Nigeria seems to be at a crossroads. It is made worse by fears of the intendment of the leadership in its pronouncements, and policy directives, over very sensitive issues. First, the intention of the Federal Government in pushing for a determined settlement for herdsmen, named RUGA, was so very poorly communicated that it literally heated the polity. While government’s spokespersons struggled to explain the need for RUGA and the supposed good intentions of government in designing and pushing for it, some of the most ardent supporters of the government returned to their regional groupings and ethnic nationalities to denounce and reject it as Greek gift on a Friday night. That was a signal that a sinister plot was being hatched. Like it is said, it is those closest to you that perceive the odour from your mouth.
The actual intention of RUGA was, however, exposed by Bala Mohammed, Bauchi State governor, who while answering questions about the actual intention of the plan by government to mandatorily secure and build dedicated settlements across the country for Fulani, even those from outside Nigeria, asked: “how do you know which Fulani is Nigerian and which is not”. In other words, since it is difficult to distinguish between the Nigerian and non-Nigerian Fulani, therefore, it is right for the federal government, to waste public funds in building homes for them across the country and, even where they do not have cultural and religious affinities.
Besides, Bala also said: “we are already accommodating them. Do you delineate and really know who is not a Fulani man from Nigeria. They are all Nigerians. Their identity, their citizenship is Nigerian. Even though we (Fulani) have relations all over the world, all over Africa, they are presumably Nigerians” Those were exact words of Governor Bala said in response to a question, by Chamberlain Usoh on ChannelsTV which asked, “why should federal government use resources meant for this country to accommodate Fulani men who are not Nigerians?”
With that response, Bala Mohammed gave out reasons Nigerians ought to be suspicious of the intentions of government in adopting the RUGA policy and now, the visa-on-arrival dictate. However, it seems the total rejection of the idea by almost all southern Nigerian states, forced a rethink. Critically examined, there was really no sense in seeking to resettle Fulani from across Africa to a permanent home in Nigeria. The only sense it makes, perhaps, is on population which becomes a critical factor in development planning and election matters. It is possible that states that rejected the policy did so after a thorough examination of the consequences on national election numbers.
Now, there is bigger, and even stronger, suspicion that the promise by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the ASWAN Forum in Egypt recently, to effect a visa-on-arrival, or, visa-free entry to Nigerian for all Africans, beginning January 2020, is a new attempt to push the Fulani resettlement plan through another channel. That may not be true. But, it is the suspicion this time. And it is very strong out there. For a country that is governed by mutual suspicion, every action or policy of government is subject to deep suspicion until there is proof that the intentions are actually of general public interest.
Reason the new immigration pronouncement by Buhari is being subjected to such suspicion is not far-fetched. From the outset of this administration, both its principal actor and acolytes have acted in a manner that rightly subject every of their subsequent actions to suspicion. First, the government’s inaction at the height of the armed herdsmen/farmers clashes across parts of the country left many believing that the government was tacitly behind a move to conquer and dominate lands that did not belong to the herders. Secondly, government’s romance with such ideas as cattle colonies, not ranches as business entities owned by those involved in animal husbandry, created deep impressions in the minds of Nigerians.
The argument stretched from ‘restoring grazing routes’ of the 1950s (as if society is a static reality), to creating ‘cattle colonies’ down to ‘RUGA’, which actual intention was busted by Governor Bala Mohammed, the Nigerian leadership has left no one in doubt about its fixation on creating new homes for the Fulani. This is without regard to the sensibilities of Nigerians. Those faulty policy directions, which were being pushed without input of the National Assembly, the actual representatives of the people, now add up to create new problems for government as far as its intention with the new immigration policy for all African is involved.
The first ground for suspicion was a tweet by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of and International Cooperation of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Amb. Ahmed Awad, who in a tweet he made from the Aswan Forum said: “I wish to profoundly commend President @mBuhari of #Nigeria who just announced at the Aswan Forum complete visa exemption for all African. Starting January 2020 Africans will be able to arrive Nigeria without visas. It’s such an exemplary decision. Thanks your excellency”. So far, there has not been a counter-tweet or correction to spell out exactly what President Buhari promised Africa. That tweet is still on Amb. Awad’s timeline and has set off a tirade of celebratory reactions from Somalians on the tweeter handle.
Though there has been an attempt at rightly stating what the President promised in Egypt, the effects of Amb. Awad’s tweet will no doubt set-off an exodus, from poorer African nations, into Nigeria noted for its very porous borders. And this is where the challenge and the suspicion lie. As you read this, a video has gone viral on social media. The video fuels suspicion that Buhari’s promise has set-off mass migration into Nigeria. The video in question is from Niger. It showed young men, in their hundreds, marching from an unmanned country into Niger. The suspicion is that their final destination is Nigeria. Of course, there are reasons to suggest that they may be headed for Nigeria. Niger cannot accommodate them. It cannot also feed them as it is still to recover from the effects of a destabilizing famine. So, it is logical to fear that they may be headed for Nigeria.
In making that promise in Egypt, President Buhari failed to consider the effects of his previous pronouncements. He had in the past told the world that insecurity in the West African region, including the Boko Haram reality, is fuelled by Libyan fighters from the Gaddafi era who now have nothing else to do than fight. Last weekend in Abuja, Buhari re-echoed exactly the same. He was quoted by Garba Shehu, his ace spokesman, as telling Alassane Quattara, the Ivory Coast leader, that Gaddafi-era fighters who have no other skill but to “shoot and kill” are destabilizing West Africa. Question is: If he knew this much, why promise visa-on-arrival, or visa-free, entry to all Africans into a country where the leadership had publicly declared that armed killer herdsmen who had destroyed farmlands, homes and lives, were not Nigerians but intruders who took advantage of Nigeria’s porous borders?
If the Nigerian Immigration Service lacked the capacity to stem the tide of illegal influx into Nigeria from its immediate neighbours, how will it manage the expected deluge of immigration into Nigeria from all Africans forced to leave their countries by conflicts, famine, drought, disease and even lack of self-actualizing opportunities? This becomes particularly of deep concern in an environment where developed countries are taking steps to cut down on influx of foreigners. See USA with the wall against Mexico and Britain with a vote to take back their country from the European Union. Is it possible that Buhari did not think through his pronouncement at the Aswan Forum?