Pendulum: The Truth My Fulani Friends Must Accept

By Dele Momodu

“ Everything that has a beginning must have an end.

As they say on the street:
“ E fit take time, but one day, one day, Monkey go go
market”

“I love this quote about injustice:
“Every person remembers some moment in their life where they
witnessed some injustice, big or small, and looked away because the
consequences of intervening seemed too intimidating. But there’s a
limit to the amount of incivility and inequality and inhumanity
that each individual can tolerate. I crossed that line. And I’m no
longer alone.” – Edward Snowden.

“One day, and very soon, Nigerians will cross that line too.
For there is indeed a limit to human endurance. One day, we all
shall rise to say Enough is enough. One day!”

Fellow Nigerians, I have had to shelve the continuation of the
celebration of Ovation International magazine at 25 in order to
address matters of pressing national importance. I have just
received some new horrific videos of bestial killings in some parts
of Nigeria, and it is obvious Satan himself has landed in
Nigeria.

The above quotation is from my cerebral Sister-in-law, Sister T,
whose brains I respect a lot and whose comportment and composure
are remarkably wonderful. Not much fazes her. She simply takes
things in her stride. She has several outstanding features,
qualities and principles. Above all else, and germane to today’s
epistle, she was a Buhari fanatic. But today, she has parted
company with him, for obvious reasons. Before I continue, let me
introduce myself properly. It is important and necessary to do so
as we currently live in the age of cynicism and ignorance. I do not
want to assume that everyone knows my antecedents. I used to wonder
why Chief Moshood Abiola used to introduce himself in those good
old days. For a man who was probably the most famous man of his
generation, I found it strange that he still greeted people with
“My name is Moshood Abiola!” He explained that one should never
assume that everyone knows him. I later saw the sense in that
statement because it is simplistic but true. No matter how popular
or notorious you are, a lot of people will never have heard of you
and even if they have, most people will not have seen your face
before.

So, let’s now go to my own personal introduction. My name is
Dele Momodu. I’m a man of many parts but I love to be known and
described principally as a reporter and a journalist without
borders. With all sense of humility and sincerity, I am bold enough
to say that I’m a completely detribalized man. I come from a mixed
ethnic and religious background. My Dad was from Edo State and my
Mum came from Osun State. My paternal grandparents were Muslims
while my parents were Christians. I was born in Yorubaland and had
all my education in Yorubaland. I studied Yoruba as my first Degree
in University and became accustomed with African traditional
religion particularly Ifa, and its divination. I have travelled
globally across five continents spanning more than 60 countries,
territories, and islands. I have interacted with lumpen
proletariats, prominent members of the bourgeoisie as well as top
officials at the highest echelons of government. In all, I have
maintained my sanity, humility and modesty. I am able to tell my
friends the truth, whether they are in power or not. This is a
rarity in our country where leaders of all hues and colourations
are treated as Demi-gods and they also consider themselves as such,
and where the lives and livelihoods of most people depend on
government patronage. Let me now go to the main meat of my epistle
today.

My letter today is meant for my Fulani friends. I know and have
many of them as buddies. They are naturally handsome and beautiful
depending on the sex. This is not a stereotype. The educated ones
are mostly so sweet natured and mild mannered. The unlettered ones
are mostly the exact opposite. I apologise if I over-generalise,
but that is my opinion, which is shared by a lot of other
compatriots including the Fulani themselves. I have undertaken some
research about the origin and character of the Fulani people lately
as a result of the unfortunate hoopla they have generated in many
West African countries, Nigeria in particular. According to my
investigations, the Fulani are largely itinerant in nature. They
have the power and the stamina to trek long distances with or
without their cows. They pride themselves as warriors and the
advent of Major General Muhammadu Buhari – a man seen as
epitomising all the virtues and vices ascribed to the Fulani, and
who they see as an Icon and a Messiah – as President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria has really emboldened the Fulani. The result is
that more than ever before, because of the manner of governance of
Mr President, the Fulani now arrogantly consider themselves as
being superior to other tribes that make up Nigeria including their
other Northern brethren.

