The Herdsmen Conundrum: Before we Witness Reprisals

THE HERDSMEN CONUNDRUM: BEFORE WE WITNESS REPRISALS

    The popular saying that warns ‘make hay while the Sun shines’ would only be considered reasonable and rational when there’s still hay left in the bushes as well as every arena where it’s usually found. Of course, you can only be conscientized to grab something on time when the stuff in question is still available.

     For over the years, several communities across the federation had been subjected to an untold hardship and seemingly perpetual torture by the so-called Fulani herdsmen. I can’t forget in a hurry that virtually all the states in Nigeria, particularly those in the Southern region, have tasted at least a bit of this conundrum at one time or the other. The aforesaid set of farmers, rather than concentrating on grazing towards breeding their livestock, end up constituting evitable nuisance in their various host communities, in the name of ‘revenge’ or what have you.

     This domineering and nonchalant idiosyncrasy of these armed herdsmen who parade themselves with unspeakable ammunitions and weapons was arguably overlooked by the government and other concerned authorities, not until they recently unleashed an astonishing terror on the people of Nimbo Community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State; an attack that ushered in an unimagined massacre. In the said crisis, which transpired on Monday 25^th April 2016, reportedly scores feared dead, countless persons maimed, about a hundred residents injured, several houses cum churches razed, thereby rendering over two thousand dwellers homeless.

     Though the incident may have come and gone, it’s imperative to acknowledge that the peril it inflicted on the living victims is unarguably an experience they will all live to recall. Myself, each time I recollect that a certain community in Enugu State sometime in the history of this country woke one morning only to be brutally taken unawares by a group of total strangers, I invariably take solace in the ‘notion’ that it could be a mere dream.

     Obviously, the deed has already been done, thus instead of indulging in retrogressive discourse or debate, the most logical and viable thing to do at this point is to concentrate on the way forward. In a situation like this, having taken a formidable step toward checking reoccurrence of suchlike menace, the next most reasonable action to take is to harmonize the atmosphere or the ties biding the affected persons or groups.

     Frankly, before we witness reprisal, which is often the most expected consequent approach whenever such incident transpires, every concerned quarter or body needs to leave no stone unturned towards ensuring that adequate measures are taken with a view to avoiding further tragic situations in the country at large. Any reasonable Nigerian, both at home and in the Diaspora, who says he/she wasn’t deeply hurt by the aforementioned ordeal, is to say the least a monster; hence, all hands are required to be on deck toward creating the anticipated harmony.

     The last time I checked, the herdsmen imbroglio was almost ubiquitous that it required only a severe and drastic measure towards addressing it. The governors of the affected states in their respective jurisdictions, rather than aggravate the colossal injuries already caused, ought to map out the areas to be utilized for grazing on behalf of the herdsmen. And, the herdsmen shouldn’t be allowed to move from one state to another, which often constitute nuisance on our roads. Moreover, henceforth the grazing activity should be commercialized by the various states; it ought to serve as an IGR source for the states.

     Thus, commercialization of the grazing activity as well as scrapping of routing from a locality to the other ought to be captured as one of the clauses in the proposed Grazing Reserves bill. This is why the citizenry mustn’t be taken unawares as regards the said bill; all hands must be involved while drafting the bill so that every needed clause or interest would be captured. Similarly, the government is required to grant soft loans to the livestock farmers to enable them prepare formidable and lasting ranches that would stand the taste of time, in their respective jurisdictions or farms. To this end, any herdsman who cannot foot the bill for the grazing activity in any state would concentrate on his ranch.

     However, I want to bring to our knowledge that it isn’t all the herdsmen that are brutal; the vandals are just a few among them that unnecessarily intends to unleash terror on their host communities, probably owing to one or two frivolous reasons. To this end, the bad eggs must be fished out via the effort of the leadership of the herdsmen’s coalition, and thereafter brought to book. The relevant law enforcement agents ought to take this step very seriously.

     I’m a social crusader who strongly believes in ascertaining the fundamental cause(s) of any anomaly if truly the lapse in question must be addressed holistically or toward restoring normalcy, and this very one isn’t exceptional. Hence, I enjoin the apt authorities such as the Police, in collaboration with other relevant agencies, to embark on a rigorous finding with a view to ensuring that they ascertain the prime origin of the ongoing state of unrest. In addition, governments at all levels should variously set up committees to look into this aspect.

