A ò lè tori a mà jẹran dọ̀bálẹ̀ fún Mãlu – Àgbẹ́kọ̀yà kọ Àṣejù Fúlàní Darandaran – Agbekoya (meaning Farmers reject oppression) condemn the excesses of Fulani Herdsmen

Ìròyìn tó gbòde, ni ọ̀rọ̀ Ìjọba-àpapọ̀ ti ó fẹ ki gbogbo ìpínlẹ̀ ni Nigeria pèsè àyè ni ọ̀fẹ́ fún àwọn darandaran lati tẹ̀dó dípò ki wọn ma kó Mãlu kiri.

Ni ipinlẹ si ìpínlẹ̀, oníkálùkù lò ni iṣẹ́ tàbi òwò tirẹ̀. Iṣẹ́ àgbẹ̀ ló wọ́pọ̀ ni ilẹ̀ Yorùbá ni ayé àtijọ. Bi iṣẹ́ àgbẹ̀ ti ṣe pàtàki fún Yoruba, bẹ ni ise darandaran jẹ́ fún Fúlàní ni òkè-ọya. Ìyàtọ̀ ti ó wà ni àwọn iṣẹ́ mejeeji ni wi pé, àgbẹ̀ ńṣe oko ni agbègbè rẹ, nigbati darandaran ńda ẹran wọn kakiri lati ìlú kan si ekeji.

Ilẹ̀ pọ̀ ju èrò lọ ni oke- ọya ju odò-ọya lọ. Ọ̀rọ̀ Yorùbá ni “A o ri ibi sùn, ajá ńhanrun”. Ìjà Sèríà àti Boko Haram ti ṣi ọpọlọpọ ni idi kúrò ni òkè-ọya bọ́ si odò-ọya. Àyè kò tó fún ogúnlọ́gọ̀ ènìyàn ti ó ngbé ni odò-ọya pàtàki fún ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ ti ó dari wále nitori ija Bókó Haram àti ogun abẹ́lé yoku ni òkè-ọya.

Fúlàní Darandaran – Fulani Herdsman

Yorùbá fẹran àlejò púpọ̀, darandaran ti nda ẹran wá si ilẹ̀ Yorùbá lai si ìjà, ọ̀na ti jin. Ọba, Ìjòyè àti ọlọ́rọ̀ àyè àtijọ́ ma nni agbo ẹran tàbi Mãlu ti àwọn Fúlàní mba wọn tọ́jú. Ibùjẹ-ẹran tún wà ni ilẹ̀- Yorùbá ni Àkùnnù-Àkókó. Ni ayé òde òni, kò bójú mu lati da ẹran kiri ni igboro àti ilú nlá. Di da ẹran kiri ti fa ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ ìjàmbá ọkọ̀ tó ti mú ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ ẹ̀mí lọ. Ki ẹran má a jẹ ohun ọ̀gbìn àgbẹ̀ àti ba oko jẹ kò bójú mu. Èyí ti ó́ burú ju ni darandaran ti ó ngbé ìbọn dání dípò ọ̀pá-ìdaran, ti wọn ti pa olóko tori ki malu lè jẹun. Ọ̀rọ̀ Yorùbá ni “A ò lè tori a ma jẹ́ran, dọ̀bálẹ̀ fún Mãlu”, eleyi ló jẹ́ ki ẹgbẹ́ Àgbẹ́kọ̀yà kọ ètò ìjọba àpapọ̀ lati pèsè ilẹ̀-ọ̀fẹ́ fún àwọn Fulani ti ó nda ẹran ni ipinle Yorùbá àti lati kọ ìyà lọ́wọ́ daran-daran ti o ngbé ìbọn lati da ẹran.

Ni ilú òyìnbó, àgbẹ àti àwọn ti o ńsin ẹran nri ìrànlọwọ gbà ni ọdọ Ìjọba. Ó yẹ ki ijoba apapo pèsè irinṣẹ́ ìgbàlódé fún àwọn àgbẹ̀ àti ki àwọn ipinlẹ̀ pèsè àyè rẹpẹtẹ fún oko lati gbin oúnjẹ fún àwọn ogúnlọ́gọ̀ èrò ti ó pọ̀si odò-ọya ju ìpèsè ilé ọ̀fẹ́ fún darandaran. Ìmọ̀ràn fún Ìjọba-àpapọ̀ ni ki wọn lo ilẹ̀ ti ó pọ̀ rẹpẹtẹ ni òkè-ọya pàtàki igbó Sambisa ti àwọn Bókó Haram fi ṣe ibùjòkó tẹ́lẹ̀ ki Ìjọba lọ́wọ́lọ́wọ́ tó lé wọn jade fun agbo malu.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

The current news in Nigeria is the Federal Government’s directives for the States to voluntarily give land for herdsmen’s colony to stem the current practice of herdsmen moving from place to place for grazing.

There are trades peculiar with different States. In the past, farming was more common in Yoruba land. As important as farming is to the Yoruba people so also is raising cattle to the Fulani people. The difference between farming and raising cattle is while the Yoruba people are stable in the West, Fulani herdsmen are nomads, moving with their cattle from one town to the other.

The North has a larger expanse of land than the South. Internal strife such as the Sharia riots in 2000 and Boko Haram attacks in the North has caused many displaced people to move to the South. As the Yoruba adage goes, “Not enough space for people to sleep, the dog is snoring”. There is not enough land for the millions of people living in the South particularly the returnees fleeing from the Boko Haram attack and other internal strife in the North.

Yoruba loves strangers a lot, for a very long time, the herdsmen have come to the West for grazing without any problem. In the past, Kings, Chiefs and the wealthy people often rear domestic animals and cows that are placed in care of Fulani herdsmen. There were cattle ranches in the West at Akunnu-Akoko. In the modern era, it is no longer appropriate for herdsmen to move about with cattle for grazing in towns and cities. Going around with cattle has caused many accidents claiming several lives. Grazing cattle eating farm crops and destruction of farmlands should not be the acceptable norm. To make things worse, herdsmen now carry sophisticated guns instead of sheep staring rods, attacking and killing farmers for the sake of grazing cattle.

Another Yoruba adage says, “one cannot prostrate to a cow for the sake of eating meat”, this has spurred the Yoruba Farmer’s group that rejects oppression known as “Agbekoya” to reject the Federal Government’s request to dedicate land for a cattle herd colony in the Yoruba speaking States, while repelling the wanton attack by any herdsmen.

In the Western world, farmers and ranchers receive support from their government. The Federal Government should provide adequate modern farming tools for farmers, while the States should provide more expanse of land for farmers to increase crop yield in order to meet the need of feeding the teeming population in the South instead of creating a herdsmen colony. The Federal Government should use the large expanse of land in the North as a Fulani herdsmen Colony, particularly the Sambisa Forest where the current political dispensation has driven out Boko Haram from using it as headquarters.

The Yoruba Blog

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A ò lè tori a mà jẹran dọ̀bálẹ̀ fún Mãlu – Àgbẹ́kọ̀yà kọ Àṣejù Fúlàní Darandaran – Agbekoya (meaning Farmers reject oppression) condemn the excesses of Fulani Herdsmen

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