I used to argue that Nigeria is indivisible, and we must protect
its unity with everything we have but not any longer. While I may
not yet have crossed the Rubicon, I’m sufficiently convinced and
reasonably assured that Nigeria is truly on the fringe of another
civil war if we do not push back. I know that those in government
are not likely to see or feel the heat like most of us watching
from the sidelines. President Buhari has obviously driven Nigeria
closer to war than any of our leaders since 1967. What is worse is
his nonchalant and reckless demeanour and outlook. He just does not
seem to care about whatever happens to the country he campaigned
vigorously and beguilingly to lead and on which basis the
unsuspecting majority of Nigerians entrusted their future to him!
This is a man who appeared to wear his patriotism on his sleeve
when he cried bitterly after being adjudged as having lost the 2011
Presidential elections. He cut a sorry, pathetic figure then. It
now appears that this was all part of a charade aimed at wooing and
ingratiating himself into the heart of Nigerians who naturally
sympathised with him.

While it is very convenient for our Fulani compatriots to play
the victim and blame everyone else for the woes they have brought
upon all of us for no justifiable reason, they need to be told the
gospel truth. Many of us do not hate the Fulani but they obviously
hate us non-Fulani people especially those of us who are south of
the Niger. They hate many facts about us. They hate our liberal
nature and our psychedelic and glamorous lifestyles, but we do not
concern ourselves with how they live their own lives. It is their
choice that they decide to live a spartan almost ascetic existence
out of suppression and subjugation. We are very tolerant and do not
even mind that this tends to draw us back. Many of the Fulani who
are not astute enough view us as arrogant, but this is not true.
What they call arrogance is a product of our Western education and
robust knowledge of the world which is in stark contrast to the
Arabic education that most of them possess and embrace. We do not
begrudge them their education which is steeped in religious mores
because we recognise that we live in a secular nation. We
appreciate that Arabic education is itself of a high standard and
encompasses almost all facets of human life and endeavour whereas
Western Education may sometimes be narrow and limited in certain
aspects. What is not in doubt is that Western education breeds in
us a degree of confidence which is seen as a threat by our fellow
Fulani citizens.

The Fulani have been over-pampered in Nigeria. We have ascribed
to them humongous mythical powers which they do not possess.
Because of our conciliatory nature and disposition, we have been
complicit in elevating their status and position in the country.
For this reason, it has been easy for them to manipulate us into
the position where we find ourselves today. Based on this false
premise on invincibility, we have allowed the Fulani to hold power
for periods much longer than all other ethnic groups in our
country. They have almost erroneously come to consider it their
birthright to lead Nigeria to the detriment of other sections of
the country. Yet, despite all this extended leadership periods,
their people remain almost irredeemably pauperised.

The reason is simple, lack of proper education (Western or
Arabic) and, more importantly, vocational training have rendered
many of the Fulani youths unemployed and unemployable. The Northern
politicians who chose to use the Almajiris as their slaves and
thugs particularly during elections have shot themselves in the
foot. They have murdered sleep. Restless and restive youths will
eventually turn on their handlers. It has always been a disaster
waiting to happen. Feudalism could never work for too long and
certainly the opening of eyes occasioned by various forms of social
media has meant that these youths can see how they have been
repressed and oppressed. Many of the Fulani oligarchs and nouveau
riche can no longer visit their villages and sleep with their two
eyes closed. Their leaders refused to take a cue from chief Obafemi
Awolowo whose main legacy was the investment in free education.

Therefore, my first suggestion to our Fulani friends is that
they should abolish their wasteful investments on unproductive
ventures like foreign exchange trading and ill-thought projects
like building a railway to Niger Republic or the rehabilitation of
moribund refineries with a whopping billions of US Dollars. Let
them embark urgently on compulsory Western education mixed with
Arabic norms and teachings. In this way, they will produce stellar
citizens who will develop their cattle rearing methods, if indeed
they must continue to rear cattle. I am certain though that they
will realise that the world does not begin and end with cows!

