|
Finally, an Association of Fulanis in Ghana has
emerged (Part I II)
Part I
Part II
Part III
By Dr. Michael J.K.
Bokor
Monday, July 25, 2016
The truth must be underlined here that those
against the activities of the Fulanis are not
schizophrenic or savages who hate to see others
make progress in their chosen fields of human
endeavour. They are simply unhappy that the
Fulani presence undermines their own chosen
vocations. They won’t lose any sleep for their
crops and other property are not endangered by
these Fulani herdsmen whom they have
accommodated for as long as the Fulanis have
been in Ghana, moving their animals about. But
the problem now is that the devastation being
caused by the uncontrolled grazing is
intolerable. It is clear that the Fulani
herdsmen have found some “authority” somewhere
to move their activities a notch higher with the
wrong impact.
Nobody will take them on if they don’t
encroach on others’ legitimate means of
livelihood. And rather painfully, they do so
with so irritating an impunity as to make the
victims wonder whether there is any system of
law and order to secure individual rights to
property and personal security. That is where
the beef lies for the government to act on.
Left to the aggrieved sections of the populace
alone, anything could go; but it shouldn’t be so
in a democracy. That is why the ball is being
pushed into the court of the government (the
Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary)
so something reasonably fulfilling can be done
to solve the problem.
So far, it has only been the Executive that
has put in place some half-hearted measures. No
closure. The Legislature isn’t working on the
problem to pass laws to be interpreted and
enforced so the problem can be solved once and
for all for all those with a stake in space in
resources in the country to have their peace of
mind and do what will put bread on the table.
Why are our public officials so callous? At this
point, it is clear that the Fulanis will
mobilize whatever forces (economic, political,
ideological) that they identify to fight their
cause. Then, when all is set for an explosion,
the wailing, weeping, and gnashing of teeth will
become the lot of those who have no political
connections to exploit. Too pathetic for Ghana’s
democracy at this stage.
Finally, an
Association of Fulanis in Ghana has emerged!!
Folks, the controversy surrounding the
activities of the Fulani herdsmen in Ghana is
assuming frightening dimensions that we must not
gloss over. Having plied their nomadic trade of
animal husbandry all over the country and
destroyed life and property, these Fulanis seem
not to know the extent to which they have
provoked public anger against them; neither do
they care a whiff about the implications. They
have now chosen to form an association to
safeguard their interests and to seek support
from their kith and kin all over the world as if
they are a target of “genocide” in Ghana who
must do all in their power to be alive and
kicking in the Ghanaian dispensation.
The reality on the ground says otherwise.
There is nothing wrong with Fulanis in Ghana
forming such an association but there is a lot
wrong with what I have read into the objectives
of such an association, especially, given the
rhetoric emerging from its own quarters (See
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Fulani-herdsmen-are-not-threat-to-security-Association-of-Fulanis-457770).
Indeed, the Fulanis in Ghana are not an
endangered species; but from the operations of
their nomadic herdsmen and the confrontations
taking place all over the country where they
register their presence, they are a threat and
will be constructed as such. Whatever threatens
security in any part of Ghana that cannot be
contained by the local authorities ramifies
automatically into a national threat. No
triviality here. It is the unrestrained
activities of nomadic Fulani herdsmen moving
about in Ghana with their animals and causing
massive devastation that has alarmed the people
to warrant their being put on the spot.
Others of Fulani extraction in positions of
trust in the system who don’t indulge in what
their nomadic othe3rs do have no fear to seek
solace in any association to protect interests.
And they are all over the country. Only those
whose activities have exposed them as a threat
to the system need fear. What must really be
propping them up this way? What must be giving
them the conviction and confidence that they can
continue stepping on toes without any respect,
fear, or regard for the repercussions?
Those of us who have written opinion pieces
on the Fulani menace all this while haven’t
minced words in saying that it is a major
problem that has destabilized social and
economic lives in many parts of the country
where the Fulani presence is established and
felt. We have questioned the lethargy of the
political authorities (including the government
and its functionaries, chiefs, opinion leaders,
and prominent people in the areas so far invaded
and devastated by the Fulanis and their
marauding cattle). We will continue to do so
until something drastic is done to solve the
problem.
We will do so, informed by the negative
politics being done about this Fulani menace by
some forces who see every happening in
contemporar5y Ghana through their political
blinkers without regard for reality. Evidence
exists that wherever these nomadic Fulanis go,
chaos erupts—as their freely grazing cattle
devour anything “green” in front of them, mostly
the crops of Ghanaian farmers struggling to eke
out their livelihood through their God-given
asset. Why do these Fulanis think that what is
good for their animals is not good for the poor
Ghanaian farmer whose property is being violated
and vandalized?
Of all places so far trampled upon, the
Asante Akyim area in the Ashanti Region stands
out for comment because of the ramifications.
Physical confrontations and destruction of limb
and property have come to notice. Too much
happening here, even at the level of partisan
politics as far as reaction to the menace is
concerned. We don’t want to recount all the
instances; but we can say with all confidence
here that nothing concrete is being done to
solve the problem despite the shedding of blood
and the massive destruction of crops by the
Fulani herdsmen in this area. Interestingly, the
area has produced award winners at the District
Best farmer Awards ceremony under the auspices
of the National Farmers’ Day. Their SOS messages
went unheeded as the Fulani marauders led their
cattle to destroy everything done by the.
Pathetic!!
The District Security Committee, the
Regional Coordinating Council and the National
Security Council are toothless bulldogs that
have barked so long as to even lose their
voices. Nothing concrete achieved despite so
much dissipation of energy. Poor souls. Why is
it so?
I shall return…
• E-mail:
mjbokor@yahoo.com
• Join me on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/mjkbokor to continue the
conversation.
|
