Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Bambado, is not only the Sarkin Fulani of Lagos State; he is also the chairman of the Association of Fulani Chiefs in the South-West. In this interview with The Nigerian Xpress in his Lagos palace, the monarch dropped a bombshell that the worst victims of the nation’s security challenges are the Fulani. Bambado, while describing the security challenges in Nigeria as worrisome, disheartening and frightening also lamented that rather than seeing the situation as a serious security challenge, the erroneous impression being created is that Fulani herdsmen are the terrorists, disturbing the peace of the country. He also bared his mind on other sundry issues of national interest.
Rasaq Bamidele
How fast is Nigeria moving towards nationhood?
Honestly speaking, we are still crawling. We are not yet there. But to me, it is a gradual process. You know, things have gone wrong for more than 30 years. And, to me, whoever comes to make things right will need time. So, we have to be patient to make things happen positively to take us to the Promised Land. But gradually, we shall get there.
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How soon can we get there with the current security challenges in the country?
In fact, the state of insecurity in the country today is very worrisome. It is highly disturbing and very disheartening. And I call on the government to do more to curb it. In fact, there is no doubt that there are so many things to be done on the frightening issue of insecurity in the country. The government needs to procure more sophisticated weapons than what the insurgents are brandishing to checkmate them. In other countries, they use so many brands of technology to secure the life and property of their citizenry. It is not only about the army or any other security apparatus carrying guns alone to chase criminals and bandits around. No, it is more than that. They need to be more technical and more professional to outwit the insurgents. And if that is impossible because of the so-called paucity of funds, then we can go for dialogue. Let us sit down together to know what the problem really is. Take for instance, in the northern part of Nigeria where we have bandits. Some of these bandits claim some bandits from neighbouring countries have come to invade their villages to rape their women, rustle their cows and strip them bare without any other means of livelihood and shelter. That was why some of the victims resolved to join the bandits to survive. If that is the case, I believe the government should be able to call them and dialogue with them to know what their problems are with a view to finding ways of addressing the problems. Something like, okay, if that is the problem, this is what we can offer you because the government cannot do everything. Another very important thing is education. Education is very key in solving the crisis in our hands. We need to do more in that aspect. The nomadic education in the North is very important. But sadly, it has died and we need to revive it. Our children need to go to school. They need to know that education is the key to survival as well as a way of life. So, we do not have any choice than to go to all our villages to build schools. How much is that going to cost us? It is what state governments through their governors can do easily. Go to the villages, build schools there, send the teachers there and build quarters for the teachers and the problem would be on its way to the solution. Reach out to the children in their various villages to give them the education they need and that would solve our problem. That would keep them away from the streets and they would not carry arms to cause chaos. With education, you have already engaged them. Why some of them misbehave and are ready tools of destruction in the hands of the bandits is because of lack of education since these children have neither Western nor Islamic education. So, they are not knowledgeable in Islam and in Christianity. They do not know anything. They were born and they find themselves growing up around cows without anybody coming to liberate them from that bondage. So, I am calling on the government to look into that because it is vital.
You talk about foreign nationals invading the country to commit crime; what can we do to tackle that aspect?
Sadly, our borders are very porous and very naked. So, the government needs to secure those borders to curb the infiltration of foreigners into the country unchecked. We have to do a lot on that because some nationals of our neighbouring countries troop into Nigeria to commit a lot of atrocities with nobody checkmating them. So, the government should fortify the borders by equipping our security personnel adequately to be able to enforce and sustain the fortification. Then, it is also advisable for our government to seek cooperation with the security agents of those neighbouring countries with a view to working together to rid the borders of hoodlums. Our president, we are happy, has been meeting with other presidents around us to do that and we hope good results would soon come out of those meetings. With such cooperation, security would carry more weight around and along our borders. So, the government should secure our borders and the bushes and forests along the borders so we can have a safe country.
Are you comfortable with the impression that Fulani herdsmen are terrorists?
Beautiful question. You see, I have been telling people and whoever cares to listen that, tagging Fulani herdsmen as terrorists is wrong and it is very unfortunate and unacceptable. Ever since when we were growing up, there had always been Fulani cattle rearers and farmers clashes. But you know what? They have been resolving their differences without anybody knowing about the clashes. If cattle encroaches on a farm, that farmer would report to the heads of the Fulani there. They would sit down, review the matter and compensate the farmer if need be without rancour. But presently, the issue has become political. Why would anybody tag a Fulani herdsman a terrorist, or why would you tag a bandit Fulani herdsman? All those causing mayhems all over the place are nothing but bandits. They are bandits and they don’t even have cows. They don’t rear cows and that is why they carry guns. A true Fulani herdsman that goes about with his cattle does not carry a gun. He carries only stick. The only other thing he can carry is machete to clear the bush. He never carries a gun. Some of the bandits come from other countries and they initiate our Fulani boys into banditry. They are not Fulani herdsmen. They are just bandits and criminals, period. But sadly nowadays, every Fulani seen around would elicit side talks that he must be a terrorist. It is very wrong.