Next is the overbearing Fulani attitude of cornering every
important position in the government. This will always be a major
source of friction. It is not feasible or sustainable in the long
term and the Fulani being in the minority will eventually be the
losers. They should realise that their champion, Buhari, has
over-acted and overreached himself by his apparent Fulanisation
agenda. Neither he nor them can or will last. The more the
Southerners protest against clear acts of division, oppression and
suppression, the more Buhari provokes them recklessly with more
insulting appointments for Northerners. It will all lead to tears
for them in the end because when you push people to the wall and
there is nowhere else to go, they will come out fighting with all
guns blazing.

The Northern Hausa-Fulani irredentists should also understand
that Southern Nigeria is too cosmopolitan and globally influential
to be conquered by any invading Fulani bandits and terrorists. This
is what is playing out now. The Government may be turning a blind
eye to their atrocities but those being pillaged, raped and
murdered will not do so. Their home is their castle, and they will
stoutly and robustly defend it. This may ultimately be what makes
the downfall of Nigeria.

What Buhari has succeeded in doing is to unite the Southerners
in the face of common tribulations. I have never seen the level of
anger I see today in our country. Only God through our youths can
possibly avert the monumental collapse of a once beautiful and
powerful country brought to its knees by the myopic vision of a
bigot. The truth is Nigeria is greater than all this and I believe
that as the Fulani youths achieve their emancipation through
qualitative education, they will join their Southern brethren in
creating a Nigeria based on equality, fairness and justice. This is
not a pipe dream. Our country’s youths may well save us.

********************************************************

Good Night, Yinka Odumakin

We lost our very dear friend, the social activist, Mr Yinka
Odumakin. Words have failed me ever since I heard the news and as I
told his wife, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, during my condolence visit,
I’m still too shocked to know what to write simply because I am
torn by grief and there is so much to say about this indomitable,
dogged and spirited freedom fighter. A patriotic Nigerian par
excellence. May his soul rest in peace.

********************************************************

And The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Too

I cannot help but also mention the reverberating news of the
death of The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Husband of Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The accolades have been pouring
in for this genial, gentle giant who served his adopted country in
a remarkably uncompromising selfless way. His is a lesson in true
service to one’s country. May his soul rest in peace.

By Dele Momodu

“ Everything that has a beginning must have an end.

As they say on the street:
“ E fit take time, but one day, one day, Monkey go go
market”

“I love this quote about injustice:
“Every person remembers some moment in their life where they
witnessed some injustice, big or small, and looked away because the
consequences of intervening seemed too intimidating. But there’s a
limit to the amount of incivility and inequality and inhumanity
that each individual can tolerate. I crossed that line. And I’m no
longer alone.” – Edward Snowden.

“One day, and very soon, Nigerians will cross that line too.
For there is indeed a limit to human endurance. One day, we all
shall rise to say Enough is enough. One day!”

Fellow Nigerians, I have had to shelve the continuation of the
celebration of Ovation International magazine at 25 in order to
address matters of pressing national importance. I have just
received some new horrific videos of bestial killings in some parts
of Nigeria, and it is obvious Satan himself has landed in
Nigeria.

The above quotation is from my cerebral Sister-in-law, Sister T,
whose brains I respect a lot and whose comportment and composure
are remarkably wonderful. Not much fazes her. She simply takes
things in her stride. She has several outstanding features,
qualities and principles. Above all else, and germane to today’s
epistle, she was a Buhari fanatic. But today, she has parted
company with him, for obvious reasons. Before I continue, let me
introduce myself properly. It is important and necessary to do so
as we currently live in the age of cynicism and ignorance. I do not
want to assume that everyone knows my antecedents. I used to wonder
why Chief Moshood Abiola used to introduce himself in those good
old days. For a man who was probably the most famous man of his
generation, I found it strange that he still greeted people with
“My name is Moshood Abiola!” He explained that one should never
assume that everyone knows him. I later saw the sense in that
statement because it is simplistic but true. No matter how popular
or notorious you are, a lot of people will never have heard of you
and even if they have, most people will not have seen your face
before.

