The Catholic bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, has warned against blanket demonisation of herdsmen, especially of the Fulani stock, warning that such actions could be preamble to a breakout of violent confrontation against the Fulani.


The bishop said hate speech often precede any genocide experienced in history.

Mr Kukah spoke Tuesday at a colloquium on fake news and hate speech organised by the Olusegun Obasanjo Centre for African Studies, an arm of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

He said Nigerians “have to be very careful” before the situation degenerates beyond control.

He likened the uproar and profiling of the Fulani to what happened to the Igbo leading up to the Nigerian civil war between 1967 and 1970.


“If it is Fulani today, yesterday it was the Igbos,” he said.

Reacting to the recent controversy on the use of picture of a herdsman on the Nigerian passport booklet, Mr Kukah said he was almost swayed by the fake news, before he got a copy of the passport himself.

The cleric displayed his passport to illustrate the content and debunk the insinuations that it carried only a picture of a herdsman.


“When I look at my passport, it has the coat of arm and map of Nigeria. Then right in front of the data page where all my information is, I have the Bini. I am not a Bini man, but I am eminently proud of this. I didn’t even know it was here, because I had to go through the passport page by page.

“When I opened the passport the first thing I saw was Zuma Rock, then I see Tiv dancers. Who gave them permission to put Tiv dancers? Then I got to next page, before I came to this poor Fulani man who is standing with his cows.


Suddenly, this is the only thing we have chosen.

“Why is it exciting? It is exciting because this is the time for us to ‘hate’, literally tag every Fulani as a herdsman. We are on a very dangerous precipice,” he said.


Mr Kukah said it was time for those in the position of leadership to tame the situation.

“Those who lead us should better stand up and tell us where we are going,” he said.

The Catholic priest also urged Nigerians to be each other’s keeper and avoid ethno-religious profiling in dealing with each other.

To further tame the spread of hate, Mr Kukah called on media to sieve through in choosing who to give audience to avoid persons who propagate hate and mischief.


In his opening remarks, NOUN’s vice chancellor, Abdalla Adamu, said liberalisation of the media space by technology provided opportunity for easy spread of fake news and hate speech.

He lamented increase in hate speech in the polity which, he said, will not augur well for the society.

“What we see are labels over crimes. The moment you start talking about labels, you are breeding hate speech,” Mr Adamu said.


In her contribution, former journalist and politician, Chris Anyanwu, also bemoaned “too much of this hate and bile stuff” warning that it could consume the country if not properly tackled.

“We have to be careful not to use our own hands to set our own house on fire and someone will sit there in Russia laughing,” she said.

Ms Anyanwu, a former senator, said the media has a big role to play in reversing the trend, but lamented poor quality of journalism currently in the country.


She said the rise of “brown envelope” in journalism has bred poor attitude to work thus some reporters rely on press releases churned out by newsmakers.


https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/341231-kukah-warns-against-anti-fulani-campaign.html

There's no anti fulani campaign anywhere. People are reacting to many years of silence over a people who have brazenly invaded people lands and started to trample on their crops and desecrate their drinking waters.

And please stop mentioning igbos who earned everything they own by dint of hard work, buying and renting every space they live and do any business.

The fulani should buy, rent and lease their own living and business spaces instead of threatening the rest of us into parting with our tiny spaces to accommodate their personal business.

These fools and thieves can betray themselves and treat Fulani people with kid gloves but don't dare bring that nonsense to Edo state.

I've seen the killings by Fulani in Edo stop after what the youth did, I swear any killing of Edo person by Fulani will claim 20 Fulani heads.

Look at berom people and see what Fulani did to them

Hhh CAN of worms go say dem don fulanize dis one

Yesterday, Prof Pat Utomi spoke against the demonization and ethnic profiling of the Fulani people. Today, Bishop Mattew Kukah of the Catholic Church has done the same. I applaud their courage for refusing to flow with the herd.

