CITIZEN’S RIGHT TO LIVE ANYWHERE IN NIGERIA, PART 1

NOTE: First published on June 5, 2020. The “Published” date on the tab is the date that it was uploaded on this new site. Though some issues in this piece may still be current (depending on…), this is to avoid mistaking it as current news.

This is “No Bullshiting,” by Harry Agina.

Greetings, folks!

I am a strong advocate of the constitutional right of every Nigerian to live and do business anywhere in the country. However, some folks take that right mischievously too far. The Fulani herdsmen in the forests and farmlands of other Nigerians is one instance; and, the smuggling of truckloads of Almajeris from the north to dump them in the south, is another instance.

It miffs me that some mischief makers say that southerners are violating the constitutional rights of Fulani herdsmen.

Oh yes, indeed, such view smacks of either the level of IGNORANCE that competes with STUPIDITY, or, the ‘viewer’ is informed, but very mischievous. Some of those ignorant folks, or MISCHIEF makers, threatened to sack southerners from the north if the herdsmen and Almajaris are sacked from the south. Their ignorance, or mischief, does not allow them to comprehend the following factors that must be considered in addressing the “Right Of Sojourn” matter:

           (1) The constitutional provision that they mischievously, or ignorantly misquote, does not say that any Nigerian has the right to go anywhere they like and GRAB the land from other Nigerians that are already there, no, sir!!!

           (2) Several northerners are lawfully living and doing business in the south. They PAY RENT or BUY where they sojourn; nobody has the right to kick them out. And, several southerners are lawfully living in the north, PAYING RENT, or having purchased the property; and nobody has the right to kick them out, either. That’s what our constitution says.

(3) And, very importantly, southerners in the north do not go on rampage and kill their hosts, or destroy their farmlands, in a bid to grab their land. That’s what the herdsmen that southerners want to drive out of their land do. They are evil murderers, meeeeeeen!!! Sure, as an anti-stereotype advocate, I must say that there may be some great innocent guys among the herdsmen, but the fact still remains that many of them are simply the devil’s incranate, slaughtering innocent citizens, in their crazy self-avowed jihadist bid to grab other people’s land. The innocent ones must rent accommodations and live like other Nigerians.

            (4) Not to forget the FACT that jihadists regularly threaten and boast that they are on a jihadist mission to conquer the entire Nigeria, “from the desert, to the Atlantic Ocean,” meeeeen!!!

(5) Finally, I have to talk about the fact that this is the 21^st century, and not the doggone ancient 12^th century. We cannot afford to continue accepting the destructive nomadic lifestyle of any group of herdsmen, Fulani, or not. We must start talking about their responsibility to other citizens, as prescribed in our constitution. We must make them to understand that they do not own the country, as they stupidly believe, with barbaric impunity. They cannot be allowed to continue destroying the farms of other citizens, and murdering innocent citizens, and boasting to us that they have the right to commit those atrocities because “na baba be president.”

I mean, for crying out, some fools actually look other Nigerians in the eye and tell us that they can do anything they want, because “na baba be president.” I swear to Allah, one of such idiots once said those words to me, all the way inside my remote village in Anambra state. “What barbaric impunity!!!” I shouted. As the JJC to Naija that I was, I was so furious, and wanted to exit my car and kick the ass of the little rat, who didn’t look anything above 13 years. My cousin quickly held me back and cautioned me to beware of possible repercussion. And then, that warning made me even madder, meeeeeeen!!!! Repercussion? Inside my own village? The son of a gun had his cattle blocking my village road, holding up traffic for over ten doggone minutes, definitely in no haste to clear the road for us.

Unfortunately, the baba from whom they derive the evil impunity truly APPEARS to be behind them as they claim. But, whether baba actually supports them or not, the rest of us Nigerians MUST not allow them to continue the bullshit, meeeeeeeeeen!!!!

Now, anybody that addresses this matter of “right of sojourn” for Fulani herdsmen in the south (or north), without addressing the jihadist atrocities of some evil ones, is downright EVIL. Bros eee, na only tree wey them go tell say they wan kill am, and him still remain where him dey, no move. Nigerians (southerners, as well as most northers) are justifiably scared to have killers (herdsmen, or not) in their midst, who want to grab their land. And, some Fulani herdsmen are scary in that way, meeeen!!!

And, any person who suggests that anybody (herdsmen or not) can live on other people’s land (be it in town or farmland) without paying rent, and destroys crops, is also mishcievous, at best. As for the persons who condemn southerners for rejecting the dumping of Almajeris in the south, I will simply say that they are idiots. Only idiots will expect southerners to carry the burden of the Almajeris from their parents and their states of origin, and such idiots deserve no response at all.