So, let’s now go to my own personal introduction. My name is
Dele Momodu. I’m a man of many parts but I love to be known and
described principally as a reporter and a journalist without
borders. With all sense of humility and sincerity, I am bold enough
to say that I’m a completely detribalized man. I come from a mixed
ethnic and religious background. My Dad was from Edo State and my
Mum came from Osun State. My paternal grandparents were Muslims
while my parents were Christians. I was born in Yorubaland and had
all my education in Yorubaland. I studied Yoruba as my first Degree
in University and became accustomed with African traditional
religion particularly Ifa, and its divination. I have travelled
globally across five continents spanning more than 60 countries,
territories, and islands. I have interacted with lumpen
proletariats, prominent members of the bourgeoisie as well as top
officials at the highest echelons of government. In all, I have
maintained my sanity, humility and modesty. I am able to tell my
friends the truth, whether they are in power or not. This is a
rarity in our country where leaders of all hues and colourations
are treated as Demi-gods and they also consider themselves as such,
and where the lives and livelihoods of most people depend on
government patronage. Let me now go to the main meat of my epistle
today.

My letter today is meant for my Fulani friends. I know and have
many of them as buddies. They are naturally handsome and beautiful
depending on the sex. This is not a stereotype. The educated ones
are mostly so sweet natured and mild mannered. The unlettered ones
are mostly the exact opposite. I apologise if I over-generalise,
but that is my opinion, which is shared by a lot of other
compatriots including the Fulani themselves. I have undertaken some
research about the origin and character of the Fulani people lately
as a result of the unfortunate hoopla they have generated in many
West African countries, Nigeria in particular. According to my
investigations, the Fulani are largely itinerant in nature. They
have the power and the stamina to trek long distances with or
without their cows. They pride themselves as warriors and the
advent of Major General Muhammadu Buhari – a man seen as
epitomising all the virtues and vices ascribed to the Fulani, and
who they see as an Icon and a Messiah – as President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria has really emboldened the Fulani. The result is
that more than ever before, because of the manner of governance of
Mr President, the Fulani now arrogantly consider themselves as
being superior to other tribes that make up Nigeria including their
other Northern brethren.

I used to argue that Nigeria is indivisible, and we must protect
its unity with everything we have but not any longer. While I may
not yet have crossed the Rubicon, I’m sufficiently convinced and
reasonably assured that Nigeria is truly on the fringe of another
civil war if we do not push back. I know that those in government
are not likely to see or feel the heat like most of us watching
from the sidelines. President Buhari has obviously driven Nigeria
closer to war than any of our leaders since 1967. What is worse is
his nonchalant and reckless demeanour and outlook. He just does not
seem to care about whatever happens to the country he campaigned
vigorously and beguilingly to lead and on which basis the
unsuspecting majority of Nigerians entrusted their future to him!
This is a man who appeared to wear his patriotism on his sleeve
when he cried bitterly after being adjudged as having lost the 2011
Presidential elections. He cut a sorry, pathetic figure then. It
now appears that this was all part of a charade aimed at wooing and
ingratiating himself into the heart of Nigerians who naturally
sympathised with him.

While it is very convenient for our Fulani compatriots to play
the victim and blame everyone else for the woes they have brought
upon all of us for no justifiable reason, they need to be told the
gospel truth. Many of us do not hate the Fulani but they obviously
hate us non-Fulani people especially those of us who are south of
the Niger. They hate many facts about us. They hate our liberal
nature and our psychedelic and glamorous lifestyles, but we do not
concern ourselves with how they live their own lives. It is their
choice that they decide to live a spartan almost ascetic existence
out of suppression and subjugation. We are very tolerant and do not
even mind that this tends to draw us back. Many of the Fulani who
are not astute enough view us as arrogant, but this is not true.
What they call arrogance is a product of our Western education and
robust knowledge of the world which is in stark contrast to the
Arabic education that most of them possess and embrace. We do not
begrudge them their education which is steeped in religious mores
because we recognise that we live in a secular nation. We
appreciate that Arabic education is itself of a high standard and
encompasses almost all facets of human life and endeavour whereas
Western Education may sometimes be narrow and limited in certain
aspects. What is not in doubt is that Western education breeds in
us a degree of confidence which is seen as a threat by our fellow
Fulani citizens.

