Farmer – Fulani Conflict In Middle Belt: The Population, Ecology and Politics By Murtala Adogi Mohammed The crisis between peasant farmers and Fulani herdsmen in Middle Belt may have assumed a dangerous dimension based on what has happened in Benue state few weeks ago with almost 29 villages affected, properties worth millions of naira and lives were lost, and plenty children and women were also displaced. In a related development, The Government of Niger State on Saturday, 22 March sent packing 200 Fulani herdsmen from Gunu village in Shiroro Local Government Area of the state to Rijana, their ancestral village in Kaduna State. The Director-General of the state’s department in charge of Nomadic Affairs, Alhaji Sadiq Abubakar, addressed the herdsmen shortly before their departure. He said the decision to send them home was based on “security issues’’.Abubakar said the herdsmen erred by not informing their association in the state about their intention to migrate in such a large number with their herds. The North Central Zone Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Malam Ismaila Rebe, in his remarks, said that the herdsmen arrived in the state a week ago. He said they first settled in the Biri forest with their cattle, but were later asked to leave as the forest. North Central state’s Governors needs to be tactical and technical in addressing the challenges of farmer-fulani migration, relocation and conflicts. Though the Niger’s state governor frowned at the sudden invasion of the state by the Fulani, and he sympathised with them, he was left with no option, considering the insecurity in the country. The governor even advised them that if the need for movement in such number arose in future, they should always liaise with their association so that government would be adequately informed Classically, at the age 13 and as a son of traditional rural farmer/civil servant in Adogi town, 17KM east of Lafia, I knew when Fulanis – for subsistence do exchange of milk or other dairy products against cereals in most of the Middle Belt/North Central states. Although this is still occasionally practiced in rural areas far from markets, but today, the story is entirely that of conflict and crisis- why? Nigeria in general and North Central (Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Niger, Kwara and FCT) in particular has experienced a considerable increase in natural resource related communal clashes (often mis-interpreted or mis-represented as ethnic, political and religious clashes) since the beginnings of the 1990s. Of particular concern are the clashes between farmers and pastoralists (Fulani), especially in rural areas where the dwellers are predominantly small scale farmers. Ecologically, fulanis/farmer conflict has been in existence since the beginning of agriculture, but in Middle Belt the prevalence has astronomically upturned due to some of the following reasons, The predominant Fulani herdsman of the lower Sahel and Sudan savannah ecologies from North-west and north east Nigeria are now migrating and gradually becoming natives in the middle belt region – to find greener pasture for their herds. This is not acceptable to the root and tuber farmers of the Middle belt that is already farming close to the climatic margin of cultivation. The farmer has the fears that Fulani herds will destroy his farmlands. The natural result is clash over right to the lands. One of the drivers of conflict in North Central states between farmers and fulani is migration as a result of climate change. The effect of climate change in far northern Nigeria has assumed such magnitude that the minimum vegetation cover in Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, kebbi, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Yobe, Maiduguri, Taraba, and Adamawa states respectively, has already fallen below 10% as against the ideal requirement of 25% ecological cover recommended by UNEP to support fulani man his herds. Therefore encroaching desert as a result of climate change has affected the ecology of northern Nigeria in terms inadequate productive land for food and cash crops, greener pastures for animal grazing, decline in water availability and often led to conflict over marginal and fragile arid ecosystem. Demographically, for instance Nasarawa state’s population is prodigiously increasing. Its population in 2006, according to the national census taken that year, was reported to be 1,863,275, making it the smallest state in the North Central Zone. But now the State government sources revealed that the population is approximately 2.6 Million, so as in other states of the region are also recording high birth rates and the population is growing in geometric pattern As the population is increasing definitely there will be as well increase in demand for land, water, forest products and grazing land within territories inhabited by fulanis and farmers, these groups are forced to find new ways to cope with different types of conflict at once because of competition over marginal resources. Broadly speaking, Nigeria’s systems of Common Pool Recourses CPRs evolved in periods when resources were abundant, when forest, wildlife, grazing, water etc. were abundant in relation to the population exploiting them. Nigeria, for example, may have had a population of 35 million in pre-colonial times, but now there are at least 165 million Nigerians. CPR regimes that were perfectly rational in a former era have now become very inappropriate in a period of population explosion, high rate of rural poverty, rising pressure on resources and extended trade networks. Politically, we need to think out the box and avoid politicizing the conflict between farmers and fulanis in North Central states, it is purely a ‘Natural Resources Conflict’ it happens in Taraba (northeast) Southern Kaduna (north west), and recently some part of Abuja, and outside Nigeria, it’s also a cyclical events in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mali and this is exactly what led to separation between North and South Sudan. For details check the Minorities Right Group report 2011 “Land, Livelihoods and Identities: Inter-community conflicts in East Africa” By Laura A. Young and Korir Sing’Oei In Nigeria, one of the effects of political and military expansion was to clear a way for the southward movement of fulanis. At this period the herders could only exploit the pastures of the northern wetlands (such as the Hadejia- Jama’are river basin) and the subhumid ‘Middle Belt’ in the dry season –when the rains came the bulk of the herds would be sent northwards into the semiarid zone to prevent diseases carried by tsetse and other biting flies. But now fulanis has become native of Middle belt – whether we like or not. The crux of the matter here is what can we do to accommodate them and have a sustainable peace and development? I think the governors of north central states need to come together and develop an actionable strategic implementable plan drawing lessons from some part of East Africa and sub-saharan Africa. In Middle Best, traditional rulers undoubtedly play the most significant role in both managing conflict informally and arranging peace-making meetings when matters get out of hand. However, their power in the community is highly variable and in some areas they are opposed by youth groups, while elsewhere their power is being subverted by local government officials. For the long term mitigation strategy, I recommend that Bottom-up approach in tackling the conflict should be adopted, Strengthen traditional institutions & law enforcement bodies, exhibition of practical political will by the governors of north central states and implementation of oodles of recommendations in previous communal conflicts committee reports. While in the short term, there is need to adopt the “Yauri Model” On his installation, the Emir of Yauriin Kebbi State, helped form more than thirty professional and tribal associations. Each association could freely elect its own chairperson. The different chairs elected one representative as member to the Emirate Council. A conflict resolution mechanism was set up at three levels; Low level committee, comprising of village head, Fulani and farmer leaders. They can resolve the issue at their level, mostly by mediation and payment of compensation; Middle level committee, comprising District Head, Sarkin Fulani and branch chair of the Farmers Association. Very few issues pass this level without being resolved. Even if the issue is with the police or court, the committee can achieve an out-of-court settlement; High level committee, comprising His Royal Highness the Emir of Yauri, the Galadima (who also represents the Chairs of Associations) andother members of the Emirate Council. The verdict here is final and the conflicting parties must adhere to it. Since the establishment of this mechanism, farmers, fisherfolk and pastoralists have been living peacefully with one another. The committees are multi-purpose and it resolves all forms of conflict, not just farmer-herder issues. By Murtala Adogi Mohammed PhD Researcher- Rural Land Use and Rural Development (Specializing on Rural Poverty and Natural Resources Management) Department of Geography and Environment Management University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 12:34:25 +0000
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