The sons of Futa Jalon

Editor’s note: In his latest essay, the former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode speaks on the Fulanis, their history and pattern of migration within Nigeria. The former minister’s essay, comes at a time when the Fulani herdsmen have taken up laws into their hands, killing many land owners in areas where their animals graze. The latest of their killings is the Thursday, March 3,  Agatu massacre in Agatu, Benue state. “The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate of our great grandfather Uthman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We use the minorities in the north as willing tools and the south as a conquered territory and never allow them to rule over us and never allow them to have control over their future”– Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Saurdana of the Sokoto caliphate and premier of Northern Nigeria, Parrot Newspaper,October 12, 1960, recalled by Tribune, November 13, 2002. These are interesting words from the most reverred, prominent and powerful Fulani leader in the history of modern Nigeria. The Saurdana’s world-view, vision and intentions are well-encapsulated here and they are self-evident. They need no further explanation or analysis. To add to the Saurdana’s contribution and to butress his point, in August 2001, President Muhammadu Buhari, a proud and ascetic Fulani man whose mass appeal, popularity and following has reached cult-like proportions amongst the working class Fulani population in Nigeria said the following: “God-willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of sharia throughout the federation.” Finally to emphasise the point, on January 27, 2013, Mujahedeen Abubakar Shekau, the young and brash leader of the most dreaded, most powerful and most deadly Islamist terrorist organisation on the African continent called Boko Haram said “By Allah, we will not stop fighting until every Nigerian is living by sharia law. If you don’t abide we will kill you." When one hears and reads some of these things one can only look up to heaven and say:  ”May the Lord deliver the people of Nigeria.”  Here you have a classic case of anything and everything, including religion, being used to effect an ancient ethnic agenda of conquest and subjugation. It is not even subtle: it is brazen and real. Worse still, most Nigerians are fully aware of it but they find it difficult to voice it let alone resist it.