani Herdsmen, Crop Farmers and other Nigerians Conflict
Resolution.
The Political Forum and Action
Committee need to be Designed and Delivered as Multi Stakeholder Platforms,
MSPs’ with Professional Technical Support needed to ensure Fulani Herdsmen Pay
Full Compensation to Crop Farmers; Fulani Herdsmen STOP Destroying Farmers
Crops and Fulani Herdsmen Practice Modern Livestock Farming.
It is pertinent to note that well
organized Modern Livestock Farming that is Integral Part of New Nigeria
Agriculture Revolution could generate over N3 Trillion annually with
accompanying Employment Generation, Peace and Security Dimensions.
9. One of the fundamental principles underpinning the above MSPs’ is that
they will use Living Strategy. That
is the implementation of Policy, Program, Project Interventions, 3PIs’ and 3PIs
Training as One will be based on solving real and complex problem on the ground
as is in each affected Community, Local Government and State in Nigeria.
10. Conclusion: If Agriculture
Revolution is a viable alternative for revamping the Nigeria Economy that the
Buhari Administration is considering; then it could be Mirage seeking to
achieve New Nigeria Agriculture Revolution Vision Ambitions without first
finding lasting solutions to the Fulani Menace. Secondly, the Fulani Menace
raises Peace and Security concerns that need to be urgently addressed by
government, if we are not to detonate a Time Bomb that make Boko Haram Child’s
Play. We therefore advocate that the suggested MSPs’ be established immediately
and given official recognition and all required resources to Perform including
Technical Support.
We as Development Cooperation Consultants have taken a first practical
step by introducing a new constructive engagement approach as evidenced by the
pertinent suggestions contained in this submission, that we decide should be in
the form of an open letter. We call on
government to reciprocate by demonstrating sincerity in implementing
Agriculture Reform Program that is an Integral Part of entire National Reform
Program that increase the Prosperity, Living Standards and Welfare of Nigeria
Small Holder Farmers, Nigeria Workers and Nigeria Peoples.
We are close to Nigeria Citizens, especially the Poor Farmers and Poor
Workers in both Rural and Urban Communities, we are convinced that should
government take favorable decision and timely action on this submission, Government
will deliver to Nigeria Farmers, including Fulani Herdsmen, Nigeria Workers and
Nigeria Peoples the Type of Democracy Dividends Nigerians Desire and Deserve
and this will lead to improved Government Labor relations on one hand and
Fulani Herdsmen, Crop Framers and other Nigerians Relations on the other hand,
thus making the Buhari Administration New Nigeria Vision easily achievable with
little or no disruption to service delivery through warning strikes on one hand
and little or no conflict between Fulani Herdsmen, Crop Farmers and other
Nigerians on the other hand.
B. Prayers
The Organization urges Government to:-
1.
Direct SGF Coordinate Political Solutions to Fulani
Menace
2.
Direct Joint Service Chiefs Police, DSS and Military
Coordinate Security Solutions to Fulani Menace.
3.
Direct HMARD Coordinate Agriculture Solutions to
Fulani Menace.
4.
Establish High Level Political Forum on Tackling
Fulani Menace.
5.
Establish Joint Action Committee on Fulani Herdsmen,
Crop Farmers and other Nigerians Conflict Resolution.
6.
Ensure Fulani Herdsmen Pay Full Compensation to Crop
Farmer.
7.
Ensure Fulani Herdsmen STOP Destroying Farmers Crops
8.
Ensure Fulani Herdsmen Practice Modern Livestock
Farming.
9.
Ensure that well organized Modern Livestock Farming in
Nigeria generating over N3 Trillion annually with accompanying Employment
Generation, Peace and Security Dimensions is designed and delivered.
10. Consider
involving the Council in the design and delivery of Pro Poor Economic Reform
and Pro Poor Institutional Reform Programs aimed at finding Sustainable
Solutions to Fulani Herdsmen, Crop Farmers and other Nigerians Conflict.
11. Consider integrating Sustainable Solutions to
Fulani Herdsmen, Crop Farmers and other Nigerians Conflict with Local and State
Governments Development Plans, National Development Plans Aligned and
Harmonized with Global Goals – AAAA, SDG, COP21 Outcome, HLPF Retreat Outcome,
UN MSP Retreat Outcome, ECOSOC Retreat Outcome, Agenda 21.
12. Operationalize
MSPs with Official Government Support’ Living Strategy in Practice
13. Demonstrate
commitment towards continuously improving Stakeholders Policy Cooperation,
Collaboration, Coordination and Cohesion for Sustainable Development in
Practice.
14. Consider
our recommendation of External Consultant with required Hard Competences and Soft
Competences to work effectively with Government and other Stakeholders to
operationalize in practice all good ideas and pertinent suggestions set out in
this submission.
Your Excellency, please accept the assurances of our highest regard and
esteem, as we await your urgent intervention in National Interest.
Yours faithfully,
Lanre Rotimi
Director General
PS.
Letter hand delivered to DSS Ondo State Office Akure on 17 March 2016,
was received and signed for by 124 clo.
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