     Town hall meetings equally ought to be randomly scheduled to sensitize the general public on their civic responsibilities in this regard as well as to give the affected host communities a sense of belonging. We must note that we can’t completely unravel this state of quagmire without employing Community Policing, which would be thoroughly effective and efficient only if the entire dwellers are carried along. We mustn’t take any action without involving the potential victims of the mayhem.

     There’s also need for us, especially the security agents, to headlong stop inserting ‘Fulani’ whenever we intend to speak or write on anything pertaining to the herdsmen; we must take into cognizance that anyone could be a herdsman regardless of his/her place of origin. Besides, anyone who intends to hurt you might come in disguise as anything; needless to reiterate that someone or a group that had been longing to terrorize you, may decide to hide under the guise of herdsmen. Thus, we must be duly guided on how we go about the so called Fulani herdsmen.

      I can’t round off this critique without reminding the various governments on the need to embark on a massive compensation programme, not just in Nimbo Community but all over Nigeria. Let’s make hay while the Sun shines now it (hay) is still available in the various bushes. Think about it!

 Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

(TheMediaAmbassador)

-Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-

Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research

& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056

 Twitter: @mediambassador            

        

Commemorating the 2016 World No-Tobacco Day

CHECKING THE DANGERS OF TOBACCO INTAKE AS THE 2016 WORLD NO-TOBACCO DAY IS COMMEMORATED TODAY TUESDAY MAY 31

         

    The BBC English Dictionary defines tobacco as ‘the dried leaves of a particular plant which people smoke in pipes, cigars, and cigarettes.’ The products of the tobacco leaves can also be referred to as ‘tobacco’. In the same vein, tobacco smoking is the act or habit of smoking tobacco leaves or any of its products to include cigarette, cigar, snuff, et cetera.

     Tobacco contains a stimulant known as alkaloid nicotine. Dried tobacco leaves are mainly smoked in cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and flavoured shisha tobacco. They are also consumed as snuff, chewing tobacco, and dipping tobacco. Tobacco use is a risk factor for many diseases, especially those affecting the essential organs in the body including the heart, liver and lungs as well as several other protracted illnesses such as cancer.

      In 2003, in response to growth of tobacco use in developing countries and its overwhelming deadly consequence, the World Health Organization (WHO) successfully rallied 168 countries to sign the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The convention was designed to push for effective legislation and its enforcement in all countries in order to reduce the harmful effects of tobacco. This led to the development of cessation of tobacco products.

      There are a number of types of tobacco including, but are not limited to, Aromatic fire-cured, Brighleaf tobacco, Burley tobacco, Cavendish criollo tobacco, Dokha, Turkish tobacco, Perique, Shade tobacco, White burley, Y1, and Wild tobacco. It is noteworthy that, any of the type involved contains unwholesome substances which cause untold harm to the body. In 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) named tobacco as the world’s single greatest cause of preventable deaths.

      Tobacco smoke contains many chemicals that are harmful to both smokers and non-smokers. Research shows that inhaling even a little tobacco smoke can be harmful to the body. This is why among the various means of consuming tobacco leaves, which include sniffing, smoking, chewing and stuffing, smoking remains the most dangerous and delicate. Scientifically survey indicates that, of the more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 250 including hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide and ammonia are known to be harmful. Among the 250 known harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 69 can cause cancer, especially in the lung, kidney, mouth, larynx, esophagus, bladder, pancreas and cervix.

     Tobacco smokers are exposed to variety of risks or health complications namely: blood clots and aneurysms in the brain which can lead to stroke, coronary artery disease including angina and heart attacks, high blood pressure, poor blood supply to the legs, problems with erections due to decreased blood flow into the private part.

     Other health risks or problems are poor wound healing especially after surgery, asthma, problems during pregnancy such as babies born at low birth weight, premature labour, miscarriage and cleft lip; decreased ability to taste and smell, harm to sperm which contributes to infertility, loss of sight as a result of an increased risk of macular degeneration, tooth and gum diseases as well as wrinkling of the skin.

