John Keane
is a professor of politics at the University of Westminster and the WZB
(Berlin).
The aforementioned scholar, who is a fellow of the Royal Society
of Arts, is the author of a best seller politics book called “The life and
Death of Democracy”.
As a
student of political philosophy, Professor Keane has won my undying admiration
for writing frankly on and about the vicissitudes and concupisciences of
politics as the world knows the trade now.
Since buying this beautiful piece of intellectual work during my
previous visit to London a couple of years ago, I have come to the inevitable
conclusion that the mountains of self-inflicted afflictions in the Nigerian
polity can be ameliorated if only the framers of political policies can pick up
a copy and digest through the philosophically deep contents.
In the wise words of T.S. Eliot “what we call the beginning is
often the end and to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we
start from”.
Yours
faithfully was therefore attracted to begin this reflection on the fundamental
conundrum that the erudite Professor Keane posed in the book which seeks to
unravel the 'whyness' of democracy.
He
said that democracy as we know it ruined in fits and starts by contempt for
parties, politicians and parliaments, anti-American sentiments, nationalism,
fake democrats, perhaps also by fear and violence, unimpeachable cross-border
institutions, market failures deepening social inequality, fatalism and disgust
for the hypocrisy of whatever remained of democratic ideals and
institutions".
He then posed additional sub-questions as follows: “If our muse
was right to foresee in these trends the sabotage of monitory democracy, what,
if anything would be lost? Who would care? Why should anybody care? In plain
words: would it really matter if democracy died a fitful death?
These
syllogistic arguments can be referred to whilst extrapolating on our
existential man-made problems that politicians have imposed on the larger
society by their crass incompetence and deliberate unwillingness to play the
game of politics by the rules.
Of
all the monumental crises of political underdevelopment, the one that now poses
grave threat to our continuous existence as a nation are the deliberately
unabated bouts of violent attacks of farming communities by armed Fulani
herdsmen. Cacophony discordant tunes have emanated from different layers of the
political class on why these attacks have perjured. The tolls in human costs
are rising by the day and millions of Nigerians are questioning the essence of
the democracy that is orchestrated not to be able to provide the primary
purpose of constitutional government which is the protection of lives and
property of Nigerians effectively.
In
the last three years especially, Nigeria has witnessed an unfortunate
proliferation of blood cuddling violence unleashed by suspected armed Fulani
herdsmen who from available body of empirical date, may have the active support
of some politically connected persons in the current federal government.
Take for instance the statement by the Defence Minister Major
General (retired) Mansur Dan-Ali who blamed Benue and Taraba states for passing
the anti-open grazing laws as the immediate cause of the killings of farmers
masterminded by armed Fulani herdsmen.
Take
also the irresponsible statement credited to the inspector General of Police supporting
the insensitive position of the Defence Minister in blaming the victims of the
attacks for the bloody violence unleashed on them.
Again, take a look at the careless statement that emanated from
both the Defence headquarters and the Department of state services on this same
vexed matter of well-coordinated violence and pogroms by armed Fulani herdsmen
targeting innocent farmers.
These
cocktails of irrational sentiments expressed by the occupants of otherwise very
strategic national Defence agencies depicts an administration that lacks the
political will to tackle the menace the mass killers who are suspected to be
armed Fulani herdsmen have become.
These matters are danger signals that are capable of killing
Nigeria’s democracy.
A
pro-democracy group that i head, Human Right Writers Association of Nigeria had
blamed the imbalance in the composition of the National Defence Council for the
pro-killer herdsmen comments made by the Minister of Defence, Brig. Gen. Munir
Dan-Ali (rtd.).
HURIWA
was reacting to Dan-Ali’s comments about the immediate and remote causes of
attacks on farming communities by suspected armed herdsmen.
Dan-Ali was quoted as saying “You see, whenever a crisis happens
at any time, there are remote and immediate causes. Since the nation’s
independence, we know there used to be routes whereby the cattle rearers took
because they are all over the nation.
“You go to Bayelsa, Ogun, you will see them. If those routes are
blocked, what do you expect will happen?
“These
people are Nigerians. It is just like going to block the shoreline; does that
make sense to you? These are the remote causes of the crisis. But the immediate
cause is the grazing law.”
HURIWA’s
disappointment with the minister’s position which he said was akin to providing
subtle justification for the criminal attacks by suspected armed herdsmen on
farming communities still rankles the consciences of good spirited Nigerians.
The association noted that Dan-Ali’s simplistic
assessment which reduced the problem to the proliferation of anti-open grazing
laws in different states of the federation and blockade of grazing routes were
responsible for the killings by herdsmen was to say the least
“unpatriotic and unbecoming of a statesman.”
HURIWA equally noted that it appeared that those at the helm of
affairs were pampering the suspected armed herdsmen because of some
ethno-religious affiliations with heads of internal security agencies under
President Muhammadu Buhari.
The group urged President Buhari to, as a matter of urgency,
respect the provisions of the Nigerian constitution with regards to the federal
character principle by immediately reconstituting the national security team to
reflect Nigeria’s diversity.
Specifically, the group quoted Section 42 (1) (2) of the 1999
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) to buttress its
point.
“HURIWA
insists that the lopsided domination of the security forces by Hausa/Fulani
ethnicity is a grave breach of the extant provision as cited above even as the
selective appointments of persons from one section of Nigeria amounted to
discrimination which is absolutely illegal and unconstitutional.
“Nigerians expect the holder of the high office of Defence
minister to be patriotic enough to denounce blood-cuddling terror attacks
orchestrated by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen, but what has come out
from the meeting of President Buhari’s security council as relayed by the
Defence minister shows that the current administration has no intention to
arrest, prosecute and where possible punish the perpetrators of the killings in
Benue, Southern Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa and Enugu states.”
The group urged the President Buhari-led administration to rise
up to its responsibility of protecting the lives and property of Nigerians
irrespective of ethno-religious bias or political affiliation.
But the Bishop of Sokoto puts it much more succinctly when he
simply described politics in Nigeria as a criminalized enterprise.
Bishop
Kukah said this at the launch of a book titled “The Shadow List’’ written by
Dr. Todd Moss and organized by the African Centre for Media and Information
Literacy in Abuja.
“I
have said it severally; let Nigerians keep saying they want a God-fearing
leader. Nigeria
does not need a God-fearing leader, because God-fearing has become an excuse to
appeal to Nigerians and win elections.
He
hit the nail on the head thus: “Governance in Nigeria is a criminalized
enterprise and a criminalized state cannot progress; so we must come to terms
as to why it is that this country is in such low portion."
“Fixing
this country requires much more than that; national cohesion, holding our
country together is the most fundamental project if we are to fix this
nation".
However,
the pertinent question to ask so as to save Nigeria’s democracy from imminent
death is why the President has failed to exercise his constitutional powers to
save Nigerians from the barrage of violent attacks by armed Fulani Herdsmen.
Dr.
Tunji Abayomi wrote a seminal book in which he reeled out the constitutional
powers of the President even as he ironically titled his book as
“constitutional powers and duties of the President”.
“The President shall be the Head of State, the Chief Executive
of the Federation and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces of the
Federation”. Section 130(2) is copied verbatim from the First Presidential
Constitution Decree of 1979”.
He
wrote further: “Section 5 of the 1999 Constitution Decree invests in the
President, the executive powers of the Federation, but does not define what the
President is. What the section defines is what the President can do. He shall
execute and maintain the Constitution and laws. But Section 130 of the
Constitution Decree defines what it means to be President. He is the Chief;
that is, one who is principal leader, and the eminent power of paramount
important in the entire nation."
"The
President is also Executive; that is, he possesses the authority to carry the
affairs of the state into effect by securing due observance to the laws as
enacted by the legislature and interpreted by the courts".
