Liberated Hausa Talikawa Came To Our Rescue

By

Farouk Martins Aresa

faroukomartins@aim.com

 

 

Who do we call when Igbo and Yoruba get into one another’s face? As many of us were growing up, there was no ethnic group more modest, down to earth and more sincere than the Hausa. Unfortunately, many of our children will hear that almost as a fairy tale. In fact most Hausa or Kanuri are very contented until stirred up by religious passion, oil, in pursuit of social or economic control, as in Maiduguri or Jos. They tap unemployed pool of uninformed and unskilled talikawa.  Their leaders’ affinity with foreign religion as a badge of honor makes them relevant. It is the easiest way to power and looting.

 

Please before you scream, note that we are referring to the real indigenous Hausa not the misnomer called Hausa/Fulani. The Hausa we know as real African, their culture and religion are much closer to ours. They do not go on rampage for Ubangiji, maim and kill their fellow Africans by demonizing them as infidels. The same foreign religious fever that caught the Hausa in the North, got some in the South though tamed by different intensity, nurture, initiation and economic power. None of our ethnic group is perfect.

 

The role of Hausa, Beroni, Ibibio, etc as moderators between Yoruba and Igbo is so crucial if we do not want Yoruba and Igbo to tear our Country into pieces. Some people have suggested that Yoruba and Igbo must be expelled from Nigeria if we want peace but without them, there is no Nigeria. In other words, we must use our ethnic diversity to our advantage rather than for self-destruct. Liberation of talikawa from an obsession with religious leaders used to foster their economy power is a must to mediate when called upon. The Middle Belt and the South are not so obsessed with any religion. 

 

Those of us watching political events in Nigeria are familiar with Igbo Yoruba struggle for power. It has been going on for a long time. It all started peacefully and even amicably from Yoruba land in Lagos. When it got to another Yoruba land in Ibadan, Awo became resentful. As it moved to the East, Zik took it out on others to displace Calabar Eyo Ita, for leadership in the heart of their land. Sir Ahmadu Bello had used it to displace Aminu Kano party to cross carpet in the North. It is a long story but suffice to say: agitation for self determination by leaders has been universally vindicated by the creation of states.   

 

But for the intervention of the Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo battle for superior power could have destroyed Nigeria. The battle moved to Federal politics bringing out the worst in the two ethnic groups. The Yoruba should have stayed contented as Federal Opposition since they achieved more in the Western Region. In fairness to all sides, there has never been a time when Yoruba ventured out of their region to become others’ leader. Igbo have never wrestle leadership power out of Yoruba lands forcefully. Not yet.  Indeed, Yoruba had yielded and adopted Igbo leader as their own in Lagos and Ibadan, a passé.

 

But urgent compulsion to loot oil money at the Federal level overrides prosecution fears.

So competition intensity reared its ugly head again after Ebele was elected. Yoruba and Igbo went after one another for designated leadership positions. Fortunately, the Hausa saw a rescue opportunity; and again, both came up short with second best as in the old Republic. If the Hausa, Efik, Igala, Kanuri or Tiv were not around, there would be nobody to settle political scramble between these two. Yet when they are full of it, they want Southern Nigeria with the exclusion of Hausa. Who is going to live in that hell with them?

 

The Hausa never get involved until invited. Guess who the vulture was that came along to clean up the spoil of combat, if not the one and only Judas Tinubu, Governor Emeritus. But just out of dedication to barter Yoruba votes and help Nigeria. He made sure Yoruba lost out so that there will be less completion for the Yoruba leadership. Like Obasanjo before him, the Messiah of the Yoruba has not come until he is crowned. No wonder others ask if Yoruba are so derelict of leaderships, only the compromised goods is left.  

 

What happen with the election of Obasanjo and Ebele is that the old power structure lost out in spite of threats of thunder and fire. Some Hausa, with some relationship with the old oligarchy, broke loose or got liberated. Behold Sherakau, an educated handsome Hausa leader with all the affinity to his African brothers and sisters contesting for the President. Some of us wonder where those Hausa like him were, for so long. No matter what affinity he claimed to the royal, we saw an African brother like Sir Tafawa Balewa.

 

If we want more Hausa like Sherakau, more of them have to be liberated to be confident enough that they are pure African with no relationship outside of the Continent and proud of it. This may sound like a lofty black power to some, but it is deeper than that. Our orientation in the South and North must converge by loyalty to Nigeria first, ego second and foreign orientation last. It is the only way the African experiment can work.

 

The gentility and trust of the Hausa that made them politically endeared to South-south and Middle Belt also made them susceptible to conquer by religion casting Ubangiji teachings aside. Unfortunately, some religions are cloaked in sheep’s skin. Their lion is economic and social power to dominate. So if anyone is wondering why we are so obsessed with religion, they are actually mistaken. We are obsessed with economic and social power religion bestowed to dominate and take advantage of the meek and gentle.

 

Indeed, any Hausa that does not claim a relationship to those foreign names like Alhaji, Emir, Sultan or Sardauna will be relegated to the side.  While many of those foreign sounding names in the South do not often get involved in politics, in the North those tracing their roots back to the Middle East are the royals and the politicians. Any Hausa that looks as African as you and I, even with distinguishing marks better claims royal relationship to become relevant in the scheme of polity. The only other way is by military power. So we cannot blame religion alone for everything.

 

If Yoruba and Igbo cannot get along, Ijaw, Igala etc. must step in and if the Hausa are called upon to fill the vacuum, it has to be the liberated Hausa free of religious bigotry.