     Smokers who switch to smokeless tobacco instead of quitting tobacco intake completely still have a number of health risks to include increased risk of mouth or nasal cancer, gum problems, tooth wear, cavities, worsening high blood pressure, and angina. Those who do not smoke or take any form of tobacco but always stay around smokers are also exposed to some health issues such as heart attack and other heart related diseases, lung cancer and sudden reactions involving the eye, nose, throat, and lower respiratory tract.

     Infants and children who are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke are not left out. They can easily contract asthma, infections like virus-caused upper respiratory diseases, ear infections and pneumonia; lung damage or poor lung function, as well as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

     Obviously, the aforementioned consequences are good reasons to quit the intake of tobacco. Like any addiction, quitting tobacco is not an easy task, especially when the person involved is acting alone. If one intends to quit smoking or intake of tobacco, family members, friends and coworkers may be supportive. He can also talk to his health care provider concerning nicotine replacement therapy and smoking cessation medications. More so, if he or she joins smoking cessation programmes, which are often offered by hospitals, health departments, community centres and work sites, he would have a much better chance of success.

     Today the global community is commemorating the World No Tobacco Day. The day, which is marked on every 31^st of May, was instituted by the United Nations (UN) through the effort of the World Health Organization (WHO). Annually, WHO alongside its partners mark the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce its consumption.

    This year’s commemoration is calling on countries to work together towards ending the ongoing illicit trade of tobacco products. Frankly, from several angles such as social, health, legal, economy, and governance, the illicit trade of tobacco products has been a major global concern and Nigeria isn’t exceptional.

     The bitter fact is that the global tobacco epidemic kills nearly six million people each year, of which more than 600,000 are non-smokers dying from breathing secondhand smoke. Unless we act, according to WHO, the epidemic is likely to kill more than eight million persons annually by the year 2030; and more than eighty percent (80%) of these preventable mortality rates will be among people living in low and middle income countries like Nigeria.

     As the world commemorates the annual World No Tobacco Day, it is the responsibility of every Nigerian to acknowledge that the dangers of tobacco intake can only be avoided if its addicts as well as illicit traffickers holistically desist from such uncalled act.

     No one or group is exempted in the crusade that is targeted to end this life-threatening menace, which has become the order of the day. Thus, the National Tobacco Control Bill that was recently passed into law by the 7th Assembly, which was a welcome development, ought to be encouraged by any concerned authority such as the NDLEA as well as anyone who mean well for Nigeria. Think about it!

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

(TheMediaAmbassador)

-Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-

Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research

& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056

 Twitter: @mediambassador            

Mediating Between Nigeria and 'Biafra'

MEDIATING BETWEEN NIGERIA AND ‘BIAFRA’

     The last time I painstakingly checked, the ongoing struggle for a sovereign state of Biafra by most aggrieved personalities in the Southern part of Nigeria, particularly the Igbos, remained a cause that required the attention of anyone who truly means well for this country. Suffice it to say that it isn’t something to be played with or laughed over, considering its socio-economic cum political implications.

     Biafra was a secessionist state in Eastern part of Nigeria that existed from the 30^th of May, 1967 to 8^th of January 1970. The name was extracted from the Bight of Biafra otherwise known as ‘Bight of Bonny’, the Atlantic bay situated at the Southern pole of the region. The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, cultural, ethnic as well as religious tensions among the various peoples of Nigeria. Other ethnic groups that constituted the republic were the Ijaw, Ibibio, Efik, Ibeno, Eket, Annang, and the Ejagham, among others.

     It would be recalled that the emergence of the Nigerian Civil War popularly recognized as the ‘Biafran War’ in 1967 was occasioned by the secession of the Biafra region by its major leaders, especially the Late Lt Col Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu who was then the Governor General of the Nigeria’s Eastern Protectorate. After the said war that lasted for almost three years, Biafran forces under the slogan ‘No victor, No vanquished’ surrendered to the Nigerian federal military government and therein Biafra was reintegrated into Nigeria, which was its original territory.

     Thereafter, peace was duly restored in every nook and cranny across the federation, thus Nigerians in their entirety became ostensibly united again. Though the colossal injury incurred during the duel remains an indelible experience, the Igbos, et al, who were the prime Biafran agitators had over the years been strongly mingling with people from the other part of the country, just as in the case of the ever famous Alaba and Ladipo markets as well as the International Trade Fair, all in Lagos State..