The Fulani have been over-pampered in Nigeria. We have ascribed
to them humongous mythical powers which they do not possess.
Because of our conciliatory nature and disposition, we have been
complicit in elevating their status and position in the country.
For this reason, it has been easy for them to manipulate us into
the position where we find ourselves today. Based on this false
premise on invincibility, we have allowed the Fulani to hold power
for periods much longer than all other ethnic groups in our
country. They have almost erroneously come to consider it their
birthright to lead Nigeria to the detriment of other sections of
the country. Yet, despite all this extended leadership periods,
their people remain almost irredeemably pauperised.

The reason is simple, lack of proper education (Western or
Arabic) and, more importantly, vocational training have rendered
many of the Fulani youths unemployed and unemployable. The Northern
politicians who chose to use the Almajiris as their slaves and
thugs particularly during elections have shot themselves in the
foot. They have murdered sleep. Restless and restive youths will
eventually turn on their handlers. It has always been a disaster
waiting to happen. Feudalism could never work for too long and
certainly the opening of eyes occasioned by various forms of social
media has meant that these youths can see how they have been
repressed and oppressed. Many of the Fulani oligarchs and nouveau
riche can no longer visit their villages and sleep with their two
eyes closed. Their leaders refused to take a cue from chief Obafemi
Awolowo whose main legacy was the investment in free education.

Therefore, my first suggestion to our Fulani friends is that
they should abolish their wasteful investments on unproductive
ventures like foreign exchange trading and ill-thought projects
like building a railway to Niger Republic or the rehabilitation of
moribund refineries with a whopping billions of US Dollars. Let
them embark urgently on compulsory Western education mixed with
Arabic norms and teachings. In this way, they will produce stellar
citizens who will develop their cattle rearing methods, if indeed
they must continue to rear cattle. I am certain though that they
will realise that the world does not begin and end with cows!

Next is the overbearing Fulani attitude of cornering every
important position in the government. This will always be a major
source of friction. It is not feasible or sustainable in the long
term and the Fulani being in the minority will eventually be the
losers. They should realise that their champion, Buhari, has
over-acted and overreached himself by his apparent Fulanisation
agenda. Neither he nor them can or will last. The more the
Southerners protest against clear acts of division, oppression and
suppression, the more Buhari provokes them recklessly with more
insulting appointments for Northerners. It will all lead to tears
for them in the end because when you push people to the wall and
there is nowhere else to go, they will come out fighting with all
guns blazing.

The Northern Hausa-Fulani irredentists should also understand
that Southern Nigeria is too cosmopolitan and globally influential
to be conquered by any invading Fulani bandits and terrorists. This
is what is playing out now. The Government may be turning a blind
eye to their atrocities but those being pillaged, raped and
murdered will not do so. Their home is their castle, and they will
stoutly and robustly defend it. This may ultimately be what makes
the downfall of Nigeria.

What Buhari has succeeded in doing is to unite the Southerners
in the face of common tribulations. I have never seen the level of
anger I see today in our country. Only God through our youths can
possibly avert the monumental collapse of a once beautiful and
powerful country brought to its knees by the myopic vision of a
bigot. The truth is Nigeria is greater than all this and I believe
that as the Fulani youths achieve their emancipation through
qualitative education, they will join their Southern brethren in
creating a Nigeria based on equality, fairness and justice. This is
not a pipe dream. Our country’s youths may well save us.

********************************************************

Good Night, Yinka Odumakin

We lost our very dear friend, the social activist, Mr Yinka
Odumakin. Words have failed me ever since I heard the news and as I
told his wife, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, during my condolence visit,
I’m still too shocked to know what to write simply because I am
torn by grief and there is so much to say about this indomitable,
dogged and spirited freedom fighter. A patriotic Nigerian par
excellence. May his soul rest in peace.

********************************************************

And The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Too

I cannot help but also mention the reverberating news of the
death of The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Husband of Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The accolades have been pouring
in for this genial, gentle giant who served his adopted country in
a remarkably uncompromising selfless way. His is a lesson in true
service to one’s country. May his soul rest in peace.