Bashir Ahmad, a former aide to the president, expresses his concern that it is profoundly disturbing to observe that nearly every crime occurring in the North, South, East, West, and all regions of Nigeria today is immediately attributed to “Fulani.”
In a message posted on his X account, Bashir stated: ‘’I am not in any way attempting to justify the evident atrocities being perpetrated by certain criminal individuals within the Fulani herdsmen community in various parts of this nation. Those horrific deeds are utterly deplorable and must be tackled decisively with the full weight of legal authority. However, it is deeply troubling that almost every crime committed in the North, South, East, West, and anywhere in Nigeria today is automatically tagged as the work of “Fulani.”
“It appears we have entirely dismissed the presence of community conflicts, personal disagreements, and other illegal activities, as everything is now attributed to the Fulani. Even more concerning, this generalization extends to northerners, particularly the Hausa, who are also victims of these same crimes, yet are perceived through the same distorted perspective. This is highly unfortunate!
“Prominent Fulani voices must rise more prominently to challenge these harmful and inaccurate narratives that are being spread throughout every part of this country. The increasing pattern of this broad labeling has regrettably fueled greater hatred and confusion, with numerous innocent individuals suffering the consequences of these stereotypes.
“The reality is that every ethnic group, whether Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, Tiv, Ijaw, or others, contains both virtuous and wicked individuals. No community is immune to this truth. It is, therefore, unfair to assess the many honorable and peace-loving Fulani people based on the actions of the corrupt elements among them.’’
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli
