A Fulani socio-cultural group, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore has observed that elders have lost grip over the youths. It noted that the decay in moral values was partly responsible for criminality like banditry and kidnapping.
This was part of the resolutions reached at a two day Socio- Cultural Festival with the theme, “The Future of Fulani Pastoralists in Nigeria.” which took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
In the communique issued, “The dialogue observed that the Fulani elders has lost control of their youths like the Igbo elders earlier lost control of their youths which led to creation of Independent People Of Biafra (IPOB).
Lamenting the scary security situation in the country, it recalled that over 668,000 people were displaced in the North West alone.
“It observed that in 2020 alone, Four hundred and eighty-one thousand people were displaced while in last year 2021, one hundred and eighty-seven thousand people were displaced in the North Western part of Nigeria. The dialogue posed a question: How did we reach here and how do we solve the problem?”
To mitigate the security challenge, the Summit of the Fulani race which involved 16 delegates of Fulani extraction from neighbouring African countries called for concerted engagement in education, urbanization and constructive engagement of Fulani youths.
The communique read in part: “It observed that the problems are local and need local solutions. Banditry is a societal problem and bandits are militarising. The way out is the involvement of clerics and traditional rulers rather than soldiers.
“The conference observed the need to improve on the code of conduct of Fulbes, giving them identity as enshrined in the constitution and employing the Islamic tenets to guide their daily lives. “There is serious erosion of these tenets and social orientation, which must be revisited. This will make solution of insecurity almost possible. Efforts should also be made to urbanise the population of the Fulbes.
“Furthermore, it was observed that there is need to go into the forest for social re-orientation and preaching the words of God to the bandits and their leaders.
“The conference believes that there is need to study the sociology of the people who lost their youths and integrating them properly back into the society.”
The communique was signed by Alhaji Abdullahi Bello Badejo and Engineer Al Hassan Lamido Fulbe, national President and secretary, respectively of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune