Says FG is caressing herdsmen
Nothing wrong when Fulani herdsmen are educated – JNI
Ime Akpan
The federal government’s planned acquisition of an Amplitude Modulation broadcast radio licence to broadcast to herdsmen as part of efforts to end perennial farmers-herders’ clashes has sparked off angry reactions from various groups in the country.
The minister of education, Mr. Adamu Adamu, who announced the setting up of the station during an interaction with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday had stated that the radio station will operate on frequency of 720 KHz and will broadcast in the Fulfulde language, mainly spoken by the Fulani people.
“The radio service will serve as a vehicle for social mobilisation and education, in addition to interactive radio instruction methodology that will be adopted to reach the very hard-to-reach segment of our target population.
“Additionally, it will enhance our capacity to address crisis between herders and farmers with attendant consequences to loss of lives, destruction of productive assets, nomadic schools, facilities teaching and learning resources,” he said.
However, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) faulted the plan saying it is a confirmation of former President Olusegun Obasanjo ramark about the planned Fulanisation of the country by the federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The spokesman for CAN, Pastor Bayo Oladeji said in an interview that the federal government was cuddling the Fulani herdsmen that had been adjudged one of the deadliest terrorist groups in the world by the Global Terrorism Index.
He wondered why the federal government had not reined in the marauding herdsmen in despite their wanton destruction of lives and property in the north central region of the country.
He said. “It was reported in the newspapers that the government planned to give the Miyetti Allah N100 billion. The government denied it only for the Miyetti Allah to own up, saying it was approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan. Who is fooling who?
“Why didn’t they set up a radio station for farmers too? Where is the radio station for the bandits in Zamfara, or for the Niger Delta militants? No single person has been prosecuted for the killings in the north central. Is the allegation by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that there is a planned Fulanisation of the country not playing out now?”
With existing radio stations, Oladeji felt disturbed that the federal government would not any of the channels to reach out to the herdsmen.
“Every adult in the north listens to the radio, so why can’t they reach the herdsmen on the existing radio stations? Why do they need to set up a different radio station for them? They should stop fooling us,” he added.
But the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) disagreed and queried what the hullabaloo is all about when there is an attempt to educate a Fulani race “who suffers the problem of not being well informed.”
“What is bad when the Fulani man is being educated to become well-informed members of the society? I wondered what is happening to Nigerians that whenever something positive is brought on board, it will be given miscellaneous interpretations just to show that we don’t agree.
“As far as we are concerned, radio is part of the tools which can be used to enlighten the people, through the radio, education is being achieved and bringing people together is also being achieved. So, I wonder what is bad in this. It is a right step in the right direction.”
Also opposing the AM herdsmen radio station is the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF).
A statement signed by Yinka Odumakin (southwest), Senator Bassey Henahaw (south-south), Dr. Isuwa Dogo (Middle-Belt) and Prof. Chigozie Ogbu (southeast) said setting up of the radio station is a pointer to the Fulanisation claim by Obasanjo.
“We totally reject this insensitive decision of the government on the following fundamental grounds:
“It smacks of hypocrisy and deception for a government that has in the last four years denied responsibility on behalf of the Fulani herdsmen for crimes they even owned up to,to now tell us it wants to set up a radio for them to address the same issues.
“Section 55 of the 1999 Constitution recognises English, Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo as languages in which the official business of the national assembly can be conducted .There was no mention of Fulani which is not a language most northerners even understand.
“Why its sudden promotion to a language the federal government will set up a radio to promote? Will it also set up radio stations for the officially recognised languages and the over 250 languages spoken in different parts of Nigeria?
“We fear seriously that the proposed radio will become a weapon of spreading hate propaganda against other nationalities in Nigeria given the kid gloves treatment with which the Buhari administration has handled the killings of thousands of Nigerians in the last four years.
“We are guided by the genocide-aiding role radio played in inciting ordinary citizens to take part in the massacre of Tutsis and moderate Hutus during the Rwandan Genocide. From 1993 to late 1994, RTLM was used by Hutu leaders to propagate an extremist Hutu message and anti-Tusti disinformation by identifying specific targets and areas where they could be found and encouraging progress of the genocide.
“In 1994, Rwanda Radio began to advance the same message by issuing directives on where to kill Tutsis and congratulating those who had already taken part.
“Using the instrumentality of the federal government to set up a radio for Fulani herdsmen will throw a knife at the tiniest of the threads still holding Nigeria together as all illusions of an inclusive country would be removed and the rest of the country would conclude we are now under Fulani Government of Nigeria.
“We therefore demand that the federal government should perish the thought of a Fulani radio sponsored by government if it cares in any form about the corporate existence of the country,” said the group.
But the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) described the plan as “commendable”
However, the Arewa Consultative Forum said the Federal Government’s decision on the radio station for the Fulani was commendable saying lack of education contributes to the spate of banditry in the country.
“The radio licence obtained by the federal Government for the purpose of public enlightenment, particularly for herdsmen against violent attitude, especially killing of innocent people which is a criminal offence is commendable as long as perpetrators of such crimes are sanctioned in accordance with the law.
“As you are fully aware, lack of education contributes in no small measure in stoking banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, insurgency and unwarranted killings by some bandits and gunmen.
“The ACF therefore supports the wisdom in the FG decision to obtain a radio licence for the purpose of enlightenment of herdsmen on peaceful co-existence and unity.
“After all, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria station in Kaduna runs a Fulfulde enlightenment programme for the Fulani-speaking Nigerians on government policies and programmes,” said NCF’s national publicity secretary, Mr. Muhammadu Ibrahim-Biu in an interview.
However, a Second Republic senator, Dr. Junaid Mohammed described the herdsmen radio channel as a wild goose chase as it would not resolve the farmers-herdsmen’s crisis.
“If it is really a crisis and the federal government is sincere, I don’t believe a radio station by itself can resolve this problem.
“I don’t believe that the initiative can resolve any crisis. What needs to happen and must happen is political leadership. Without adequate political leadership, there is nothing a radio station can do. If someone has already packaged a bid for equipment and money, he can come and say, yes, a radio station is the way.
“The National Broadcasting Commission’s management is suspended and is being prosecuted for one allegation or the other. With this kind of background, a radio station is not the best way to resolve the crisis,” he said.
