Izu-Umunna Cultural Association of Nigeria, a pan- Igbo think-tank, has warned against the creation of grazing reserve for Fulani herdsmen in any part of Igboland.
The group, an affiliate of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said that it was averse to the appropriation of any part of Igbo land for the purpose of creating grazing routes under any guise whatsoever, stressing that the violent quest for grazing reserve by Hausa/Fulani herdsmen outside their geo-political zones was nothing but a neo-imperial territorial expansionist agenda.
In a memo to the South-East delegates to the National Conference, and signed by the President, Prof. Zebulon Okoye and Secretary, Chief Elvis Chukwu, and made available to our correspondent in Jos on Sunday, the association “drew attention to the various schemes currently being adopted by protagonists to actualise the grazing reserve project either by default (through acquiescence to forceful occupation of farmlands by armed Fulani herdsmen) or by legislation and advised against caving in to such designs.”
The group, in particular, rejected location of any grazing reserve for Fulani herdsmen in Igboland on several grounds, the most notable being the absurd socio-cultural impact and existential catastrophe that would attend the creation of an enclave of a socio-culturally distinct ethnic population, and the fact that Igboland has dire arable land constraint. “Cattle-rearing is not an occupation of Igboland and no group should be imported to inaugurate and entrench it.”
On the first reason, the association, stated, “Going by the established trend in the history of the founding of Hausa/Fulani settlements among non-Hausa/Fulani host populations in the North, Fulani settlers would not only dislodge the indigenous population of any officially designated grazing reserve but also would, after a period of residence, certainly claim political autonomy. In due course, they would demand to be governed by Sharia law and for the inclusion of the same in the law of the host state since, as muslims, they would not want to be subjected to the customary law that operates n the host state.”
According to Izu-Umunna, with little land area and very dense population Igboland cannot afford appropriation of her choice scarce farmlands. Moreover, the association was sure that were the reverse to be the situation, the Fulani would not oblige Ndigbo.
There are two categories of Fulani. The pastoral that do grazing. And the educated town Fulani or the elite crop that take interest in politics that are found in the cities.
Grazing reserve in the south east must be resisted because the fulanis are the kind of guests that will later tell their hosts “welcome”.