Onyema’s Peace Mission to Benue
Penultimate Saturday, Chairman of Air Peace, Chief Allen Onyema, was an uncommon peacemaker as he brought together Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom, and Secretary, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio-cultural Association, Alhaji Saleh Alhassan, t
Benue State, reputedly Nigeria’s food basket, is expecting bumper harvests this year from the several farms that dot its landscape. “We thank God Almighty for the rain this year. This year, Benue will truly prove that we are the food basket of Nigeria; our harvests this year would be massive,” Samuel Ortom, the state governor enthused on penultimate Saturday at Saint Theresa’s Catholic Church, Makurdi, shortly after giving out his daughter, Agatha, in marriage to Felix Ayertyo.
“All I am praying for and working towards now is for peace, safety and security in every part of Benue State. We are putting the right measures in place to safeguard our people. We need security to boost our local economy and get our young people who are leaving schools, gainfully engaged. Please, will appreciate any help that any one or any institution can offer the people of Benue State in this regard,” the governor added.
Not too long ago, Benue was constantly in the news for the wrong reasons. Bloody clashes between cattle herders, mostly Fulani, had simply gone out of hand and the state government had to take the drastic decision of enacting a law that prohibits open grazing in any part of the state. This law was viewed as anti-Fulani by a number of persons. However, Ortom has always been emphatic that the law was not targeted at the Fulani.
“We are a hospitable people in Benue State. We want all persons, irrespective of tribal, regional, cultural, political, or religious persuasions to come to Benue to do business. We want to grow our local economy. But we are largely farmers, we are divinely blessed by God with fertile land. Anything you plant in Benue bears fruit. Farming is our major occupation and we don’t have enough land. So, we enacted a law that stipulates that if you want to do cattle business, you come here, apply and secure land to do your cattle ranch. We are not discriminating against any one, we are just doing what is legal and just in a democracy. Our appeal is for people to understand us and explain our position to those who do not understand,” Ortom explained.
An Unusual Gift
Little did the governor know that help was right on his door steps. The Chairman of Air Peace Limited and founder of Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN) Allen Onyema, was in the Church and as learnt, Ortom had insisted that he chairs the the wedding reception. However, Onyema did not give any clue that he had an unusual gift for the governor and the state at large.
Onyema, a globally renowned peace and conflict resolution expert, who has trained thousands of Nigerians in non-violence behaviour both within the country and abroad, spotted a huge opportunity in his scheduled visit to the state to broker truce between the governor and the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio-cultural Association. The association, ostensibly acting on behalf Fulani cattle herders in Benue, had gone to court to challenge the state government’s anti-open grazing law. Onyema deliberately travelled to Benue with the Secretary-General of Miyetti Allah, Alhaji Seleh Alhassan, and a few other members of the Association.
“In all my discussions with Governor Ortom, he kept harping on the imperative of peace and
the coexistence of all Nigerians in Benue State. The governor was emphatic that the anti-open grazing law enacted by the State House of Assembly was not aimed at hurting any ethnic group or business in Nigeria,” Onyema said.
“The governor was also very clear about the fact that Benue State has had and still has, long standing relationship with cattle herders irrespective of their place of origin but that given new and modern exigencies, especially, the imperative of security, there was the need to regulate and curtail open grazing,” the Air Peace chairman said.
Anti-open Grazing Law, the Root Cause of Benue/Miyetti Allah Crisis
Just as the governor said, the Fulani herders had existed and lived together with their hosts in Benue for many years. The long-standing relationship suffers occasional hiccups with of destruction of farms by herds or rustling of animals by criminals. However, both groups over the years, devised various strategies of dousing such occasional flare-ups.
But in the last three years, the crisis began taking a dangerous turn with mass killing of people in villages and communities, attributed to herdsmen.
The killings were said to be retaliations by the herdsmen over rustling of their animals by criminal elements or killing of their cows by farmers whose crops were destroyed by the animals. There were accusations and counter accusation about the reasons and who to blame for the killings.
In response to the cries of his people on the need to take drastic action to end the bloodshed, the governor, with the backing of the State House of Assembly, in 2017, enacted a law to ban open grazing by herdsmen in the state. The anti-open grazing law prohibited open grazing of livestock and mandates ranching.
But rather than bring peace, the law stirred another round of controversies. While the farmers hailed the legislation, the Fulani herders, led by Miyetti Allah trenchantly opposed it. In a law suit filed on behalf of the herders in the state at a Federal High Court in Abuja, soon after the passage of the legislation, Miyetti Allah claimed that the anti – grazing law was against the business interest of the herders and a contradiction of the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of movement of its members.
Open to Reconciliation
But Ortom insisted that this was a misunderstanding of the intents and purposes of the law. As such, with the strong backing of the people, he had refused to yield to entreaties to abolish the law, which other state governments facing similar challenges had also enacted in one form or the other.
“Governor Ortom assured me that the state is very open to giving land to any person who seeks to establish grazing resort or ranch in the state but that open grazing would not be allowed given the grave security implications,” Onyema said of his discussion with Ortom.
“We both agreed that there was the need to broaden communication especially among our dear compatriots who are cattle herders to truly understand the purport of the anti-open grazing Act,” he added.
