By Sani Danaudi Mohammed
A pastoral society is one that depends primarily upon herding livestock for its existence rather than agriculture. It is a truly sustainable culture in that it relies upon resources that may be replenished without diminishing their numbers or availability.The term pastoralism comes from the Latin word ”pastor,” which means ”shepherd.The origins of pastoralism date back to around 8500-6500 BCE. Pastoralism is a stage in human development between early hunter-gatherers and agricultural communities.
The Pastoralists sometimes called herders are found in countries such as Nigeria,Niger, Senegal, Guinea, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon. In Senegal,they inhabit northeastern Ferlo and the southeastern part of the country. In many of these countries the Fula often constitute a minority group.Fulani herdsmen build domed houses called suudu hudo or bukkaru made from grasses.During the dry season,these houses are often supported with compact millet stalk pillars; in the wet or rainy season, they are supported by reed mats held together and tied against wood poles.
The advantage of the bukkaru house is that it is mobile and easy to set up and dismantle. When it is time to relocate, the houses are dismantled and loaded onto a camel, horses, donkeys, or sometimes cattle for transport.In recent times some herdsmen now live in mud or concrete block houses.The historical antecedents of these herders has shown that,they are as older than the present day Nigeria where they are becoming victims of ineffective Government policies and programs.
In Nigeria,Fulani pastoralists started migrating into northern Nigeria from the Senegambia region around the thirteenth or fourteenth century.After the Uthman dan Fodio jihad, the Fulani became integrated into the Hausa culture of Northern Nigeria.Thereafter, during the dry season when the tsetse fly population is reduced, Fulani pastoralists began to drive their cattle into the Middle Belt zone dominated by non-Hausa groups, returning to the north at the onset of the rainy season. But while managing the herd and driving cattle, cattle grazing on farmlands sometimes occurs, leading to destruction of crops and becoming a source of conflict.
The land use act of 1978 allowed the State or Federal Government the right to assign and lease land and also gave indigenes the right to apply and be given a certificate of occupancy to claim ownership of their ancestral lands. This placed the pastoral Fulani in a difficult position because most did not apply for lands of occupancy of their grazing routes, and recurring trans-humance movement led to encroachment on the properties of others.The designed areas known as grazing routes by the Nigerian Government have been taken over by farmers making the herders free movement a great concerns as in when due leading to clashes.
Thousands of these herders have been killed as a result of Clashes between farmers and semi-nomadic herders leaving them at the mercy of advocacy groups such as Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and others.It is a loose partisan advocacy group centered on promoting the welfare of Fulani pastoralists in Nigeria.The organization was founded in the early 1970s with headquarters in Kaduna. It became legally operational in 1979 and gained wider acceptance as an advocacy group in 1987.
The major goal of MACBAN is to be the umbrella organization of Fulani herdsmen within the country.The activities of the organization involves liaising with the government on behalf of pastoralists,land use rights, nomadic education and conflict resolution between pastoralists and farmers.It also supports in protecting and increasing grazing reserves for cattle breeders in the country.Though,not all pastoralists intend to stay within grazing reserves and the organization provides information to convince grazing reserve skeptics among the nomads to buy into the idea.
As the major Promoter of welfare of Fulani pastoralists, They are expected to reduce incidences in farmer-herder conflicts and cattle rustling. Since the returns of the fourth Republic in 1999 in Nigeria and with increase misunderstanding of the Farmers and herders Conflicts, MACBAN has now grown beyond just an advocacy group of herders but now a Frontline Campaigner of the continue injustice against these helpless pastoralists.
The group’s board of trustees is led by the Sultan of Sokoto and it receives funding from the board and other donors.The national Chairman is elected every four years. When MACBAN was founded, it received support from Sultan Abubakar III, Aminu, the Emir of Zazzau, Usman Nagogo, the Emir of Katsina and Ado Bayero, the late Emir of Kano.The emirs of these emirates compose a part of the group’s board of trustees.
