Opinion: GPF Convention, No Fulani No Worry (I)

The Periscope Global Editorial

The would have been full to capacity Mahmud Ribadu Square was by conservative estimation, less than 10% occupied, to the disappointment of the conveners, comments would reveal, even though the words of appreciation to go public would recount contrary by the contractors. 

It says: "This is a moment that calls for all true sons and daughters of the ethnic nationalities of this State to stand up to be counted. And what a resounding and overwhelming endorsement we received yesterday (Saturday) by the sheer presence of our numerous compatriots who attended the historic event".

This could not be unconnected with the refusal of the dignitaries so invited to honour the convention they could have been told the obnoxious agenda would end up drowning 'em politically down the drain, therefore registered an acknowledged excuse that they could not make it to the anti-Fulani agenda owing to their schedules.

The conveners who would simply categorise the invited who have not seen any future rather than failure fraud, hense faulted the convention reflected in their no registered excuse refusal to be in a party with the anti-ethnic hate, as bourgeois modernist escapists, backsliders, betrayers and ardent Fulani apologists,   

It says, "To our brothers who were complacent, sceptical or simply afraid of the move, we daresay that the resolve of our people is clear and unambiguous. There is no retreat and no surrender in this pursuit… It is unwise if not a total abandonment of the struggle for us to play the ostrich at this critical stage of our lives and development".

One of those who have not seen it any worthy to honour the invitation shared a critical thought, pointing out that "there's hardly anyone among the conveners and even the participants that is not a beneficiary of the Fulani, which is in this respect, Muslims, in Adamawa state, from the days of Sardauna, Sir Ahmadu Bello to this day; there's therefore no reason for ingratitude".  

Literary critic articulated that owing to the animosity towards the Fulani, the name of the state taken from the Fulani Islamic reformer, Modibbo Adama, which extends to academic institutions reflective of a dominant ethnic group among other institutions bearing Fulani names is part the seeming revisionists list hence the recall to Gongola.

The conveners however, could not consider as uncritical the choice of venue - Mahmud Ribadu Square - bearing the name of a Fulani hero - Why Mahmud Ribadu Square?

An online media, not the Periscope Global reported Prof Jerry Gana, ably represented, as saying that "there’s a high possibility for a political wild wind for ethnic nationalities to take over Adamawa State," impliedly, from the Fulani, which is in this case, Muslims.   

Most of the guests of honours either would not honour the occasion or would not be represented; Adamawa state governor was neither present nor represented, even though the online media reported the governor as being represented by the deputy governor who was not seen, heard or felt at the venue.

The Monarchs, His Royal Highness Gangwari Ganye has earlier made bold the position of the Ganye Chiefdom that they would not join party to the agenda brewing disunity for the state to sink in drunkenness; A gathering without His Royal Highness Lamido Adamawa and His Royal Highness the Emir of Mubi, isn't for HRH Gangwari Ganye to honour; His Royal Highnesses Amna Shelleng was also neither present nor represented.  

From Gongola state to Adamawa, Yola or Adamawa central is yet to produce a governor; other than Admiral Murtala Hammanyero Nyako, a.k.a Baba Maimangoro Northern senatorial district produces all the governors in Adamawa state so far.

The elections that produced the present governor, some people celebrate as the beginning of the end of Fulani hegemony in Adamawa, would not have been possible without the Fulani pushing the Fulani against their own.  

A literary critic would render "No, Fulani, No Worry," from the Jamaican Patois, "No, woman, nuh cry".  

"No Woman, No Cry", means "Woman, don't cry". Therefore, "No, Fulani, No Worry," would mean "Fulani, Don't Worry".

Read below some of what informed the formation of Gongola People's Forum:  

The RIBADU SQUARE STATEMENT we made yesterday has nothing to do with personal relationships but collective the responsibilities of the different peoples who constitute this State for fairness, justice and equity among the diverse ethnic nationalities of the State. 

The grouse of the members of our ethnic nationalities is that the one group has not only marginalized the others in the past but continues to do so today. And when some of these things have happened, we haven't heard the voices of the so-called open minded members of that group in protest about the divisive nature of the actions they took as we are hearing now. Were they therefore complicit or merely complacent to the actions of the group? What were some of these policies and actions?

1. What informed the change of name of Gongola State, a more generic and inclusive name for all the ethnic nationalities in the State to Adamawa State that is exclusive to one ethnic nationality in the face of opposition from these other groups? 

2. What informed the change of name of Jimeta LGA to Yola South LGA?

3. What informed the change of the name of the Federal University of Technology, Yola to Modibbo Adama University of Technology Yola again a wholly exclusive and one-sided nomenclature against the opposition of the other ethnic nationalities? 

4. How come the Yola International Airport is also now being renamed the Modibbo Adama International Airport? 

4. How come the Federal Medical Center Yola is now the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital?

5. How come this group organizes sectional and divisive groups and associations such as Tabital Pulaku for the whole of their cohorts in West Africa and beyond with their International Headquarters in Yola and with the Lamido of Adamawa as their Grand Patron?

6. Who among the members of the other ethnic nationalities was present when they held their meeting to launch the Tabital Pulaku Radio in 2017 to which people like Lamido Sanusi of Kano Emirate were invited and plans were hatched to massively attack our people in Numan and environs?

7. How come in Yola alone we have the following Federal institutions: MAUTECH, MODIBBO ADAMA UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, NIGERIAN LAW SCHOOL YOLA, FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION YOLA, NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY YOLA, FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC YOLA CAMPUS, ADAMAWA STATE POLYTECHNIC YOLA, COLLEGE FOR LEGAL STUDIES YOLA, FGGC YOLA, AIRFORCE SECONDARY YOLA etc while all the numerous ethnic nationalities in the Southern Zone combined have only the Adamawa State College of Education Ganye and a skeleton of a Campus of the Adamawa State Polytechnic in Numan?

8. How come that until recent times all Ambassadorial and Ministerial appointments were the exclusive reserve of people from that ethnic group?

9. How come that as we are talking, this group still imposes itself on most of these other ethnic nationalities through the traditional system of administration forced on us by the Colonial government that makes their leaders superior to these unconquered groups who are thus rendered subservient to them?

10. How come that among the Yandang people of Mayo Belwa LGA, a member of that group whose forebears have been Village Heads of only 1 out of 12 Village Heads in Bajama District is claiming that the traditional system of administration in Bajama District is for members of his family alone to be the District Heads over the Yandang people?

11. How come that during the administration of Admiral Murtala Nyako, this group imported their brothers from outside and resettled them in parts of the land belonging to these other ethnic nationalities, a clear case of land grabbing and an intentional attempt to change the demographics of the State?

We can go on and on about these acts of injustice and maginalisation crying loud for redress. If people of goodwill among this group cannot see these and protest the actions as divisive, then they should not try to stop us when we take our future into our hands to fight the oppressors.We definitely are not fighting the individual men of conscience and goodwill from among this group. However, they alone are competent to determine if they fall under this classification. 

Again it bears repetition that the coming together of these ethnic nationalities is not targeted at individuals who are conscious of the need for justice, equality, fairplay and inclusivity in their actions in relation to other groups but at those who perpetrate oppression, injustice, inequity, unfairness and exclusivity. The evidence of their existence is overwhelming as highlighted above.

A time comes when the game is over and every player must return to his house and answer his father's name. We the Gongola People's Forum have chosen to do so by THE RIBADU SQUARE DECLARATION of 29th JUNE 2024.

To be continued…