I served in Jos, Plateau state in 2015 and I met a lot of Northerners. To my surprise, majority of them refused to answer the name Hausa. They rejected it fiercely. People from Kaduna, Kebbi, Plateau, Adamawa, Gombe were in this category. Some would even get angry if called Hausa. In fact, they had their language. I didn't understand their anger until now.
The media has painted the entire Northern Nigeria as of they are all Hausas and Muslims. Actually, there are many states in the North that has more Christians than Muslims. Are you shocked? This is as a result of the works of Usman Dan Fodio.
Usman Dan Fodio needs no introduction to many people, but for the sake of contextual reading, I will introduce him. He was born in a place known as Gobir on the 15th of December, 1754. That year preceded all of the major landmarks of Nigeria's history, so there was nothing like states, but Gobir falls into the present day Sokoto State.
Gobir was an Hausa town that had Fulani men and Usman was born to Fulani parents. He grew up studying the Quran as the Fulani men at that time were mostly Muslims. At the age of 25, he was knowledgeable enough to have followers that he was teaching the ways of Islam.
Usman was discontented with the government of Gobir as he alleged inappropriate tax demands and corruption. His concern was accepted by the lower class Hausas who saw him as a savior from the government. The king of Gobir didn't take him lightly. He withstood Usman's moves which forced Usman and his followers to leave Gobir on what is known as Hijrah just like Muhammad did.
Usman was following the steps of Muhammed and this scared the king of Gobir. He believed that Usman would start a Jihad, so he contacted neighboring communities about his perceived danger. The other Hausa kings could not come together before Usman launched his war.
The Jihad war started with Gobir itself and Usman Dan Fodio conquered Gobir, created a new royal line as he became the king. Not of Gobir alone, but of Sokoto. The other Hausa kings knew that the war would not stop in Gobir as Usman has accused them of the same offense.
They were right. Usman took the war to them as he believed that the religion of the king is the religion of the land and if the king is an unbeliever, the land would be full of unbelievers and thus, needs to be conquered. This belief placed religion above the cultural and sociopolitical life of a society. Usman believed that a man's religion affects his entire life.
He moved his crusade to other towns and conquered them. He doesn't spare the rulers of the towns. He killed as many as he could, but some fled from him. An example is the king of Zamfara who fled to present day Abuja. Usman inaugurated a royal line known as the Emirate in all the conquered towns. He made sure that the language, culture, social and political life of the towns were suppressed (or even killed) and the ways of Islam promoted.
That is why the Northern Nigeria looks like a place that belongs to the world of Islam. Islam has ravaged the entire place. The conquest of Usman traveled as far as the Kanuri kingdom in Bornu. The war was fierce because the kings did not want their culture to be lost, but they were not strong enough to defend their lives. Hausa became the language they speak because Usman's foot soldiers were the discontented lower class Hausa men.
The Jihad placed a strong hand on the necks of the conquered towns so the true nature and destiny of those towns were suppressed. As I write this, this struggle is still going on. The places that Usman Dan Fodio conquered are still under the bondage of the Jihad. They are not yet free. They were forced to abandon themselves and pick up anything Islam brought to them.
This is not just a story. It's the reality of some people. Just like an individual can be under bondage and he will not be to manifest his God given destiny, the conquered places are currently under bondage and it is not so hard to see.
I was also an NCCF national executive which made me travel to many states on official assignments. The Northern Nigeria is nothing short of being referred to as backward. The things that would normally work here in the South has a lot of opposition in the North. Education is underdeveloped and poverty is an epidemic. There is a need for deliverance for the people.
In the next article of this series, I will explain better on how this war still plays out in today's Nigeria. Like I said, this is not just a story. It's our reality.
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