The Concourse
By Soney Antai
Of citizens, cows and country
“Cows are not citizens of Nigeria. Did you hear what I said? [Senator Aliero interjects] Senator Aliero, are you arguing with me? The section you are referring to is talking about citizens of Nigeria. And cows are not citizens of Nigeria.”
– Senate President Godswill Akpabio on the floor of the Senate, 5 June 2024.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio may not have realised how far his above statement would go. It has now gone viral because it resonates with many Nigerians who wouldn’t hesitate to choose their citizenship of the country over cows. Akpabio uttered those words last week during a debate on the floor of the Senate while reacting to arguments by Senator Adamu Aliero, who, in opposing the Bill to stop open grazing nationwide raised what he called “a constitutional point of order”, citing Section 41 of the 1999 constitution. That section provides that “every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria.” By this, the distinguished senator mistook cows for Nigerian citizens, and the Senate President had to put the record straight.
While the Bill, sponsored by Senator Titus Zam, (Benue North West), was severely opposed by senators from the North, it had the support of their colleagues from the South. It would be recalled that on 5 July, 2021, the Southern Governors Forum set 1st September, 2021, as the date to ban open grazing in all 17 Southern States. That did not happen in a vacuum. Most herders, some of whom the Buhari administration said were non-Nigerians, had constituted themselves into a terror gang terrorising the country, but the security system was busy with other things. The move by the Southern States was to check the atrocious activities of the herders.
Senator Aliero is a national figure. He represented Kebbi Central in the Senate (2007-2008), and then 2015 till date. He was governor of Kebbi State (1999-2007); and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (2008-2010). But how could he read into that provision in spite of the calamity herders have wreaked on farmers, food supply and security generally across the country? Well, it is this irrational and sickening world view that values cattle more than humans’.
But Aliero is not alone. Senator Simon Lalong, who laboriously appealed to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol on free movement of citizens of member countries throughout the region is in league with those opposed to the Bill even though his State could be said to be one of the most violated and bloodied by herder blood hounds. For instance, on 26 December 2023, a bunch of murderers invaded 17 communities in Plateau State and slaughtered no fewer than 140 innocent souls. It was believed to be a juhadi operation involving a section of herders.
Lalong, the immediate past governor of Plateau State, like Aliero, mistook citizens for cattle. Yet, he was a member Plateau State House of Assembly (1999-2003); Speaker of that House (2003-2006), Chair, Nigerian Conference of Speakers (2001-2002); governor of his State (2015-2023). He is now a Senator. Sadly, he appeared to be at home having long laughs with suspected supporters of killer herders. So he is not bothered about the killing of his people by marauding herders.
Then there is Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje, ex Power and Steel Ministers (1999-2001); governor (2003-2011); Secretary of the National Institute For Medical Research in Yaba, Lagos State (1984-1989). He has been in the Senate since 2011. He is also on the same page writing this narrative opposing the anti-open grazing Bill.
Why give so much space to these men? They are public figures, whose voices carry some weight. They have some following for good or ill and are, therefore, supposed to be guides for the younger or less privileged ones. But have they done so in the instant case?
They say that the herders are doing genuine business and their movements should not be restricted. But does any business give anyone who is not licensed, or a military or paramilitary personnel a right to bear assault rifles? How can their invading and destroying farms with their herd, and attacking farmers who attempt to stop them, kidnap people be doing genuine business? If the business is that good can’t it be better with ranching? This is why the framing of the clashes as herders/farmers needs to be revisited.
Farmlands remain immoveable, but the herders and their cattle are vagrant. So rather than mischievously call such encounters herder/farmer clashes they should be called by their true names: herders attack on farmers. If the latter fight back, that is exercising the right to defend themselves. For too long, we have been skirting around the real issues and the country is being troubled. If they stay in ranches and mind their business, and or guide their herd away from farmlands we won’t be talking about clashes.
Let’s be clear: there’s hardly any honest roving herder who has the financial capacity or good reasons to buy assault rifles. So how do they come by the guns if not through sponsorship or criminality? It would pay the cows, citizens and the country more, to build ranches which would even help the nomadic young herders to avoid conflicts with farmers, put themselves together and learn to live with others in peace? It is not by roaming about that herders can make a good living. If their business is that chic, are the children and close members of the senators also herders?
By and large, the opposers of the Bill leave room for some to suspect that they are either protecting their business run by the largely deprived roving herders or have other motives that are neither nationalistic nor noble. Now that the Bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Judiciary and Legal Matters, and to be reverted in four weeks, Nigerians should watch out to see if the Senators will choose the lives of Nigerian citizens, and thereby the country; or cows.
