Muslim Hausa Societies #BeBoldForChange

"Muslim women! Do not listen to the speech of those who are misguided and who sow the seed of error in the heart of another; they deceive you when they stress obedience to your husbands without telling you of obedience to God and His Messenger (May God show him bounty and grant him salvation), and when they say that the woman finds her happiness in obedience to her husband.

They seek only their own satisfaction, and that is why they impose upon you tasks which the Law of God and His Prophet never especially assigned to you. Such are the preparation of foodstuffs, the washing of clothes, and other duties which they like to impose upon you, while they neglect to teach you what God and the Prophet have prescribed for you.”
                                       Uthman Ibn Fodio
Islam has set Muslim women free many years ago but we have remained within the clutches of social and cultural dictates determined by men whom the Sheik spoke about in the eighteenth century.
Sadly 200yrs later a revolutionary has emerged in the form of Amir Sanusi to give back to women what society has taken away from them and a lot of men including some brainwashed women afraid of change have pounced in condemnation of HRH's desire which will give worth back to women at the same time return sanity into a society wrecked apart  by injustice. For years repeated preachings on the superiority of men and their right to uncontested obedience have only further lowered the status of women and men have utilised this to take them for granted. This has resulted to unhappy households and higher divorce rates in spite of the fact that women have become willing to stay married no matter the difficulty and neglect. We have seen the rise of women at all economic levels from soap making to medicine so as to help out with the home expenses. Instead of this to result in higher literacy rate and better standard of living for the family, a number of men have taken advantage of this societal perception of shared responsibility to abandon what they pledged to take care of before getting into the marital contract. Women are the accepted guides, caretakers, cooks, disciplinarians, hospital and school takers of the children and yet suffer physical and emotional abuse in the hands of same men.
Finally a light shines dimly at the end of the tunnel and the torchlight is that of a man but as usual many have raised their feet to stamp that hope flat. Despite the claimed enlightenment there is still reservation and fear within many men on the existence of the educated and independent woman.
Milestones in history have only been achieved when external forces help marginalised groups. Whites helped stop racism. Men assisted the plight of women in the west. Muslim women cant do it alone.  If you are good to your wife today, tomorrow your sister could end up your wrong hands. You may be six feet under when your darling daughter meets an abusive husband.  Tomorrow is unpredictable and only strong laws and institutions can protect our daughters, sisters and mothers. Emir Sanusi's intervention couldn't have come at a better time when we have to be #BoldForChange  Today I call on Muslim men to stand up for the actualisation of women rights within  the confines of Islam for a better society.
Happy #IWD2017 to all the strong women who have slayed the cultural dragons and thank you to all the men that have thought out of the box.
#BoldForChange.

HAUSA, FULANI OR HAUSA-FULANI?

The Hausa Fulani people are a secondary tribe that came into being as a result of the Islamic Jihad of Usmanu Danfodiyo. In the past the Hausa people were the dominant tribe in most parts of northern Nigeria.  The jihadists on the other hand were Fulani people that created emirates and settled in what was before Hausa kingdoms. In northern Nigeria of today hardly can a pure Hausa /Fulani person be found who has no mixed lineage in his bloodline with the exception of the Fulbe people in areas of Adamawa and Taraba and thus the emergence of the Hausa-Fulani people.

             It is surprising that both the Hausa and Fulani prefer to be addressed with the singular description and think the term Hausa-Fulani to be a modern coinage to destroy their identities. The truth however can hardly be averted as intermarriage and proximity has blended these two primary tribes into a new secondary one with common features, a common culture and even a common religion. Many Fulani’s now live within typical Hausa society’s eating their food and cannot even speak their native Fulani. All you have to do to be convinced is to look at some Hausa people and you can see the Fulani features in them.

             It therefore makes a whole lot of sense to refer to most of the people in the jihadist areas of north western as the Hausa Fulani.                

                                 

                                  

THE RAINS AND US

       The rains have been very heavy this year and meteorology sector have constantly warned of the possibility of flood. i observed that nothing much was being done to help the situation  apart from the media that  kept reminding  constantly .The few culverts that were cleaned became once more congested as the removed dirt was left by the roadsides and the rains always pushed it back in.  The society does not help itself also. People use culverts as waste disposal centres once heavy clouds are sighted and therefore the smooth passage of water is seriously hindered.  Another problem is the ways the government keep creating residential carve outs in lowland areas and the town planning council keeps giving building licences in such areas that were formally creeks and small streams.

