Interesting Discourses on Pre-colonial Hausa States and the Neglect by Students

 Interesting Discourses on Pre-colonial Hausa States and the Neglect by Students

- Emeka Esogbue

Historians in Nigeria rarely talk about the history of the people living in the northeast and northwest region around Lake Chad and the Hausa states, which are extremely near to Oyo and Benin, two kindred kingdoms in modern-day Southern Nigeria. 

It is somewhat unexpected that the southern civilizations of Igbo, Yoruba, Anioma, Benin, and Igala are what typically conjure up images of historical figures on social media. Strangely, professional historians in Nigeria have not done much to direct their attention toward the pre-colonial Hausa cultures that existed before Nigeria was founded. 

Students studying history in secondary schools also have a tendency to steer clear of Hausa history. This also extends to university history classes, where aspiring historians have a tendency to gently stray from historical narratives of the Hausa societies. 

The tripartite Nigerian ethnic groupings of the Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba are never absent from any Nigerian issues; nonetheless, the Hausa legends abruptly disappear from historical discourse on social media. 

There is constantly a dispute over dominance and identity supremacy on social media, where practically every Nigerian—youth and adult alike—claims to professionally spread historical accounts on Nigerian history on Facebook and WhatsApp but the accounts are mainly controversial, setting the internet "ablaze."

The Hausa people who have lived in these regions for at least a thousand years prior to the arrival of the British, provide historians fascinating perspectives into the past. The Kanem-Borno Empire, which lasted for a millennium, is recorded in history as the longest-surviving empire in all of Africa. The Kingdom was well-known to European explorers of the day, and following Mungo Park's death, the generation of explorers tasked with finding the River Niger's source chose to travel the modern Nigerian northern route. 

After arriving in Borno, Hugh Clapperton, one of the expedition members, met el-Kanemi. After crossing the Sahara, his expedition group had first arrived in Tripoli and then found themselves in Kukawa, the ancient city of Borno. 

Max Siollun, a writer on Nigerian history has provided a number of accounts detailing how the Europeans offered to get involved in the internal wars of the Hausa states. They overcame the host's disapproval and used the idea as a ruse to research the war strategies of the Hausa states, as well as their geographic settings, linguistic variations, and climate, and to report back to the British home government. Ultimately, the reports helped the British colonial officers conquer the Hausa lands when they returned after their initial inspections. The foundation of colonialism in the region became feasible after the conquest.

The sons and grandsons of Bayajidda are credited with founding the seven states that make up the Hausa kingdoms, according to tradition. Thus, the historical foundation for the creation of the Hausa states can be found in the Bayajidda mythology. 

The mythology also includes the legend of Banza Bakwai, which describes how the seven sons of Karbagari built seven different states through a slave maid named Bagwariya. Karbagari was the son of Bayajidda. Among these states that are still in existence today are Zamfara, Kebbi, Yauri, and Nupe. 

Despite the states' shared relationship, the early history of growth was marked by intense rivalry between the states, high levels of betrayal, and a dominant emphasis on struggles for domination over one another. 

History also records Bawa, the head of Gobir, employing Usman dan Fodio to serve as an Islamic educator for the royal family. Dan Fodio would later flip around and accuse the Hausa states of practicing Islam incorrectly. He started the jihad with the intention of waging a holy war on the Hausa states, a cause that would endure a lifetime and alter the course of the Hausa people's destiny. 

Usman dan Fodio ended up creating the Sokoto Caliphate which became Africa's largest state, stressing to modern Mali and Cameroun. 

Indeed, history students may learn a lot from the fascinating stories found in the Hausa area of modern-day Nigeria; all they need to do is be explored and discussed in a positive way, just as with other histories.