Dr Mohammed Junaid in this interview,
blamed the recurring Fulani herdsmen,
farmers clashes on government’s inability to
muster political will to address the matter. On
the issue of governance , he picked holes in
the style of President Muhamnadu Buhari,
insisting that the appointments made so far by
the President were not such that could inspire
hope among Nigerians. Excerpts:
What do you make of the blame game going
on over herdsmen/ farmers clashes?
Thank you very much for describing the
situation as nothing but political blame game.
As far as I am concerned, if a government has
the political will to solve a problem, and that
will and attitude towards any political problem
is perhaps a reflection of the attitude of the
elite themselves, that problem can be solved.
The central issue here is having the
political will.
Secondly, people believe that the so called
herdsmen problem is indeed a problem which
should engage our attention the way it has
been made to do or the way it has been
presented. I am now in my 67th year and I
know that this problem is not purely Fulanis vs
the rest of the public or Fulanis vs the South.
In my days as a teenager, I remember several
cases of clashes between Fulani herdsmen
and farmers all over the country. The problem
is still there. The difference now is that, first,
there is the effect of global warming, the land
being with little or no grass all over the
country . Many people who are owners of
livestock have been forced to move farther
and farther in order to find grazing land for
their livestock.
The issue is presented in a very skewed, one-
sided manner. People are saying that the
Fulanis are troublesome, they are killing
people etc. Those who have an interest in
presenting the message the way it is being
couched have their own interest. They are
doing so to present the Fulanis in bad light
because they have imaginary enemies who
may be Hausa or Hausa Fulani. Unfortunately
for the Fulanis, they do not have a radio
station, television or newspapers.
Could that explain what you mean by
government not having the political will to
handle the problem?
Government does not have the will. I can say
it any day.
Are you talking about the past and present
government?
When I talk about the government, I am
talking about the Nigerian State; so whichever
is the government is guilty of not having the
political will to solve the problem.
What exactly would you have loved
government to do on the matter?
First, has government bordered to examine
all the sides to the problem? Have they found
out the implication of any policy which they
have identified and which they want to carry
out, what it will lead to?
There are 54 African countries today, the 54th
one is South Sudan but in 33 out of those 54
countries, there are identified Fulani
settlements. How do you pick up a quarrel
and say these people are all at fault? Does
that issue have to do with only Nigerian
Fulani? What is it that Fulani do wrong in
Nigeria that enable the Fulani to be presented
as constituting a national security problem?
I have heard discussion with people especially
those from the South who say why should the
Fulani be carrying arms? Fulanis don’t carry
arms in order to go and kill anybody. It is a
life style.
Where the political elite, the authorities are
not alive to their responsibility, we always
have this kind of problem.
It is not different from the challenge we have
in the North East, that is the issue of Boko
Haram, the problem we have in the South
South which is leading to destruction of
government installations by militants.
The Nigerian state is not credible, nobody
should make mistake about that. Every life is
valuable and should be treated as such. If you
have to take life, you have to do that in
accordance with the law.
Do you agree with claims in some circles
that several people who disguise as herdsmen
are Boko Haram members?
Those who say these Fulanis are Boko Haram
elements should please tell us what they
know. I am
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