     Owing to their enterprising and promising nature, the Igbos can make anywhere look like paradise overnight, provided the place is business-oriented. This is one quality that makes the world attracted to them, thereby making them gain a renowned respect from all and sundry across the global community. The Igbos, to say the least, have really carved a niche for themselves and their generations yet unborn when it calls for commerce and industry.

     In spite of this overwhelming feature, one may boldly assert that, in the socio-political terrain, they have not really gotten a fair share of the ‘national cake’, mostly in the area of appointments or recognitions. For instance, since the emergence of the ongoing democratic era which kicked off in 1999, no Igbo man had been in Aso Rock as the President of Nigeria, neither had any individual of Igbo extraction emerged as the substantive National Chairman of any of the domineering political parties, if not Prince Vincent Ogbulafor of the PDP whose tenure was yet truncated. That of the Vice-Presidency isn’t left out.

     In most cases, they end up receiving mere pledges whose fulfillment often eventually become far-fetched, as if they were destined to blow the air while others do the dancing. This pitiable physiognomy of the Igbo nation that has been a thing of tremendous concern to many genuine stakeholders could be one of the reasons that reignited the renewed vehement agitation for a sovereign state of Biafra, which was seemingly forgotten over the past decades.

     This very uncontrollable agitation has claimed several lives, maimed many, as well as rendered hundreds of persons homeless mainly occasioned by physical combats between security agents and the agitators during series of riots staged by the latter. This, coupled with the ongoing security threats from other groups including the Fulani Herdsmen, Boko Haram sect, and the reemerged Niger-Delta militants, has contributed enormously in overheating the polity.

     At this point, the government alongside other concerned groups is expected to be deeply concerned about how to tackle these unbearable issues once and for all, taking into cognizance that no existing society can strive effectively and efficiently if its security is threatened. I’m of the view that the best way to holistically confront any anomaly is by ascertaining its prime origin, and the Biafran agitation isn’t an exception.

     I have often times categorically stated that the Boko Haram is a terrorist sect having understood its origin, thus have instructed Nigerians and the security agencies to always go by the name ‘terrorism’ whenever they are addressing or referring to the group; such approach alone would enable us to get the ongoing fight right. On the contrary, the Biafran agitation likewise the Niger-Delta militancy is an insurgent group, thus ought to be treated as such. Insurgency has to do with when one or a group is fighting a just cause, contrary to terrorism that’s about an uncalled inconsequential and irrational violent rebellious act.

     Unlike a terrorist group, an insurgent set that’s crying foul over a sensed maltreatment deserves a dialogue. The United Nations’ (UN) law likewise that of Nigeria painstakingly highlights the fundamental human rights which include the right to fairness and the right to freedom, hence the Biafran agitators deserve a fair hearing since their fight was apparently informed by grievance. In other words, the government is required to have a rethink towards creating harmony which is the most required factor in this aspect.

     What the Igbos need is just a sense of belonging. The South-East zone, currently, can only boast of five states whilst each of the other zones can boast of at least six states. They ought to be brought closer to the helm of affairs. An average Igbo man wants to participate actively in anything he/she is part of, and they are naturally endowed to do wonders. I bet you; give an Igbo man a little space, he would make heavens before you realize what’s happening. Unequivocally, the Igbos, particularly those from the South-East, have over the decades been relegated to the background and this is the apt time for redress.

     On their part, I enjoin the Biafran agitators to be more logical; they must employ logic as they agitate. More so, they must redeem their oneness, which obviously has been lost; such can only be actualized if they desist from attaching politics to socio-cultural affairs. Only Ohanaeze Ndigbo is enough to bring formidable unity among the Igbos if its members concentrate only on the needful. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, to say the least, isn’t supposed to take orders from the elected governors in the zone as it’s presently witnessed; rather, the reverse is meant to be the case.

     This piece however, as the title implies, is targeted at settling a lingering dispute, thus I’m more interested in harmonization in regard to the conflict in question. Hence, the Nnamdi Kanu’s case ought to be revisited or reviewed with a view to making a consequential adjustment. Leniency is invariably a welcome approach if necessary; in some cases, neither prosecution nor persecution is consequential. We are not unaware that no one or group is indispensable, but we must as well note that the Igbos, likewise others, aren’t expendable. Think about it!

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

(TheMediaAmbassador)

-Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-

Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research

& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056