Open *Letter to His Excellency, President *Bola* Ahmed Tinubu
By Habibu Yusuf Sodangi, Founder:Hausa Youth Awakening Forum
Your Excellency:
- With all due respect, I write this letter to you as a loyal supporter, a fan, and one who stood firmly in your defense during the last election. I campaigned for you and I am still ready to stand by you because I believe in your promises, your courage, and your determination to restore peace and justice in Nigeria.
- It is no hidden truth that the Hausa people voted massively for you in the last election. We did so with the hope and trust that your leadership would bring an end to the terror that has tormented our people for many years. We believed you when you promised not to negotiate with terrorists, especially the Fulani armed groups that have slaughtered our people, displaced our families, and destroyed our villages.
- Your Excellency, we still stand ready to vote for you again in your second tenure because of that trust. But today, I must speak the bitter truth: our hearts are heavy. We are worried about the direction of our nation’s defense and security policies.
- Why, Mr. President, has our defense and security architecture been handed over almost entirely to Fulani elites—the same ethnic group that has been at the center of violence and terrorism across our land? The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, is Fulani. The Minister of Defense, Badaru, is Fulani. The State Minister of Defense, Bello Matawalle, is Fulani.
- Your Excellency, is this fair? Is this safe? How can the most suspicious tribe when it comes to insecurity be given full control of our national defense? This is not about hatred; it is about bitter history and painful reality.
- Since 1804, when Uthman Dan Fodio launched his jihad, the Fulani elite have disturbed the peace and tranquility of the Hausa land. What began as a so-called religious mission turned into political conquest, domination, and subjugation of the indigenous Hausa people. That history has not left us; it continues to this day.
- The same Fulani elites are proudly associated with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), a union widely suspected of shielding and supporting criminal herders. How then can such a people be entrusted with our security and defense?
- Your Excellency, the truth must be told: the Fulani population in Nigeria is about 6%. Out of this, only about 2% live in towns and villages where they participate in elections. The remaining 4% roam in the bushes, terrorizing, kidnapping, and shedding blood.
- On the other hand, the Hausa population stands at 31.7%. We are the largest ethnic group in Nigeria. We came out massively to vote for you, believing you would protect us against Fulani terrorists. But today, we do not have a single voice in your government, not even one minister to represent our interest.
- Your Excellency, our villages across Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Jigawa, and Zamfara are dismantled daily by Fulani terrorists. Our fathers, grandfathers, youth, and even babies are being slaughtered. Our mothers, wives, and daughters are kidnapped and raped, with ransom demanded.
- Yet, despite these horrors, there is no single IDP camp across these states to shelter our displaced people. The suffering of the Hausa is ignored. Our tears fall to the ground with no one to wipe them away.
- Mr. President, as your supporter and defender, I am deeply pained that when Fulani terrorists massacre our people, you are not seen in those communities to condole with the families. For example, in Hayin Katsina, Danja Local Government of Katsina State, Fulani terrorists attacked people while they were praying in the mosque. Similar incidents occurred in Malumfashi. But we did not see you there.
- The Hausa people feel voiceless in your administration, voiceless in security matters, and voiceless in governance. This is not what we voted for. We voted for protection, not further marginalization.
- Let me remind Your Excellency: Fulani do not vote for you. Their 2% urban population cannot compare to the massive Hausa population that rallied behind you. We gave you our mandate with trust, not with suspicion. Please do not let us down.
- Our people are massacred daily, yet those leading the fight against insecurity are Fulani themselves. How can they sincerely fight their own brothers? How can they stand against those they secretly sympathize with?
- I say this with pain but also with respect: remove Fulani elites from key security positions. Do not allow Nigeria’s defense to be handled by those whose loyalty is in doubt. Give these sensitive offices to those who have truly suffered at the hands of terrorists, not those suspected of protecting them.
- Your Excellency, I know you are a student of history. You know Nigeria’s past very well. You know the bitter experience between Hausa and Fulani. That is why I am confident you will not ignore this warning.
- The Hausa people are indigenous, original, and native to their territory. Yet, despite being 31.7% of Nigeria’s population, we are excluded from your government. That exclusion empowers Fulani terrorists to continue killing us day and night with the support of their politicians, clerics, and emirs.
- Mr. President, I plead with you as your loyal supporter: do something now. Redeem the hope of the Hausa people. Show us that our votes were not in vain. Remove Fulani domination from your government, especially in security matters, and give the Hausa people their rightful place.
- We are ready to stand with you, to defend you, and to vote for you again. But we beg you to stand with us first, to defend us, and to protect our lives. The blood of our people cries out for justice. Do not ignore that cry.
Signed:
Habibu Yusuf Sodangi
Founder, Hausa Youth Awakening Forum
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