The headline, "Plateau deports 20,000 Fulani – FULDAN chairman" is what every right thinking Nigerian should be really ashamed of; otherwise how do you explain that citizens of a country are drastically limited as to where they can call home in their own supposed country? According to the reports, the National Chairman of the Fulde (Fulani) Development Association of Nigeria (FULDAN), Malam Ahmad Usman Bello, said that about 20,000 Fulanis have been deported from Plateau State to some states in the North-West.
This sinister action of Plateau State government amplifies and mirrors what the late coupist, Gideon Orkar, attempted to do during his failed coup against Ibrahim Babangida regime; when in a similar vein, he announced that five northern states have been excised from Nigeria? Icheoku asks, do these Middle-Belters of Benue-Plateau region really mean well for Nigeria? Do they know that they are undermining the structural integrity of Nigeria by their actions and utterances? Their being neither north nor south, compounds the matter as they are not even capable of an independent existence, assuming they are let go or allowed to go? But they have now become the real problem and troubled child of Nigeria who must be check-mated before they force Nigeria down the drain-pipe into the sewer.
Icheoku is not particularly a fan of the 'one-Nigeria', as is currently being run aground; but until a national sovereign conference resolves some of the vexing issues in Nigeria, let no one take matters into their hand to decree some artificial "international boundary lines" within the same country! Until the parameters for Nigerians continued co-existence or otherwise is clearly spelt out, let every Nigerian have the inalienable citizenship right to thrive, unencumbered, in any town or village or locality or state or region of his/her choice without let or hindrance.
It is on this premise therefore that Icheoku condemns and unequivocally too, the mindless and thoughtless deportation of some Nigerians by fellow Nigerians and from Nigeria? To where then, one may ask? Icheoku responds, to their own section of the country? And someone still calls this 'one-Nigeria'? In the year 2009, this cannot be happening after 49 years of independence and a tolerated co-existence of the peoples of Nigeria; and therefore should and must be stopped. Plateau State did not act right, their action is abhorable and shameful and militates against the fabric of the Nigerian State! Such deportation must not be allowed to stand, if the Nigeria State is to be sustained and therefore must be reversed and forcibly, if need be.