Fulanisation of Nigeria was always the objective of the 1999 constitution

Fulanisation of Nigeria was always the objective of the 1999 constitution

Olusola Oni
Leicester, United Kingdom

5 AUG 2022 —

Realistically, there are only two approaches that could bring independence to Yorubaland; namely, an armed struggle and the delegitimisation of the Nigeria State achievable only through the courts. In regard to the latter, a legal defeat of the 1999 constitution is imperative because that document is the vehicle for the Fulanisation agenda. Unfortunately, opponents of court actions do not appreciate this fact.

The 1999 constitution replaced the original, negotiated 3 regions – East, North and West – of equal political powers with 36 states with unequal political powers. The 1999 constitution located 19 of the 36 states in the Northern Region; 419 of the 774 local governments also are located in the Northern Region. The constitution thus placed political power, which prior to the 1966 military coup had been shared equally between the 3 regions, firmly in one region, the Northern Region. Through this device of territorial gerrymandering, the constitution also distributed the nation’s income in favour of the Northern Region to the detriment of the Eastern and Western Regions. The economic tyranny was the upgrade of the founding philosophy of the 1914 Amalgamation of ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ that was jettisoned by the independence negotiations between the 3 regions.

Section 14. (3) of the constitution introduced the concept of the ‘Federal Character’ – ‘The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria’. Through this pernicious device, the Fulani, regardless of qualification or suitability, have been made heads of all the important agencies of the state including customs, police, and armed forces. The constitution demanded in education, less of the Fulani children compared with the others from the East and West: for example, the pass mark for Unity Schools for the Zamfara State pupil is 6 whereas for the Abia State pupil it is 139.

Their control of the ports, permitted under the 1999 constitution, allowed the Fulani to incentivise and import other Fulani as ‘legal’ immigrants from all over the Sahel and North Africa to boost their population. The imported Fulani never-do-wells are brought in unimpeded together with arms and ammunitions, paid for with Nigeria’s money, including governent-sanctioned payment for ransoms from kidnapping. With total impunity, these Fulani destabilise and make Nigeria insecure. Their control of the police and the armed forces, permitted under the constitution, allowed the Fulani to terrorise the peoples of the Eastern and Western Regions at check points and elsewhere, and allowed these organs of the state to provide logistic support for Fulani bandits and terrorists. Their control of the economy and natural resources, permitted under the constitution, have enabled the Fulani to own oil fields in the Eastern Region to the detriment of the indigenes who are severely impoverished. The Fulani now also have their sights on the control of Nigeria’s water resources located mainly in the East and Western Regions. The control of the economy enabled the Fulani to transfer Nigeria’s wealth to the neighbouring Fulanised countries of Mali and Niger Republic.

The Fulani have exploited Section 15 of the 1999 which says at (3): ‘For the purpose of promoting national integration, it shall be the duty of the State to: (a) provide adequate facilities for and encourage free mobility of people, goods and services throughout the Federation.(b) secure full residence rights for every citizen in all parts of the Federation.’ The Fulani use the mobility clauses of the constitution to appropriate and occupy land in the Eastern and Western Regions in defiance of the welfare and wishes of the indigenes.

Under cover of the 1999 constitution, Fulani herdsmen, with impunity, use their cows to destroy farmlands, and they kill and maim any indigene that opposed them, and they rape the female folks too. The Fulani herdsmen operate against the law established by the decision of Mr Justice Adewale Thompson (Suit no AB/26/66; 1969) that open grazing of cattle is illegal. That court decision is the prevailing law of Nigeria on the matter until the courts reverse it. Indeed, the Land Use Act and Sections 4(7) and 4(8) of the 1999 Constitution make it impossible for the National Assembly to interfere with that 1969 court decision. Between 2016 and 2017, Ekiti, Edo, Benue and Taraba states passed anti-grazing laws. Other states including Oyo, Ondo and Abia have since done the same.

The Fulani have used the mobility clauses of the 1999 constitution to pursue instructions given to them in 1960 by their leader Ahmadu Bello, who said:The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate of our grandfather, Othman Danfodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We must use the minorities in the North as willing tools & the South as conquered territories & never allow their future.’ Fulanisation is the conquest agenda of the Fulani that was trialed in the Central African Republic (CAR), but was mercilessly defeated by the indigenous peoples of that country.

Section 6 (5) of the constitution lists Sharia Courts at subsections f and g. The constitution thus tacitly made Islam Nigeria’s state religion. The Sharia Court is a religious court of Islam. It is not a customary court; no such custom or tradition was indigenous to Nigeria. The Sharia Court is the only religious court in the constitution.The Ecumenical Court is the religious court of the Christians with a similar jurisdiction to the Sharia Court. It is not recognised in the 1999 constitution..Nigeria is a multi-faith country. The Sharia Court contravenes Section 15(1) of the constitution and others, which prohibit discrimination on religious grounds. The Sharia Court provisions contravene also the constitutional provision for the free movement of people as it affects predominantly the northward movement of Christians from the Eastern and Western Regions, particularly to the 12 northern Arewa States.

The constitution of Nigeria at independence was negotiated by the 3 regions – East, North and West. The 1999 constitution was imposed on Nigeria by one Fulani Army General from the Northern Region. That fraud of a constitution must be repudiated;. that means through the courts – domestic and/or international..