The Church and the People

   
   

Some people are complaining about the issue of tithing in church. They are of the opinion that they are unable to afford the school tuition for the Churches' Primary and University. The people allege these set of pastors are living large while the church members are languishing in penury.
   The pastors counter this saying the tithe belongs to God. It is an injunction commanded by God. My friend on Facebook declared last week his total rejection of the Christian Church as it obtains in Nigeria. He said he he still a Christian but would not be going to church henceforth. He is particularly piqued by the attitude of the pastors in not returning tithe paid into the church coffers by fraudsters and looters of the people's commonwealth. He believes the pastor should return stolen monies paid as tithe back to the government or the rightful owners. Meanwhile, the pastors claim they have no authority over tithes already paid in. They should go to God to collect it.

Herdsmen From Hell

 

    The treatment of the Fulani herdsmen with kid gloves should end henceforth. These Fulani guys have      their abode in the Northern part of the country but prefer to migrate down South with their herds of cattle in search of greener pastures. This would have been all well and go good if not for the fact that these herders are wont to clash with their hosts without any provocation whatsoever. Their hosts, especially the farmers, are the Fulanis frequent victims. The host is expected to keep mum when the Fulani cattle eat the farmers’ crops. If the farmers dare to complain they are promptly killed and the females raped or maimed. I think if the host is not the aggressor the guest should definitely not be.
  That the Federal Government is weighing in on the issue on the side of the Fulanis is rather unfortunate.  The F.G is proposing a National Grazing Reserve Council which would have the power to take away land from wherever, anytime they want and pay whatever they want as   compensation to the land owner.  The land when taken shall be assigned to the Fulani herdsmen who shall use the land for grazing purposes. If, as a landowner you object to this, you can go to the court but not before notifying and getting the consent of the AGF before you can sue. If the AGF declines consent to the suit you lose your land forever to the herdsmen. The Chairman of the National Grazing Reserve Council will be appointed by the President. 
  From the foregoing it can be seen that the aces are stacked against the land owners. The F.G is proposing the appropriation of lands from the Southerners but this time using the instrumentality of the law. This must and can not stand. Even though the proposed Bill has passed the first reading at the National Assembly it will be impracticable even if passed into law.
    Cow herding is just one of the different professions we have in Nigeria. We have the fishermen, the spare parts sellers, the farmers, the cloth weavers, etc, etc. why then is the issue of the Fulani herdsmen so important to the government as to deserve presenting a Bill on the issue. They are individuals doing their individual businesses to survive-just like the next guy.  The money they make is to their pockets so why the hue and cry?
   Countries that are known for exporting meat e.g. Australia, Argentina, and U.S etc. don’t move their cattle from one place to the other. They don’t take their cattle to the food but rather the food to the cattle. Water, hay, fodder, etc, are taken to the cattle in the pens and pastures. Science and technology has overtaken the need for cattle pastoralism. The F.G should introduce global best practice in cattle management to these Fulani herdsmen and spare us the constant headaches the activities of these herdsmen cause the nation. The government should tread cautiously on this issue so as not to create a monster they can’t control. A word is enough for the wise.

Herdsmen From Hell

 

    The treatment of the Fulani herdsmen with kid gloves should end henceforth. These Fulani guys have      their abode in the Northern part of the country but prefer to migrate down South with their herds of cattle in search of greener pastures. This would have been all well and go good if not for the fact that these herders are wont to clash with their hosts without any provocation whatsoever. Their hosts, especially the farmers, are the Fulanis frequent victims. The host is expected to keep mum when the Fulani cattle eat the farmers’ crops. If the farmers dare to complain they are promptly killed and the females raped or maimed. I think if the host is not the aggressor the guest should definitely not be.
  That the Federal Government is weighing in on the issue on the side of the Fulanis is rather unfortunate.  The F.G is proposing a National Grazing Reserve Council which would have the power to take away land from wherever, anytime they want and pay whatever they want as   compensation to the land owner.  The land when taken shall be assigned to the Fulani herdsmen who shall use the land for grazing purposes. If, as a landowner you object to this, you can go to the court but not before notifying and getting the consent of the AGF before you can sue. If the AGF declines consent to the suit you lose your land forever to the herdsmen. The Chairman of the National Grazing Reserve Council will be appointed by the President. 
  From the foregoing it can be seen that the aces are stacked against the land owners. The F.G is proposing the appropriation of lands from the Southerners but this time using the instrumentality of the law. This must and can not stand. Even though the proposed Bill has passed the first reading at the National Assembly it will be impracticable even if passed into law.
    Cow herding is just one of the different professions we have in Nigeria. We have the fishermen, the spare parts sellers, the farmers, the cloth weavers, etc, etc. why then is the issue of the Fulani herdsmen so important to the government as to deserve presenting a Bill on the issue. They are individuals doing their individual businesses to survive-just like the next guy.  The money they make is to their pockets so why the hue and cry?
   Countries that are known for exporting meat e.g. Australia, Argentina, and U.S etc. don’t move their cattle from one place to the other. They don’t take their cattle to the food but rather the food to the cattle. Water, hay, fodder, etc, are taken to the cattle in the pens and pastures. Science and technology has overtaken the need for cattle pastoralism. The F.G should introduce global best practice in cattle management to these Fulani herdsmen and spare us the constant headaches the activities of these herdsmen cause the nation. The government should tread cautiously on this issue so as not to create a monster they can’t control. A word is enough for the wise.

On Tinubu

   It is funny that Tinubu is agitating for Restructuring now. One would think Tinubu would have entered into an agreement with Buhari when the latter was supported by the former's political machine. It seems that there was unfortunately no agreement or PMB decided to implement the agreement In breach. Same with the issue of State police which Tinubu championed during the Jonathan Presidency. One would sincerely think these issues would be on the front burner in this Buhari administration. Politics is about give and take. Political alliance is all about supporting those who would advance one's political positions and interests. The tragedy would be a situation where there was no agreement in the first place or there was an agreement but the President decides to ignore such.

Facts or fiction?

     

             The latest news is that the government knows the sponsors of IPOB. This "truth" was disclosed by no less a personage than the Minister of Information, Mr Lai Mohammed. According to him the IPOB is being funded by the looters in the opposition. He should not stop there but should speedily name the culprits if he has his facts right. He should not continue to make allegations he can't back up. The faceless group - if there is one - should be named, arrested, and prosecuted. This is the way of responsible governments all over the world.

Madness & the Nigeria Nation

The classic definition of madness is said to be that of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. Why anyone bother to expect a different result of the status quo trumps me. From our paper Federalism to the quota system to the lowering of standards by JAMB etc, etc. Iam afraid things will not get better for Nigeria soonest. Mind you, I am not a naysayer but a realist. Things will simply not work because you will it to work. Nigeria have to walk the talk. We resort to the safety of our kit and kin when challenged. We are first and foremost local guys before being national. Millions of dollars are allocated to the Presidency clinic yet the occupants' medical expenses are picked up by the people. Pray, what is the need for the huge allocation in the first place? The state of Education continues to fall simply because the ruling elite have their children schooling in the best schools abroad. Devil may care is their approach. The pages of the newspapers are replete with our politicians felicitating with their children on the occasions of the later graduation abroad. If these state of affairs persist Nigeria can only continue to be the worse for it. A nation where a mark of 120 over 400 is regarded as a pass mark is a laughable one. The auguries do not bode well for the future.