But does that mean that there are no bad eggs among the Fulani?
No. And let me tell you what I have been telling people. There is no society where there are no bad eggs. So, if I catch an armed robber of Igbo origin, does that make all Igbo criminals? If I arrest a fraudulent man, engaging in 419 and he is Yoruba, does that make all Yoruba 419ers? This over generalisation is wrong. What I want to advise the people is, if an individual commits a crime, don’t let us view his action in perspective of tribes. Discuss his crime and deal with it. We should not look at it from the angles that he is Hausa, he is Fulani, he is Ibo or he is Yoruba or any other tribe. All tribes have armed robbers. We should not make it an ethnic thing. Take, for instance, those blocking highways, robbing and abducting people; the security agents have discovered that they are not Fulani. Most of them, according to the findings of the security personnel, are natives of villages along that axis. But before you know it, they would be tagged Fulani herdsmen. A victim once narrated that his ‘Fulani’ abductors wore masks. One then wonders how a victim reached the conclusion that the masked abductors are Fulani. Well, I wouldn’t blame him because he was just echoing what he has been hearing over time. Now, unfortunately, Fulani have been given a bad name to hang them. Anything bad in the country today is from Fulani. What a laughable conclusion! So, please, we need to get out of this stigmatisation of Fulani. If not, we would not be doing ourselves any good. We are trying to protect our own people and heaping blame on other people. If we are not exposing the bad eggs among our own people and things go on like this, one day, it would come to our own door steps and consume us eventually. One day, those we are covering up in our various communities because they are our kinsmen, one day they would eat us up. So, let us collectively fish out all the bad eggs amongst us if we desire to have a safe country.
How did you feel when it was alleged that you were planning to install yourself as Emir of Lagos?
It makes me laugh because the allegation was so funny. At the same time, it is very sad. Some people nowadays would just sit in the comfort of their living rooms and spread fake news around because it is now easy to twist and send messages across the world. And it is unfortunate that some gullible people would swallow those fake stories hook, line and sinker. How can I come to somebody’s land and claim it as my land? No! It is not possible.
The same way I am Sarkin Fulani here in Lagos, that is how somebody is Oba Yoruba in Kano. And that is also how somebody is Igwe of Sokoto. That has always been. This position started with my grandfather, not me. I inherited this seat from my father, Abubakar Bambado in 1994. My father inherited it from my grandfather, Muhammadu Bambado, who came here from Elleman village in Jigawa State. And when the seat was initiated, I was not there. And they initiated it for so many reasons. We have different cultures, we have different languages, we have a different understanding of traditions, but we are all Nigerians. That we decided to come down to settle in Lagos does not mean we are not part of Lagos. My family has been in Lagos for more than 100 years now. My children are the fourth generation in Lagos. So, for goodness sake, I know my boundary. I only cater to my people I am ruling over. I am not ruling Lagos, I am not ruling Yoruba man, I am not ruling over any Igbo man or any other person outside the Fulani community. And, I am doing this with the consent of the Oba of Lagos. Oba of Lagos gave me a certificate, as Sarkin Fulani of Lagos, same thing with my grandfather, same thing with my father.
How would you react to the insinuation that your people want to Fulanise Nigeria?
That is not true and that is far, far from the truth. There is nothing like that. How could that be possible? Nigeria is too big for that. You see, Fulanisation, Islamisation or whatever people are bandying around is not possible in a country like Nigeria. It is not possible. Let me tell you, God has destined that Nigeria is made for Christians, Muslims and adherents of other religions. Nigeria is not like any other country. Let me ask you, how many languages do we have in Nigeria? We have over 400. So, what are we talking about? To Fulanise Nigeria now, we have to go to Gboko in Benue State, go to Itsekiri and Ijaw, go to Ibadan in Oyo State and go to Enugu State and other places. Where would I start? How do you Fulanise a country without bringing everybody down to a roundtable? Let me tell you something we all need to understand. Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari, is a Muslim. His vice, Yemi Osinbajo, is a Christian, a pastor for that matter. So, can a pastor sit down to be part of signing an agreement to either Fulanise or Islamise Nigeria? Don’t forget that the president is a Fulani man while his vice is a Yoruba man. And in the Senate, all tribes are well represented there. And everything you have to do concerning Nigeria has to pass through the Senate. Then, do you think such a kite will fly? You see, I feel sorry for this country because the people that are behind such misleading misinformation are those who should know because of the level of their education and exposure. When that came out, I was like, are you sure? To me, those people behind the misinformation have a hidden agenda. That is my own take on it. They have a hidden agenda. And something has to be done, and urgently too.
