By David-Chyddy Eleke
There have been a lot of argument about why a ‘character’ like social media activist, Very Dark Man, VDM for short was invited to the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) holding in Port Harcourt, Rivers State as a panelist.
But I have just taken time to watch his presentation this morning and I want to say that those who invited him had a clear cut aim of what they planned to achieve, and of course, they did achieve it. Sometimes, it it not about the good grammar, but the practicability of the things that are being said in conferences. That is why conferences, workshops, radio and television interviews and debates, and even presidential, governorship and other debates for political offices seekers can best be described as talkshops. People just go to such places to jaw-jaw, speak very verbose or convincing grammar and walk away, leaving the problems unscratched.
At the conference, VDM said the things many feared to say. You may not like him, but his views are not dumb views. Of course, VDM is not unaware that such conferences are places people go to talk for talking sake, so be brought action and concise facts to the conference and spoke in practical terms, giving incite to the main reason why insecurity has plagued Nigeria, while putting blames where they belong. He bluntly told attendees at the conference, “Sorry I’m speaking the way I do, I am not as educated as you people.” But then, who grammar help, when it comes to insecurity? What helps and what we all look forward to is the main cause and the solution.
Speaking on why there is so much kidnapping on Nigerian roads, despite a proliferation of security checkpoints, he answered: “These gunmen are known, they are not unknown. They are the police, the military, customs, immigration officers and others. You’re driving along the road and you meet a checkpoint. In the guise of checking, the security man asks you to wind down your window, they tell you to open your booth. And mind you, everyone knows everyone and know those who can pay. You drive away from the checkpoint and they make a phone call to their men up the road and say – there is a red car coming, he can pay.”
As he said these words, the hall erupted. Of course it seems we already have a hold on how SOME of these kidnap incidents happen. These sound like accusations, but there are frank truth that no one wants to talk about, but some or even more than just a few kidnap incidents happen that way.
Speaking on the Fulani herdsmen and farmers clashes in parts of the country, VDM went further to say that: “Who told you the powers that be do not know why these things are happening? The IG of Police, the Chief of Army Staff, all the senior security commanders and even Nuhu Ribadu (National Security Adviser) know these things.”
He gave reasons why it is so difficult to contain and or curtail the movement of cows in Nigeria, insisting that the cows we see on the road are mostly owned by politicians. He feels those cows are easy money laundary routes. The cows are mostly owned by politicians who put their stolen funds in there, and they all know themselves, and that is why cows have remained untouchable on Nigeria.
He insisted that: “One fat cow is about N2million, that means if you see a herd of 500 cows, that is N1billion. And you think that Fulani boy sheepherding the cows own them? Why do you think cows are untouchable?” He asked rhetorically.
When prodded about which politicians own the cows, VDM simply said: “We all know (Nyesom) Wike is a stubborn man and has a knack for tackling issues, but when he was asked about roaming cows in Abuja roads, he stated that he would not like to talk about that. Go and invite him to your conference, and ask him who these politicians are, and he will answer you. You don’t need to hear it from me.”
Talking about roaming cows, permit me to focus on Anambra as I ask this question: “Who own the cows roaming Anambra roads?
In 2021, Anambra State government signed a law banning the roaming of cows, or grazing them in open places. It is called Anambra Anti-grazing Law. The idea was for the owners to have ranches for them, and also use other means to transport them to places when need be, instead of them roaming about, but five years after, that law is still on the shelve gathering dust, while cows graze openly and roam around major roads and locations, including in front of the newly constructed Light House, Awka, which serves as residence and office to the governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo.
Go to Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka or Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, cows graze on these campuses, and when the herd make to cross the roads, both motorists plying these campuses and students hurrying to lectures stand at attention while the cows, who have become first class citizens in Nigeria walk gayly and majestically across the road, never being in a hurry to do so.
I live on the expressway, and most nights, I sit on my balcony and watch large herds of cows being transported on foot along the expressway, sometimes from Ugwuoba in Enugu State, through to Onitsha. They trek all through the night to get to their destination, and sometimes cause fatal accidents.
Every morning as engage in my morning exercise along the Alex Ekwueme Boulevard, straight down to the back of the new Government House, I see herds along the beautifully paved roads. Most times I pity road sweepers on that road because as they struggle to keep the road clean, just one herd will pass by and leave heaps of dungs on the already swept road, and the sweepers will start afresh struggling to remove the dungs. If they are not so lucky, another herd will appear as they are just concluding the removal of the dungs disposed by the first herd, and deposit more.
Now, I’m becoming more curious about who own these cows and why they are so untouchable? Are these cows truly owned by rich and powerful citizens? Are these the reasons why 30 lawmakers sat down painstakingly to brainstorm about the anti-cattle grazing law, then went ahead to draw salaries from public coffers for their sitting, and at the end the law is allowed to stay on the shelve and gather dust without implementation?
I have every reason to believe VDM. Cows and real estate are easy and untraceable ways of laundering stolen money. The cattles we see on our roads are not owned by the poor herders who tend them, or one rich Alhaji in Sokoto or Taraba, they are owned by Igbo rich men and politicians, and the law enforcers know this much, and so they cut the cows some slack and condone whatever menace they cause. But in all these, does Soludo know this too and decided to soft pedal on the law, or he too owns some of these cows?