Not withstanding,Many of these Pastoralists have lost confidence on the leadership of the Many organizations are standing as an advocacy groups pegging the name Miyetti Allah or any Fulani inscription.This is because, They failed for decades to protect the welfare and interest of the herders across boards.It is an unarguable discourse that these Pastoralists has continue to suffered many casualties across the country and in the North Central in Particular.This is the narratives that Baba Usman Ngelzarma,the newly sworn President of MACBAN is championing and hoping to achieve.
The recent Killings of yet to be identified number of herders and their cattles in Doma LGA of Nasarawa while on their way from Benue State are one of the recent sad incidents that continue unabated.Many of these herders have been killed, thousands displaced and millions lost their livelihood.Government on its part has continue to assure them of maximum protection of their lives and properties in the midst of recurrent miscarriage of injustices.
The leadership of many of these Fulani Organizations have failed shot of been active voices that should Speak and defend the interest of their members.This may be the reason why many of such Pastoralists organizations are not rated beyond been a Political watch dogs to Politicians in the midst of the most difficult circumstances these herders found themselves.Be as it May be,Some of these organizations have lost the respect of these average helpless pastoralists dwelling for survival in the rural areas.Not all may agreed that,the herdsmen benefited and are benefiting nothing directly or indirectly from the Government despite different interventions.The facts are blunt that even the empowerment and employment opportunities,these Fulanis are not cited as beneficiaries despite their voting population across Nigeria particularly the North.
THE NGELZARMA NEW ERA AND REFORMS
Soon after winning his election as the duly elected President of Miyetti Allah Cattles Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Baba Usman Ngelzarma has so far announced and has began implements different Reforms, introducing Policies and Programs that will bring together the entire Pastoralists together as an entity to confront its common Challenges.Many are not surprised with the new turn of events under his watch considering his vast and decades experience in managing Conflicts.
As a Herder himself from Ngelzarma Emirate in Fune Local Government of Yobe State,North East Nigeria.He is a successful retired Civil Servant and now businessman who have Excel higher both in Private and Public Sectors until his appointment as Special adviser to the Executive Governor of Yobe State,His Excellency Mai Mala Buni of Agriculture. Agriculture is one of the critical area of need where the interest of the herders is as important in curbing their current predicaments.It is expected that a sound agricultural Program that succeeds will solve more than 60-70% of the Farmers and herders face off in Nigeria.
These issues, problems and Challenges confronting the herders in Nigeria are older than the country itself. Although, different Committee of inquiries have set up to fashion out ways of bring to an end to these ugly train of events,it has not seen the light of the day in terms of implementation and Commitment at the level of Federal and State Governments. Therefore,an urgent need for wider Consultations among the Key stakeholders and actors like the Security agencies, ethnical
Orientation of these herders, Reintegration and empowerment of these herders who have lost it due to incoherent policies and programs of the successive Governments in Nigeria formed the Cardinal Principles of Ngelzarma new down as the National President of MACBAN.
To crown it all,Leadership has never been without objections and Challenges from different vested interest groups who see themselves as competitors even though MACBAN remain unshakable as the breed of all other sisters organizations.The history is clear and it has light it clear to all and sundry that,it remain the only viable association that have existed and is functional since 1978 with Membership across all States and Local Governments in Nigeria.The emerging new arrow heads that seem to Minecraft the attention of the world are nothing worth of shifting the goal post that MACBAN remain the only umbrella and shade for the Pastoralists in Nigeria.
The Peace and Unity of Nigeria is key and it takes only strong men with conviction, Passion and Commitment in all spheres of human endeavors to achieve. I am confident that in no distance time,the herders will celebrates and their dashed hopes in the leadership of this noble organization will be back to life.This ugly
history of the Fulanis will be put to rest and things will great from considering the ongoing conversations and Reforms with the new leadership of Miyetti Allah Cattles Breeders Association of Nigeria under Baba Usman Ngelzarma,A herder from the North East region, Nigeria.
Danaudi, National President of Arewa Youths Advocate for Peace and Unity Initiative Writes from Bauchi via danaudicomrade@gmail.com.