         During the third of august, 2011 the fear of a possible flood was communicated to the people of Zaria and its immediate environs. The local and state governments kept warning through the media that   people living in lowlands should evacuate their homes. The pathetic part of this story is the fact that the government never assisted with transportation nor temporary camps or even a “ready to handle crises” response squad and they swore to be the custodians of the people. On Thursday evening heavy clouds gathered and the rains began, heavy, persistent and throughout the night. People spent the night with one eye open.  The rain seized after dawn. I had to travel to Kano on that day and on my way I saw people clearing waterways everywhere. What came to mind was the nature of our people we only do things that we are always supposed to do only in the face of crises. Luckily the rain did not continue to fall on the already soaked land and the fear of flood all over Zaria was put to rest. I later learnt that there were casualties in two lowland areas of Zaria that were formerly streams but have now become residential areas.

           Once more Allah has shined his mercy on us but not due to any effort from the people or their government.             

                                               

WHAT DOES TOMORROW HOLD?

           I was returning from work around 7pm after being stuck in a nasty hold up on a rainy day. I made to park my car in front of a shop to get a recharge card but before the car could completely stop they were hanging outside the door in their usual manner such that there was no chance for me to open the door. I was about to respond with anger when my eyes landed on the gap teethed mouth of a child that was no older than my five year old daughter whom I still escort to the toilet. This particular child was not even privileged enough to have his mother hand him a warm meal or tend to his worries for he is an almajiri. He has been cast out to the world on the pretence of search for knowledge to give way so his parents can breed more children with a bleak future like his.

             My heart grieved for the poor child. This child shall never know what it feels like to be a carefree and play around, I thought. He will grow up all alone in his formative years and his only bond will be that which he has with his fellow almajiri’s. He is in the hands of a mallam who has no emotional attachment to him, fend only for his biological children but still accept them under his tutulage to show that he is a great and recognised scholar. 

               What is painful about this situation is the fact that this boy is in a situation nobody cares about. His parents do not care, the government does not care and the society does not care too. What does the future hold for him then? Temptations of becoming a thug, a bandit or if he is lucky his hardships will shape him to become a successful and strong person but entirely due to God’s blessing and his own efforts.                      

NO MORE PURE WATER, NO MORE CLEAN WATER

   Recently I was listening to the radio when I heard that the government is intending to stop the production of sachet water popularly known as pure water. I felt panic, not for my family's sake but for the millions of Nigerians that rely on pure water, purchased with their hard earned money as their only accessible source of clean drinking water. Which kind of society do we live in was the question i asked myself. a society where a "bottled water drinking" few make the decision for the "pure water drinking" majority without providing an alternative for them.

                The government is concerned about environmental degradation, but I hope it is ready to handle indefinite crises of typhoid and cholera outbreaks for most people have not seen running pipe borne water in their neighbourhoods for twenty years or more. As a matter of fact the pure water industries should be commended for providing jobs that the government cannot provide as well as saving people from dying of thirst and diseases associated with consumption of dirty water.

       My heart bleeds for my country, a country without focus. Instead of banning the production of pure water, setting up a nylon recycling business would have been a better option. It would have provided jobs as well as getting the nylon sachets off the streets. Second, overhauling the water resources ministry would have put the pure water industries out of business naturally, if their constant drilling for water is a threat to the environment. Third, supporting the introduction of paper bags for packaging purchases will have been a better option  for pure water nylons are only part of the litter on the streets.
       I conclude by opining that there are more issues needing the attention of the government than raising the level of unemployment and diseases in our dear country. a word as it is said is enough for the wise. 
       

DA SAURANMU HAUSA-FULANI

     I was among the invigilators of the Ahmadu Bello University post UME Examinations into the Department of Mass Communication that took place on Tuesday 6th September, 2011. My venue was one allocated for those with a JAMB score of 226-227. Surprisingly i could only see a few Hausa-Fulani candidates for a university based in Zaria. I now became interested, started observing and realised that there is a very small percentage of our indigenous candidates represented in the examination.

               I probed further and found out that another reason for the low turnout was the fact that many of our Hausa-Fulani candidates were not able to meet the cut-off mark. For a society struggling for progress this is an issue of serious concern for I do not see us meeting up with the demands of the 21st century in a society where education is everything. I asked myself the following questions: Are our children over-pampered, is the educational system in shambles or is it abject poverty and lack of sponsorship? Where lies the problem?

                 I can authoritatively state that it is a fact that examination malpractice among our people is still at a minimum level compared to the south. There is intolerance for it among most academics and parents  but then  if there is a need  for standard there is also a need for performance and representation. The only solution is for our people and our so called elders to awaken from slumber and fight tooth and nail for the development of our youth for they are the future voice of the Hausa-Fulani.