Department Public Administration

MENANCE OF FULANI HERDSMEN AND ITS IMPLICATION ON NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA 2008-2019
CHAPTER ONE
                                     INTRODUCTION
1.1      Background to the Study
Peace is the crucial element needed in Nigeria at this crucial time for peaceful co-existence and national integration. Peace is an element that promotes unity, non-violence, economic growth and human development. But the Fulani menace in Nigeria seems to make the concept of peace elusive. Okereke (2012) observed that there is increased rate of violence, kidnapping, insurgencies, vandalism, rape, unemployment, terrorist attacks, cultism, arm robbery and so on in the world. Nigeria is not exempted in these global challenges. The Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria have destroyed many lives and properties worth millions of naira.
It is a pity that in Nigeria today, the wave of crisis, conflict and violence in the country as observed by Kaegon (2014) (as cited in Kasarachi, 2016) has disrupted socio-economic, religious and educational activities, political instability and threatened the national unity in Nigeria. These extra judiciary killings have forced thousands of people to abandon their homes and farmlands for safety. Okereke (2012) asserts that this unfolding violence have become so alarming that there is no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria is at a crossroad and gradually drifting to a conflict society. Therefore, peace education is a desideratum for managing the Fulani menace in Nigeria. According to UNESCO (2002) (as cited in Kasarachi, 2016), peace education entails the process of promoting knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to bring about change in the behaviour of children, youth, adults to prevent conflict and violence, both overt and structural so as to resolve conflicts peacefully, and create conducive atmosphere for peace, whether at an intra-personal, inter-personal, inter-group, national and international levels. Alimba (2014) asserted that any form of educational programme that tailored toward promoting the ethics and rudiments of peace and militating conflict in peace education, empowers the learners to acquire necessary character, skills and knowledge to live in peace and harmony with people in geographical location despite their cultural/language differences.
The impacts of peace education in managing the menace of Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized. This is because peace education is a pathway to a culture of peace. It also exposes the children and adult learners to the universal values and behaviour on which culture of peace is predicted, including the development of non-violent, conflict resolution skills and unites under one indivisible entity. Adam (2005) postulated that peace education brings about fundamental transformation in the way people live their lives and the way people react to issues bordering on conflict and crises. Peace education is any form of education that helps to reduce aggressiveness and destructive behaviour in the learners. There are strategies that can be employed to manage the menace of Fulani herdsmen in any form of educational programme in Nigeria. Gumut (2007) (as cited in Kasarachi, 2016) hypothesised that school principals and teachers should teach peace education and create peace awareness in students. Thus, peace education should be institutionalized in the school curriculum including adult education programmes and Qua’anic education as a core subject, and extra-curricular activities such as peace clubs in the learning environments. Also, all the geo-political zones in Nigeria should organise peace discussion forum in regular basis to address issues of national interest in the country. This study will however examine the menace of Fulani herdsmen and its implication on national development in Nigeria from 2008-2018.
1.2   Statement of the Problem
Multi-ethnic and multi religious are the major factors that characterize Nigeria as a country with several hundred ethnic nationalities each with its language, traditions and culture. This multi complex composition of Nigeria has been both advantageous and disadvantageous. Ethnic and other forms of tensions and crises have characterized the better part of her existence. However the biggest challenge threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria today is herdsmen tormenting the peace of the nation and causing disunity regions like the middle belt region. From Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Taraba, Adamawa and Benue States, there has been unceasing blows delivered by the Herders to the indigenous farming population. However, it seems that the Federal government has failed to come up with a pragmatic approach that can solve the crisis, the daily news channels are littered with stories and gory pictures of ongoing attacks. Inconsistencies in government policies seem to exacerbate these conflicts. While the Benue State government has introduced an anti-grazing law as a way of addressing this problem the federal government seems confused, undecided and is even perceived as complicit. Unless something decisive is done, this menace may become intractable. The menace of herdsmen has been in Nigeria for decades and most states in Nigeria has been witnessing the escalation of the crises especially in the north central areas, which have witnessed mass destruction of farm lands, houses and human genocide especially from 2008 up till this present year (2018). People have deserted their farms and homes to seek refuge in other places therefore becoming refugees and displaced persons and also reducing the level of national development in Nigeria.
These are the problems that can be tackled by identifying its root cause, its manifestations and implications and by diverging and proffering solutions. The menace of Fulani is an issue which has come to stay in Nigeria for decade and it is fast growing by the day. The Northern and central Nigeria have been the areas which the escalation of the crisis have been witnessed in mass. People have deserted their farms, houses to mention but a few, seeking refuge in other places thereby becoming strangers in other lands and reducing the level of national development. This research contends that until something drastic is done the devastation will continue and not only create more security challenges but create demographic crisis of incalculable proportions.

1.3   Research Objectives
The study has both general objective and specific objectives. The general objective or main objective of this study is to examine the menace of Fulani herdsmen and its implication on national development in Nigeria from 2008-2018. The specific objectives are:
i)             To study the impacts of the menace of Fulani herdsmen and its implication on national development in Nigeria from 2008-2018
ii)           To investigate the responses of government to the menace of Fulani in the country
iii)         To determine the causes of the menace of Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria
iv)         To assess the prevalence of the menace of Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria from 2008-2018

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