UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICS AND COMPLEXITY OF NORTHERN NIGERIA

There is a general misunderstanding of
the North by fellow Nigerians in the
South, concerning tribal linkages, as
most Southerners address all
Northerners as Hausas.

This is erroneous. Indeed this has been a very well known and uncorrected error for a
very long time in this country. In the
North, for that unfortunate error,
some, especially the Hausas, in whom
the advantage of that error resides,
have taken a political advantage and
have invited the Fulani in what they
term as Hausa-Fulani. This is purely a
political grouping. There is no tribe in
Nigeria called Hausa-Fulani ,because of the cosmopolitan
nature of Lagos however, this error is
very slowly but gradually being
corrected, though used sometimes
deliberately to hurt non-Hausas.


History informs us that the Hausa tribe
were originally known as Maguzawa.
This tribe, Maguzawa, is one of the
original inhabitant tribes that Shehu
Usman Danfodio conquered in what
came to be known as the Jihad.
Danfodio was said to have come from
Mali through Sokoto and embarked on
conquering the Maguzawa tribe who
inhabited most of what is now known
as North-Western Nigeria in his bid to
‘spread’ Islam. During his campaign he
got to a place known as Bavehi and the
Kanuris stopped him. Unfortunately
due to some sinister political reasons,
this is hardly narrated, and therefore
the misunderstanding.
The Kanuris were said to have come
from Yemen via Libya, Sudan, Niger,
Chad, and Cameroon with their full
knowledge of Islam. They have the
following clans: - Suwurti, Bodoyi,
Kwayam, and Morr (Maiduguri Emirate)
, others are Fadawu, Balewu, and
Gumatiwu (Dikwa Emirate). They lived
in their present location of what is now
known as North and Central Borno for
about 372 years practicing Islam before
Shehu Usman Danfodio commenced
his campaign. The Kanuris noticed that
Danfodio’s campaign was more
politically motivated rather than
Islamic, that was why he had to be
stopped. However, on the part of the
Kanuris, all that while, and indeed up to
this time I believe, they have not
thought that the religion of Islam can
be practiced correctly by any non-
Kanuri, and indeed that is why the
Kanuris do not even believe that the
Hausas are true Muslims. The simple
reason is that the Hausas contaminate
the religion with politics, and inject
terms derogatory to others; terms
which the Kanuris also refer to them
with. Unfortunately they also use such
terms even in politics with harassment,
cajoling and even violence at most
times only to get them to political
positions; the reason the Kanuris
believe the way they believe. And that is
one of the main differences between
the Kanuris and the Hausas; and indeed
the main reason that the Kanuris do
not consider the Hausas as true
Muslims.

I
believe also that there are several of
such differences between the Hausa
tribe and all other Northern tribes that
make the distinction. That is why I said
earlier that some people in the North
get hurt for being called Hausa. The
Fulani for example detest the term
Hausa-Fulani for the same reasons.

To start with, out of the 19 Northern states, at least 5 have a
majority Christian population: Plateau, Adamawa, Nassarawa,
Taraba and Benue. At least 6 more have at least 40% Christian
population. These states include Niger, Gombe, Kaduna, Kogi,
Kwara and either Borno or Bauchi. That then leaves only Kano,
Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara as having
Muslim populations above 60%. How then are we all seen as
Muslims?

If out of the estimated 250 tribes in Nigeria, we can say that the
South-West is mainly Yoruba with a few other tribes around
Badagry area, the South-East wholly Igbo and the South-South
being most diverse in the South with about 40 tribes, that still
leaves the remaining 200 tribes in the North.
How then are we reduced to one single ethnic group, Hausa? It
is only the North-West that is close to being homogenous,
mainly Hausa and Fulani, but with still some minority tribes in
the Zuru area of Kebbi State and the multi-diverse Southern
Kaduna. The North-East and North-Central is filled with tribes,
many of whom I have never even heard of. For example,
Adamawa State is so diverse that the largest ethnic group, the
Fulani, is just 3% of the entire population.

The number of tribes there are so many that we
just address the people as ‘Gwoza people’, after the name of the
local government.
Even though we all speak Hausa as a lingua franca in order to
communicate amongst ourselves as trading partners over the
centuries, that doesn’t make us Hausa people as much as
communicating in English doesn’t make you and I English people.
As a matter of fact, in the North-East, Hausa people are a
minority and virtually non-existent in the North-Central region.

I have not written this as a criticism of the people of Southern
Nigeria, but rather, in the hope that this will be an
enlightenment of the South about the North. It amazes me when I see that despite the fact that we have been a country for almost
a century, yet, a lot of people down South know little or nothing
about their fellow Nigerians in the North, but know about
Europe and America.


I have also realized that we as Northerners have allowed others
to say our story for ourselves, hence have given it distortions,
deletion and generalizations. What has happened over time is
what the writer Chimamanda Adichie, in her TED talk in March
2009, at Oxford, England, describes as ‘the danger of the single
story’, where a single story of the North as a region of poor,
illiterate, lazy, Hausa Muslims who do nothing but connive to
lord over this country politically and kill Southerners’ has been
repeated so much that it is seen as the truth. This is the kind of
stuff that creates stereotyping, which in her words, ‘not that it is
untrue, but that it is incomplete’.


This is one reason I still see the significance of our NYSC
scheme, choked with problems as it may be. We need to know
each other more. Let us override this stereotypical mind-set and
seek to learn about each other with open minds and seek the
complete story that gives a holistic picture of our country.

REFERENCES

markamaza.com/2011/09/09/re-introducing-northern-nigeria-not-as-you-know-it/

www.gamji.com/article8000/news8782.htm

Ok

Educating

Ediat big liar, how did you know Christians are majority in nassarawa and Adamawa? Or even Taraba? Where is your statistics? That is why Christians are called minority's in the north, Borno has both governor and his deputy as Muslims and you still think some people are up to 60% ! Wow you must be a genius to figure it out yourself. In trying to correct one stereotype u end up dishing another one. Check your fact please, and mind you, religion is a private and personal thing so stop using it as a yardstick to judge.

senier007:
Ediat big liar, how did you know Christians are majority in nassarawa and Adamawa? Or even Taraba? Where is your statistics? That is why Christians are called minority's in the north, Borno has both governor and his deputy as Muslims and you still think some people are up to 60% ! Wow you must be a genius to figure it out yourself. In trying to correct one stereotype u end up dishing another one. Check your fact please, and mind you, religion is a private and personal thing so stop using it as a yardstick to judge.

Did you have to display your uncurt attitude online? For your Info, Christians are a majority in Taraba, if you have doubts about that then you have a lot to learn about Northern Nigerian yet. I dn't know about the other states. If you have information to the contrary please educate the people of this forum. We are all here to learn.

senier007:
Ediat big liar, how did you know Christians are majority in nassarawa and Adamawa? Or even Taraba? Where is your statistics? That is why Christians are called minority's in the north, Borno has both governor and his deputy as Muslims and you still think some people are up to 60% ! Wow you must be a genius to figure it out yourself. In trying to correct one stereotype u end up dishing another one. Check your fact please, and mind you, religion is a private and personal thing so stop using it as a yardstick to judge.

The statistics of muslim vs christian in the post may not be very accurate but it does
nt change the overrall message of the post which is about 70% of the 250 ethnic group in Nigeria are in the North.

However the fact that most of them can speak and understand Hausa have downplayed that difference in Political discusa in Nigeria.

In d south Lingual distinction is clear apart from pidgin english we all understand. The North having another lingual franca (Hausa) apart from Pidgin English or Pure English created an artificial homogenous region for the North.

That most of southern Nigeria knows very little about the north and it's diverse tribes still points to the fact that this country is not a nation....and I don't see that state of affair making a drastic change in the near future.

If there was ever a half hearted attempt for southerners (majority of who are Christians) to gradually blend with people from the north, religion will quickly checkmate it, coupled with the insurgency in the Northeast.

We've had a hundred years (1914-2014) to work things out and become a nation. We haven't scratched the surface since then. And honestly, I don't envisage much progress in that direction for the next 100 years.

As far as you let this fulani people and House people dictate your faith politically and religiously, you are all Hausa people. Until you liberate yourselves.

'Preciate the knowledge op. I never knew any of this. Now I see why I get the side eye when I use Hausa/Fulani in certain circles. I wish I knew this sooner. All the same Now I know better so I can show better. Props op!

Are they not projecting themselves as one

North is North, during Riot in North they kill every Southerner, during reprisal in East they kill every Northerner.