HERDSMEN MENACE AND THE PROPOSITION OF CATTLE COLONIES: THE VESTIGES OF THE COLONIAL ERA By ARÚWÀJOYÈ OLÚWASEUN

The pretentious and ostentatious intervention of the British to sanitise the Bights of _Benin_ and _Biafra_ in 1849, which was infamous for slave trade, gave the British the opportunity to realise their imperial interest in this part of Western Africa for over hundred years between 1862 and 1960. The result of which is now a country regrettably divided against itself. A country with a poor and shaky foundation and a tenuous structure.

Right from the establishment of the Niger coast protectorate in 1885 to the transformation of the _Grenye Goldie’s company_ to _Royal Niger company_ in 1888, the British government’s influence waxed stronger and pervaded through the three established blocks of the territory. The problem however was initiated with the constitution of the _Lord Selborne_-led Niger committee saddled with the responsibility to advise the British government on future management of the three territories. The committee, which proposed an amalgamation goal also reckon it would be premature to actualize such at that time owning to the inadequacy of experienced colonial officers to take charge of the huge area that would arise from such arrangement.

Howbeit, with the withdrawal of the _Royal Niger company_ in 1900, the territory under its control renamed the _protectorate of Northern Nigeria_ and the _Niger coast protectorate_ was renamed the _protectorate of Southern Nigeria_, the _colony and protectorate of Lagos_( which was under the control of the colonial office) was amalgamated the _Southern protectorate of Nigeria_ to form the _Colony and protectorate of Southern Nigeria_ in 1906. In search of administrative unity , the British government appointed, _Sir Frederick Lugard_( The first high commissioner of the northern protectorate 1900- 1906) as the man to amalgamate the now two protectorates.

The appointment of Sir Frederick Lugard impacted the future of Nigeria immensely and left some vicious legacies of colonialism. Technically, the amalgamation move was not informed on the part of the British government to create a Nigerian state but to abate the incapability of the _Northern protectorate_ to balance its budget by uniting it with its southern neighbors who had cozy surplus. It was also calculated and aimed at bringing about the setting aside of certain areas of conflicts between the two administrations.

Furthermore, Lugard reserved the central coordination of the two protectorates and as such threw away the idea of creating a central Secretariat for that would mean a reduction in his personal clout and bring the two protectorates too close to a level he considered would be unhealthy and unproductive for the _Northern protectorate_, which he believed needed protection from the tempest of westernisation which has eaten pervasively through the south.

This “Lugardian” approach turned Nigeria into a battle ground for two British tribal cabal, the southern and the northern cabal until the end colonial rule in the country. Thus, the amalgamated Nigeria remained in a bedraggled affair until independence in 1960. Until then, it was merely a marriage of two ferocious entity. Nevertheless, the effect of the forceful marriage still lingers.

The perennial impudent attacks on citizens of the country is now at an unbearable level. The swallowing of huge cash by mysterious snakes and other inordinately puerile jokes from our government are enough to create an air of despair and a strong premise to give up on the country. Now, the incessant killings of citizens by some persons perceived to be Fulani herdsmen and the proposal of the establishment of cattle colonies has further awaken us to the reality of Nigeria as a country in need of a robust restructuring.

These Fulani herdsmen are the people who ostensibly predominated the northern Nigeria, one of the two artificial tribal divisions created by the British government. They still believe it is their right to feed on anything in the south, even at the expense of other people’s lives. After feeding on proceeds from the south through the federal government, they still parade their cows on farms of other citizens of the country in the name of grazing and destroying crops in the process.

It is bemusing to even consider the response of our leaders in bringing a stop to this precarious situation- creation of colonies for cattle and on other people’s land. There are enough options to consider in stead of the colonisation of other people’s territory; these colonies could be built in the north or the people in the southern Nigeria empowered to start cattle rearing business if they felt they need to, since cattle-rearing is not a rocket science. It is thus very logical to conclude that some of these big-bellied leaders have considered the situation as derisory or maybe we would be forgiven to conclude that they are befuddled after drinking from the intoxicating federal stream.

It is sardonic but the truth-the Nigerian state foundation needs a divine revisit. With the essence of governance erased and the freedom of the people suffocated and garroted, the actualisation of our much celebrated independence now seems like a Pyrrhic victory.