I believe we still have so many reasonable Nigerians who are concerned about the ongoing politically motivated hate speech against a particular set of people. This is the time to speak up. We don’t want another 1966 pogrom or Rwandan kind of genocide in our country. This is the time to put our humanity above ethnic sentiments.

While we condemn criminality and ask for security agencies to step up their game and ensure safety of lives and properties, we must never fall in line with those ethnicizing crimes.

It is wrong to stereotype every Fulani herdsman.

That one is spreading hate

Kukah is making a lot of sense to me. I have noticed lately a consistent, well-orchestrated and deliberate effort of a segment of online users to stereotype and typecast all fulani herdsmen as criminals. This is already assuming a very dangerous dimension and can create some serious problems going by the level of hate the campaign is engendering against herders, especially here in the South. The situation could boil over at any time at this rate if care is not taken.

I just like this man .

well said..itss getting to a stage where father will murder his son and he will accuse Fulani herdsmen

watch how kidnappers and arm robbers will increase in southern Nigeria and they will use Fulani herdsmen as cover up

Is he a fulani

very soon,COZA and their spokeswoman,Kemi Olunloyo will say Fulani herdsmen raped busola

there's no anti Fulani campaign, people are just being cautious and aware of what those hideous miscreants are up to

How can I check my bal in first bank

He will probably realize after some of his loved ones are killed in his village or kidnapped or raped.

Herdsmen is the problem not fulani

There's nothing like anti fulani, their cup is fulling right now for all their atrocities and very soon the tide will be fully against the blood suckers.
I abhor sugar-coated words.

All of them will now praise Rev. Kukah

Good speak Sir.

I truly allign with bishop kukah and prof pat utomi,

If some few fulani kill indiscriminately cos they worship devil of the jungle, i will avoid them, protect myself with every means nessary but i will never hate an entire tribe of some innocent, people like me... because i can't because of devilish Fulani loose my relugious stance and upbringing morals

..

Kapapa:
How can I check my bal in first bank

*894*00#

Political talk, reality dictates otherwise. We can't keep quiet while one tribe thinks it's only them and their cows that matter. If they don't want anti Fulani campaign then they should stop killing other tribes and invading people's farms with their cows. Most importantly, they should put an end to any talk of Ruga

Catholics. SMH

Mohomodu Buhary is the first culprit.

He is full of hate & Chief Bigot.


97% vs 5% will NEVER be forgotten in a hurry.

Chrisbeks:
Political talk, reality dictates otherwise. We can't keep quiet while one tribe thinks it's only them and their cows that matter. If they don't want anti Fulani campaign then they should stop killing other tribes and invading people's farms with their cows. Most importantly, they should put an end to any talk of Ruga

exactly bro, Ruga is a no no

Gbam! Thank you sir for exposing the hypocrite of PDP children of hate. Many of them are here on Nairaland. They have never visited any immigration office in Nigeria, but they are the first to put on social media the contents of the Nigerian passport

The Bishop also fell for the Fulani red herring that they are being demonised and racially profiled a la Kadaria Ahmed. The Fulani has succeeded in changing the narrative and now have his likes on the defensive. The discerning are not taken! It is against all that is fair to appropriate land belonging to others to the Fulani who roam cattle destroying farmlands and killing the farmers in the process without being prosecuted and duly punished only to turn round and cry “blue murder”! The notoriety of the Fulani speaks for itself and cannot be substituted for “demonisation” and “racial profiling”. The publication herein speaks for itself far back 2015.

[s]

Afamed:
Gbam! Thank you sir for exposing the hypocrite of PDP children of hate. Many of them are here on Nairaland. They have never visited any immigration office in Nigeria, but they are the first to put on social media the contents of the Nigerian passport

[/s]

razy75:
Catholics. SMH

Smh for exposing your hypocrite abi?

Firefire:
[s][/s]

They are here, children of hate.