Surprise in the Bag
Ortom had consequently invited Onyema to Makurdi for formal discussion on the commencement of Air Peace flights to the state capital. The date for the scheduled meeting, penultimate Saturday, coincided with the date of the wedding of the governor’s daughter in Makurdi. As an added honour, the governor had offered the Air Peace boss the opportunity of serving as the chairman of the wedding reception, an offer he respectfully accepted.
The intention was to go into discussion about how to activate Air Peace flights into Benue immediately the wedding business was concluded.
Onyema did not shy away from his duty at the wedding ceremony as he took his time to receive and admonish the new couple. The excitement about the glorious wedding reception among the guests, which included former president of the Senate, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu; former governor of the state, Senator George Akume; Senator Abba Morro, Wife of the former vice president, Mrs. Titi Atiku; wife of the former president of the Senate, Mrs. Helen Mark; former chairman of the EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri; the wife of the governor among others, was yet to wane when the Air Peace chairman revealed that he had another surprise in his bag for the people.
Digging deep into his bag of experience as a peacemaker and conflict management expert, Onyema spoke extensively on the need for forgiveness and peaceful coexistence of all Nigerians in Benue State. To the shock and amazement of the audience, he announced the presence of the Secretary-General of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Association, Alhaji Seleh Alhassan, who is one of the trustees of Miyetti Allah whose names are in the suit filed to challenge the anti-open grazing law, at the venue of the wedding reception.
Onyema called up Alhassan, Ortom and his wife to the podium. Also called to the podium were Ayu; former governor and now Senator, Dr. Gabriel Suswan; Morro, who were to serve as witnesses to the efforts to broker lasting truce between the Benue State Government and the representative of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Organisation.
Commitment to Peace, Reconciliation
Onyema’s job was made easier as Ortom and Alhassan were on the same page about peace, safety, security, coexistence of all ethnic groups and the unity of the country. The occasion was another opportunity for the governor to explain the necessity for the anti-open grazing law.
The governor, who reiterated that the state is able and willing to give land to any person, who applies or seeks to set up a ranch in the state, noted that open grazing, as was practiced in the state in the past, was abused, hence criminals took advantage of it to cause havoc. He said herdsmen, particularly of Fulani extraction, were misinformed about the essence of the anti-open grazing law in Benue State.
“The state is not against Fulani men or any group in Nigeria for that matter. What we did (with the anti-open grazing Act) is to ensure that peace, as guaranteed in our laws and as enjoyed in all democracies is enjoyed here in Benue State. There is no land for open grazing in Benue State. Anyone who wants to do cattle business is free to apply and obtain land to have a ranch to do his business without any form of hindrance,” the governor said.
Speaking in the same vein, Alhassan conceded that he now has a better understanding of the anti-open grazing law as well as the mind-set of Ortom. He also agreed to lead efforts to educate cattle herders in Benue about the law to ensure compliance and prevent unnecessary conflicts.
He further urged all victims of the unfortunate Benue crisis to forgive each other and imbibe the culture of tolerance and oneness as citizens of same nation. He said: “I and the organisation we represent are very ready to work with Governor Samuel Ortom and the good people of Benue State to end the unfortunate herders and farmers’ problems. I know Dr. Ortom well, he is a dogged fighter; but I also know he wants peace, safety and security in Benue State.
“The governor has said that the anti-open grazing law is not targeted at our people or any Nigerian for that matter. This is a welcome explanation and we will convey this message to our people. We are aware that feathers have been ruffled and people have been offended by the clashes between the herders and the farmers.
“In any way people may have been misunderstood or in any way we may have offended anyone in this state, we apologise. In the same way, we have forgiven anyone who has offended us here. We all want peace to reign in Benue State.”
Encomiums for Onyema
Ortom and Alhassan also showered encomium on Onyema for the peace and reconciliation efforts.
“The Bible said that blessed are the peacemakers. Barrister Allen Onyema has shown today, that he is a son of God and a respecter of the injunctions of the Almighty God. Moving forward, we are forgetting the past and moving forward. Benue believes in the rule of law. I am exceedingly grateful to Barrister Allen Onyema for this peace initiative and I thank Seleh Alhassan for his kind words,” the governor said.
While expressing his appreciation to Onyema, Alhassan noted that he had benefitted from the non-violence training in the United States of America, which was initiated and funded by the Air Peace chairman in the past.
“I am truly grateful to God Almighty and my good friend, Barrister Allen Onyema, for this day. Let me tell everyone here that a long time ago, Barrister Allen Onyema trained me and several other persons in non-violence agitation in the United States of America. I imbibed the culture of non-violence a long time ago,” the Secretary –General of Miyetti Allah, said.
Ayu, Akume, Morro, Atiku, Mark and Waziri, who were witnesses to the reconciliation also showered encomiums on Onyema for the unexpected, but highly commendable peace mission to Benue.
But for the Air Peace chairman, it’s all in line of duty: “I live for peace; peace is what I believe in. Nigeria is a country of 378 ethnic nationalities and this diversity should be our strength. The ideals of peace please God. I am here to strongly urge the good people of Benue State to learn to forgive and move on. What we have in common is greater than what separates us. Luckily, I have monitored and spoken extensively with the Governor of Benue State, His Excellency Dr. Samuel Ortom. He is a man of peace, he loves peace, he preaches peace and I can confirm that he is ready to pursue peace.”