By Kachalla Ibrahim Musa
REJOINDER TO BD LAWAL ON HIS RACIST ATTACK AGAINST OUR FATHER, THE WAZIRI OF ADAMAWA
I have been on a month‑long vacation, taking time to work on some important issues, but upon reading Babachir David Lawal’s recent attack against the former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, I could not believe how racist, sour, and provoking it was, delivered with such a dastardly tone.
Many people may see this as political, but I see far beyond that. BD Lawal went against the entire Fulani race by tagging the Waziri of Adamawa with the condescending title of Kachalla, an appellation commonly associated with bandits operating in Nigeria today.
He went further to describe Atiku’s entire team, family, and people as “Fulani hegemonists” with the sole intention of dominating the country.
BD Lawal was not attacking Atiku Abubakar on political grounds; he was attacking him for the singular reason that he is a Fulani man. That is hugely unacceptable, provoking, inciting, and dangerous.
If there is anyone who owes the Fulani race his entire life journey throughout his 71 years, it is BD Lawal.
Since he chose to use Kachalla as a prefix to condemn—albeit clandestinely— all Fulanis as bandits, then let me remind him that:
- It was Kachalla late President Muhammadu Buhari (may Allah have mercy upon him), a Fulani man, who gave him his first major breakthrough in the PTF, where he served as a consultant under Afri‑Project Consortium.
- It was Kachalla late Ahmed Salihijo (may Allah have mercy on him) who supported him throughout his half‑baked ICT career in the same consortium.
- It was also Kachalla Engr. Aishatu Dahiru Binani who further backed him in that consortium.
- It was Kachalla Amina J. Mohammed (current UN Deputy Secretary‑General) who strengthened him further in the same consortium.
When life turned sour, he clung to the same Kachalla Buhari and his team for survival.
It was the same Kachalla Buhari who provided him the opportunity of a lifetime by appointing him Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
When he left the APC after being neglected and rejected by the party due to his intransigence, it was the same Kachalla Atiku who picked him up, whitewashed him, and offered him another opportunity to shine on a national party platform.
It was the same Kachalla Atiku who supported him throughout, even against the wishes of many others, just for peace to reign.
And now, due to his high tendency for betrayal, it is the same Atiku he has chosen to condemn as Kachalla.
To be clear, I do not belong to the same political party as the Waziri of Adamawa, but he is my father, my leader, and my elder statesman—someone I respect, value, and honour deeply.
The level of democratic principles Atiku demonstrates, combined with his patience, tolerance, and gentlemanliness, often results in those he supports turning against him—just as BD Lawal has done.
I cannot insult BD Lawal because he is an elder, old enough to be my father. It is not in our culture, as Kachallas, to insult grey‑haired men. But BD Lawal should be mindful of utterances that promote division and incite racial attacks capable of harming the peaceful society of Adamawa State and Nigeria at large.
The Fulani people, whom BD Lawal now condemns wholesale while hiding behind political differences with Waziri Atiku Abubakar, have done so much for him. And for the rest of his life, he cannot repay them.
May God continue to provide peaceful solutions to all the issues affecting the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Now I can go back to my work.
Yours sincerely,
Kachalla Ibrahim Musa