I must state, in my custom, that the good Fulani people of Nigeria understand the apprehension of the southerners about having land-grabbing murderous herdsmen in their midst. Some of those good Fulani persons do speak out against the atrocities of the evil herdsmen. God forbid that I support a killer for the crazy reason that he/she is fellow Igbo person!!! Good Fulanis also feel that way; I know it, meeen!!!

Just recently, the peace-loving sultan of Sokoto, the Traditional and Religious Father of the entire Fulani race in Nigeria, condemned the jihadists who claim to own Nigeria. He warned his people to stop fomenting trouble.

Setting the record straight: Known history has it that, among Nigeria’s major tribes today, the Fulani race was the very last to migrate to Nigeria. The Igbos were the first to migrate to Nigeria from the Middle East (around 1450 Before Christ was born); followed by Agbon/Agbor and Bini (900 BC). The Hausa race arrived about 800 years after the Bini (800 AD–after Christ); the Yorubas arrived around 1100AD (12th Century); and the Fulani race arrived just a little over 200 years ago in the 19^th century. They were first among their Hausa cousins, until the Shehu Othman Dan Fodio’s jihad of 1804 established them as an authority to recon with.

A version of Oral history, upon which ancient historical accounts are based, does have its shortcomings in authentication, and there are historical variations and disagreements about the migration history of some of the tribes. However, no matter what disagreements there are about other tribes, the Fulani race did migrate to Nigeria long after the other “major” races. So, it is absolutely insane that some jihadist Fulanis insist that they own Nigeria. Will somebody please knock it into their brains, meeeen!!! Tell them that, if any race has to claim ownership of Nigeria, it couldn’t possibly be the last to arrive here. What the hell do they think they are; some kind of supper humans? And, except if other Nigerians are extremely foolishly non-vigilant, the jihadists are certainly too insignificantly small in number to overrun a combination of:

• All southern Nigerians, less tiny number of traitors, who will realize too late…
• Most non-Fulani tribes of the north, again, less few traitors…
• And the good peace-loving Fulanis who are not interested in evil jihad.

The jihadists often openly boast that their brothers are coming in from all over Africa to fight with them; and I say, so fucking what?!!! All the Fulanis in the entire Africa are still not enough to overrun Nigeria; they are less than 35 million. And, remember that only a fraction of this number are jihadists; the majority are peace-loving Fulanis. As for the factor of “our baba is in power to make sure that the jihad is successful,” which some jihadists threaten us with; I again say, so fucking what?!!!

They are too stupid to realize that the armed forces under their “baba” do have southerners and non-jihadist northerners, including non-jihadist Fulanis. In their delusion, the jihadists believe that Buhari can force all those non-jihadist members of the armed forces to wipe out their own races, in support of a jihad. Unfortunately, Buhari, either advertently, or inadvertently through inaction, actually does give them the illusion that the gamut of Nigeria’s armed forces is going to fight their jihad with them, meeeeen!!!!

So, we do have reasons to blame the jihadists’ illusion and impunity on our government. Yes, indeed; the same government that wants to give us a law with death sentence for any Nigerian that makes hate speech, sits back and watches some crazy jihadists openly and boldly threaten, on TV, that they’ll kill all Nigerians and take all the land; and, not a single arrest happens, not to speak of prosecution, and, not to speak of the stupid death sentence that some lawmakers proposed.

Finally, do remember, or note (if you didn’t know), that the Othman dan Fodio that the foolish jihadists claim to follow his path, was not a bad man. He was a humanitarian, a scholar and teacher, who fought his jihad in 1804 to defend/protect the oppressed poor, and uphold the good virtues of Islam. He did not fight the crazy religious war that today’s fanatics are engaged in, with their evil “death to infidels” madness.

From Prophet Muhammad’s teachings, Dan Fodio defined an “infidel” as “a heathen” who had no religion, and did not believe in God; and so, he/she did not obey the words of Allah. One of those notable words/commands of Allah that “heathens” did not obey, was respect for other people’s human rights, dignity and justice. In that humane definition of jihad, “oppressors” of the underprivileged peasants, were the worst infidels. And, those were who Dan Fodio fought in his jihad. He mobilized the Hausas and Fulanis to fight the elites of the “Hausa Bokwai” who were oppressing the peasants.

Importantly, the Hausa Bokwai elites in question were Muslims, and not Christians. Dan Fodio did not fight non-Muslims, he fought “infidels.” Christians did not qualify as “infidels” in true jihad; oppressors (Christian or Muslim) were the enemies.

The great Sultan of Sokoto has tried to advise the jihadist fools against their bastardized evil version of Islam, but they are too far gone to listen. The few relatively enlightened jihadists have brainwashed the ignorant masses to hate and kill everyone that does not accept their mad version of Islam, including Muslims…and that’s a whole lot of religious bullshitting, meeeeeeen!!!!!