So
why has the President failed to safeguard the lives and property of Nigerians effectively?
This reminds me of a story which started with a poser thus: Ever wondered the
possibility of someone being inside the ocean and yet soap enters your eyes
frustratingly?
That
seems to be the situation that Nigeria has found herself with the ever widening
threats of violence by armed Fulani herdsmen all across diverse farming
communities in Nigeria over the last couple of years. But there seems to be
light at the end of the tunnel with the rare solution proffered by Governor of
Kano State which i believe is a masterstroke.
Kano
state Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje reportedly called on all Fulani’s
herdsmen resident in other parts of the country, especially Benue and Taraba
states, to relocate to Kano state since the state has vast grazing land to
accommodate them and their cattle.
Ganduje, who stated this while inspecting the vaccination of
over one million cattle and other small animals’ free-of-charge at Kadawa
artificial insemination centre in Garum Malam Local Government Area of the state,
as part of activities to mark the 2017/2018 livestock vaccination programme,
condemned the recent killings emanating from clashes between farmers and
herdsmen describing it as unacceptable.
Speaking further during the occasion tagged “Towards Conservation
of Livestock Resource and Animal Protein for Citizens of Kano,” Governor
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said the exercise was made to keep the animals healthy
and improve the economy of the state.
According to him, the over one million cattle and small animals vaccinated
for free will be free of animal diseases, adding that his administration is
committed to the welfare and economic wellbeing of the Fulani herdsmen.
He further stated that as part of the government’s commitment to
encourage herdsmen in the state, Kano state government has continued to provide
facilities that will contain the herdsmen and their cattle so as to prevent
them from travelling to other states in search of grazing lands.
Ganduje also stated that Fulani herdsmen of Kano origin do not
move out of Kano to other states, “because we have enough grazing land, ranches
and traditional stock route. So, they don’t have any reason to move out of the
state. We take care of them and we accord them the respect and dignity they
deserve.”
According to him, “I am inviting herdsmen from all parts of
Nigeria to relocate to Kano because we have enough facilities to accommodate
them. We have grazing lands in Rogo, Gaya, Kura, Tudun Wada, Ungogo and other
reserved places where facilities are in place to accommodate the herdsmen and
their cattle.”
The Governor also revealed that already, his administration is
in collaboration with the Federal Government and foreign agencies to convert
the Falgore Game Reserve into a modern grazing land.
According to him, “Falgore Game Reserve can take care of
millions of herdsmen and their cattle in Nigeria. The place has been designed
to contain schools, human and animal clinics, markets, recreational centres and
other social amenities that can give the herdsmen enough comfort to take care
of their animals and do their business without hindrance.
“These killings must stop. We cannot afford to continue to
witness these senseless killings in the name of Fulani herdsmen and farmers
clash over lack of grazing land while we have a place like the Falgore Game
Reserve underutilized.”
He further stated that, “there is no longer fear of cattle
rustling in Kano. Cattle rustling are now history because we fought the menace
headlong. In Falgore right now, we have enough security there. Those rustlers
have relocated elsewhere, while some of them who repented from their evil ways
were given amnesty and rehabilitated.”
Ganduje also said that his administration has embarked on the
registration of herdsmen and the numbers of their cattle to enable government
take care of them through free vaccination and other incentives that will add
value to their business.
“A Cattle Intervention centre has been established to address
the challenges associated with rumination of herdsmen within Kano. Just
recently, we sponsored the training of over 61Fulani who were sent to Turkey to
learn artificial insemination.
“They
are back to Kano and I must tell you that they are doing well in various places
to have been assigned to do their job,” he stated.
Rather
than stoking embers of inter-Ethnic recriminations and mutual suspicions by the
shadow chasing by minister of agriculture in planning to set up what he calls
cattle colonies, the Ganduje's Panacea is a masterstroke that should be
adopted. Let the Federal government support Kano State in this heroic effort to
stop the mass killings attributed to armed Fulani herdsmen.
