Avoidable Knocks on Nigeria’s Foundation, Unity

Sir Don Ubani expresses concern over the prevailing panic in the country as a result the multifarious incidents of insecurity

Though the emergence of the Nigerian State was purely by British Colonial coercion, founding leaders of Indigenous peoples of the various ethnic nationalities that became federating cordinates of the emerging Nigerian state, accepted the realities that confronted them on clearly defined terms for co-existence.

From every look of things, starting from 1914 when British Lord Frederick Lugard, selfishly, only for the purpose of reducing cost of administration for the British Colonial Office, decreed amalgamation of both Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria to become one administrative unit, Nigerian political leaders, up to 1963, exhibited wisdom, maturity and dexterity in defining constitutional modus operandi for the emerging State.

Some critics, most probably out of ignorance, had blamed such founding fathers as Engr Herbert Macaulay, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo, all late, for not being visionary enough in order to have worked against the emergence of an independent Nigeria as it was composed of on 1st October, 1960. Many of such commentators had held or still hold the view that leaders of Southern Nigeria, both during the Colonial and First Republican era, should have realized that, taking the historical antecedents of the fulani who came into Nigeria only a few years before 1800 A D, it would be most hazardous being in the same country with them. To such analysts, the fact that Usman Dan Fodio and his wandering Fulani kinsmen came into Hausa land and from 1804, had aggressively started conquering, suppressing and enthroning their leadership over their host, should have provided enough reason for them to have opted out of such a union.

However, taking a dispassionate introspective consideration of realities of those times, leaders of Southern Nigeria’s extraction should be applauded for making the best out of the situation that they were confronted by. In the first instance, it should not be forgotten that the British colonial administration was fundamentally on an economic conquest. Her objective was basically to maximize advantage and attendant profit in their trade relationship with the various ethnic groups in Nigeria. They were not in Nigeria as Father Christmas. Besides, they came in by way of military conquest.

The British, being capitalistic in approach, was naturally not to be the best of friends of the Igbo, Yoruba and other ethnic nationalities from the South, who consistently proved to be wise, independent-minded and resilient to foreign domination. They, however, found their interest protected in the docility and subservience of the Fulani and, therefore, were determined to make a lot of concessions to them. Divide and rule became their best strategy in their relationship with the peoples of Nigeria. The Fulani and the North were so confident in the British that even when Anthony Enahoro of Action Group patriotically moved a motion for self governance in 1953, the North, on the platform of Northern Peoples’ Congress, led by Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, overwhelmingly voted against and rejected it. Independence that should have commenced in 1956 had to be delayed untill 1st October, 1960, just because the North said it was not ready and did not have confidence in the peoples of Southern Nigeria. One can imagine how many billions of British Pounds the British carted away for the four years that the Fulani successfully opposed Nigeria’s attainment of Independence!

Following a €400,000 funding support from the Netherlands, the federal government has commenced talks with the Nasarawa State government for the kick-off of the pilot implementation of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP).

The plan, which includes the establishment of grazing reserves across the country is seen as panacea to the current farmer-herder conflicts in the country.

The implementation will also help the country maximise opportunities in the country’s over N30 trillion assets in livestock which had been neglected over the years.

The Special Adviser to the President on Agriculture, Dr. Andrew Kwasari, who met with key state officials in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital recently, said it was important for the state to understand the requirements for the establishment of the Awe Grazing Reserve billed to be located in state as pilot project.

The move came on the back of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed during the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari recently to the Netherlands, whereby the Dutch Investment Agency (RVO) approved a grant of about €400,000 to cover 50 per cent cost of the pilot start-up of NLTP model in Nasarawa State for 30 pastoralist households with a start date of March, 2021.

Kwasari, during the meeting with Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe and the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Water Resources, Allananah Otaki, said the engagement was to further ensure that the state livestock transformation team was fully understood the requirements for successfully implementing the pilot.

He added that the pilot would serve as a proof of concept for the livestock subsector transformation process.

In a statement, Communications Lead, FMARDPACE, Sandra Affun,

Kwasari, who is also the Special Adviser to the

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on Special Projects, further explained that the objective was to, “review in particular the project appraisal document for the start-up site and ensure that the state team is clear on the roles and responsibilities of Nasarawa State senior management team of the state livestock transformation office and the project office”.

However, Akabe welcomed the initiative in the state and pledged government’s support to make it a success.

According to the deputy governor:” We are quite enthu

siastic about this programme starting in Nasarawa state. We feel it is a great honor that Nasarawa State was picked to pilot this project.

“We as a state have resolved not only to be in charge but also in control. We want to own it and make Nasarawa an envy of other states because we are supposed to showcase not only Nasarawa State, but the whole of Nigeria.”

He further assured the team of the support of the state governor in making the project a huge success.

Under the current initiative, Cownexxion, the lead consultant in the bilateral collaboration, leading the Dutch Consortium, will serve as technical partner for the implementation of the NLTP pilot ranches in four states namely Nasarawa, Adamawa, Plateau and Gombe.

In each of these states, a pilot farm, which will also serve as a training centre, will be developed.

The statement added that Cownexxion will work with the federal and state governments led by Kwasari to implement the pilot initiative.