How do you mean?
Well, let them be invited to bring their proofs and why they say so. And let me give you important information. Do you know that the most affected victims of the banditry and insurgence are the Fulani? Their cows are rustled, their houses are burnt, their women are raped, and their aged ones are molested by the bandits. Fulani are the targets of the bandits. Please, go and find out. If I show you a record now with facts and figures, you would be surprised how many Fulani the bandits have killed in the bush. These are the Fulani they say want to Fulanise Nigeria. They are the targets and that is exactly what is happening. So, the rumour about Fulanisation and Islamisation of Nigeria is crap, which nobody should believe.
As chairman, Association of Fulani Chiefs in the South-west, how do you coordinate your people to guarantee peaceful co-existence with the natives?
When we now realise that so many things are happening, that in the South-west here, people are politicising the matter, and what they are saying is not exactly what is on the ground. And it is so unfortunate the Fulani have no media to express themselves to the world. We do not have control over the media.
But you have a radio station….
(cuts in) A licence for one radio station among how many media houses in the South-west? No, that is not it. And you see, what these media houses feed the world to believe is overwhelming and worrisome. With due respect, you journalists are not also helping matters. That is the truth. Your work is supposed to be pure professionalism. You remember what happened in Rwanda. It is how the message was sent out that got Rwanda burnt. A journalist started that on radio and that was it. So, we need to be very careful. We need to check and cross check our stories very well. We need to do investigative journalism. Like me, it is not everything I read on social media that I believe. Sometimes, out of ten stories on social media, only one may be true while the other nine are fake. So, I take time to verify before spreading. These are things we really need to understand.
Now coming back to your question, we do a lot. We call for meetings. I always call on leaders of Fulani in the South-west and preach peace to them. I tell them that, since we have decided to live here, we don’t have another choice than to live in peace with our host communities. We don’t have a choice. And we keep on telling them that we have bad eggs among us, and we must fish them out before they tarnish our image. I tell them that even if the bad egg is my son, I will expose him because if I decide to keep quiet, it will consume me too sooner or later. If I show you some video on how we deal with some suspected hoodlums amongst us, you will marvel. We do go as far as using Qur’an for swearing that, if I do it again, may the Qur’an deal with me. We have been doing that to maintain peace and foster peaceful co-existence with our host communities. Since I am the chairman of the Association of Fulani Chiefs in the South-west, we hold quarterly meetings and I always talk to my people constantly. I discuss with them to know what is bothering them. If it is an issue that needs the involvement of the security agents, I will arrange for it and the matter will be resolved. And I urge other societies to be doing that. Let us be checking ourselves to know who is who and who is not who. When my subjects came to pay Sallah homage in my palace here, I told them that when a new face comes into your neighbourhood, you should find out who he is, where where is he coming from, from which village and what does he want? It is not just to embrace a strange person because he may turn round to consume you. We should not leave security matters to the security agents alone. We should also help out and be our brothers’ keepers. Since the security personnel are not everywhere, the onus is on all of us to help them to help us.
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Are you suggesting state/community policing?
The last time I travelled to Egypt, I realised that in every street in that country, you have two or three policemen with their walkie talkie but without guns. They hold their walkie talkies to communicate in case of any suspicious occurrences and before you know it, there would be a rapid response. Those are the things I would like the government to look into. That would help. If we can have security people at every corner of our country, there would be no hiding place for bandits and criminals because there is nobody that people would not recognise in their various communities. If there is an argument anywhere, they would move in. That is why things are working in Egypt.
Do you believe in one Nigeria?
I believe in one Nigeria 100 percent. We do not have any other country apart from Nigeria. Like I told you at the beginning of this interview that, we are destined to be together. So, we should be our brothers’ keepers irrespective of our tribes and religions. Thae moment we realise that, we will be at peace. There are Christians in Egypt but you cannot hear about religious crisis there. All we need is tolerance. If you can tolerate your wife, your husband, your sisters and so on, why then would you find it difficult, tolerating your neighbours no matter their tribes or religions? So, tolerance is the key to our peaceful co-existence.
As a traditional ruler, what have been your challenges?
It is not an easy task. It is about leadership with tolerance, patience and wisdom. If you have all those three qualities, you would not have any problem. So, that is what I have been applying. You will meet different people with different characters and if you don’t have patience, tolerance and wisdom, you would not be able to handle them. It has not been an easy journey, but well, we thank God.
The position of a traditional ruler in any society requires some funds to operate. If I may ask, Sarkin Fulani of Lagos, how deep is your pocket?
I am content. That is all; I thank God.