By Kehinde Akinkumi, YeyeNews.com, September 9, 2021
In a move to solve the perennial problem that has existed between “host” farmers and herdsmen, Miyetti Allah has called on the National Assembly to enact a legislation to recognize cows as half-humans who deserve the inalienable rights accorded to humans as enshrined in the 1999 constitution. Miyetti Allah, the advocacy group of Fulani pastoralists across Nigeria, made this proposal during a press conference in Maitama, Abuja.
According to the Public Relation Officer of Miyetti Allah, Garba Umar, the Fulani ethnic group has for untold ages herded cattle across the Sahel and Sub Sahara and has long regarded these creatures (cattle) as religious-cum-cultural symbol. He said, ” Por instance, Hindu, which is the oldest religion in the world, venerates cattle and many states in India have enacted laws that prohibit the maltreatment and slaughtering of cows. The great Mahatma Gandhi in his immortal words once said, “The cow is the purest type of sub-human life.” We as Miyetti Allah don’t only trade on cows, but also regard them similar to the Maasai fefle of Kenya.”
During the question-and-answer section of the conference, YeyeNews.com reporter asked why they were leaving out the goats and rams from this constitutional mandate. And this was his reply. “Those animals you mentioned, are considered as halal in Islam, but are not elevated to a half-human status. Do goats and rams have “flocks-men”? What we have is herdsmen. Are goats and rams driven from one region to another in Nigeria? The answer is no. The issue at hand is cattle. And I want to reassure you that if the Pederal Government pollow the spirit of today’s proposal scrufulously, peace will be restored in this nation.”
