*Hidden Truth: Why Tafawa Balewa Town and other Zaar Villages under Wai Ward, Zaar Villages in Lere North was not included in Zaar Chiefdom During Yuguda Regime*.

  

*Hidden Truth: Why Tafawa Balewa Town and other Zaar Villages under Wai Ward, Zaar Villages in Lere North was not included in Zaar Chiefdom During Yuguda Regime*.

✍🏾 *Madalla Kadiri, Zaar Activist*.

The reason why Wai was subjected to referendum , Zaar Villages in Lere North were removed from Zaar Chiefdom  can be attributed to the article that was written by Prof. Salisu Shehu and published on Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) newsletter and the 1990 census figure. According to Prof. Salisu Shehu in his article  published on  Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) newsletter  titled: 

*"Will the Azdan Ever be Called Again in Tafawa Balewa Town?"*, He said and I quote"* A second authoritative history of the tribal settlements of the area now known as Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro Local Government Areas can be found in the 1924 Memorandum to the Secretary, Northern Province by W. Morgan, the Provincial Officer of Bauchi Province who had compiled the history of all tribal groups in the Province, marked as SNP/9/2485/1924 available in the National Archives, Kaduna. Nowhere in this document can be found any reference to Tafawa Balewa as being the ancestral home of the Sayawa. On the contrary Morgan categorically said Bogoro is their original home. As a matter of fact, no mention was made by Morgan of Tafawa Balewa as being under Bogoro. The town has been historically and geographically under Wai. Why had the town been named in Fulfude and not in Sayanci?  And why is it that the Sayawa naming of the town began to be heard only in the late 1980s? Is there any book of history written and published before 1990 that reported the Sayawa naming of the town as Puji?"*.

To back this claim of Professor Salisu Shehu, Bauchi Emirate in there  submission to  Babalakin commission of enquiry into the 1991 crisis give  a bias   fraudulent break down total population figure estimate of all the eleven (11) wards in the three (3) district of former Tafawa Balewa LGA, the three districts were Bula, Lere and Bogoro, while the eleven (11) wards were Kardam, Lere/Tapshin, Wai, Lusa, Bununu, Mball, Dajin, Dull, Bula, Bogoro, Boi. There was unbalance distribution of political wards  in the former Tafawa Balewa LGA, Bula was having five (5) ward, Lere and Bogoro having three (3) ward  each, it is quite glaring that even in the former Tafawa Balewa LGA the Zaar were politically disadvantage before Bogoro LGA was created out of Tafawa Balewa LGA on the 1st October, 1996 by General Sani Abacha. 

The break down of total  population estimate of all the 11 wards in 3 district of former Tafawa Balewa LGA presented at the Babalakin commission of enquiry into the 1991 was  as  follows;

Lere District:

Kardam- 43768 dominant ethnic group Barawa, Jarawa. 

Lere/Tapshin- 22879 dominant ethnic groups Hausa/Fulani, Sayawa, Angas, Tapshin.

Wai- 31488 dominant ethnic groups Hausa/ Fulani, Bankalawa and Sayawa was removed in Wai ward.

Bula District:

Bununu- 32498 dominant ethnic groups Jarawa, Fulani. 

Ball-19794 dominant ethnic groups Jarawa, Bankakawa, Sayawa, Angas. 

Bula-10701 -dominant ethnic groups Jarawa Bankakawa 

Dajin-30549 dominant ethnic groups Bankakawa, Polchi. 

Dull-15196 dominant ethnic groups Jarawa, fulani.

Bogoro District: 

Bogoro 35013 dominant ethnic groups Burmawa, Sayawa, Burmawa was put first just to make us look like minority.

Boi- 31963 dominant ethnic groups Sayawa, Boyawa

Lusa - 20723 Sayawa, Burmawa. 

The Emirate claim that  the source of the figures was obtained from 1990 Population census. 

In  Wai ward  Sayawa ethnic group was not captured as one of the dominant ethnic group in the 1990 census and in Lere/Tapshin Ward Sayawa Ethnic group was not captured as dominant ethnic group in Zaar Villages in Lere North, it was an error or intensional?  nobody knows,  no pressure group in Zaar land have bother  to do  a follow up and verify the authenticity of the figure at the National Population Commission headquarters and write a rejoinder to counter the position of the Bauchi Emirate.  From available evidence it was an intentional crafted plan to rig  Sayawa out of  Tafawa Balewa town as there ancestral headquarters, the reason why it was done like that can be found in same article of Professor Salisu Shehu Titled:  *"Will the Azdan Ever be Called Again in Tafawa Balewa Town?"*, I quote *" Was there a Sayawa man in Tafawa Balewa town (not Maryam Daji and not Dunga Sabo-neighbouring settlements) at the time of Nigerian Independence in 1960? Was Mr. Ishaya Baushe who is still alive not the first Sayawa man to buy a house from Mallam Yunusa (a Hausa man) in 1971? Is Ishaya Baushe the grand ancestor referred by the writers? Have not even Igbos and Yorubas preceded the Sayawas in settling in Tafawa Balewa town, e.g. Messrs. Francis, Jonathan, David Maigana, Maikalangu Bayarbe etc)?. Why has there never been a Sayawa man that held the position of “Sarki” of Tafawa Balewa? Isn’t the history of Tafawa Balewa not hinged to the sarauta of Sarkin Tafawa Balewa or the Village Head of Wai who superintends over him?. Is the fact of Fulani being the original founders of Tafawa Balewa not further confirmed and reinforced by the fact that all the villages surrounding Tafawa Balewa from all directions are Fulani villages namely, Unguwar Rogo, Durum, Gandu, Tenam and Kocciyel Bululi (to the East), Jakol, Yalwan Galadima, Jaja, Yamgan, Gumel, Shafali, Wuro Gara, Unguwan Baraya (now Arewa) and Taka (to the North) Karli, Lindi, Unguwar Ruga and Rafin Gimba (to the West) and Belma, Barangel, Pancipam and Nafada (to the South)? Are these by accident or default? Don’t all these predate all the Sayawa settlements surrounding Tafawa Balewa town including the earliest two (Dunga Sabo and Maryam Daji – migrants from Lusa and Maryam Giji in Bogoro) talkless of the later ones that only sprang up in the 1970s and 1980s like Pekman, Unguwan Arewa and Kutaru".

The outcome of 1990 population census was not in our favor and is currently effecting Zaar land,  there a need  for  radical legal approach to correct the lapses. In the  2011 Chiefdom law all the wards  which Sayawa were  dominant ethnic group in  1990 census were  included in Zaar Chiefdom, but other  ward  that  Sayawa were  not dominant ethnic group were excluded from Zaar Chiefdom. The boundary adjustment of Zaar land in the 2011 Zaar  Chiefdom law is a direct reflection of 1990 census not our ancient traditional boundary adjustment.

The truth of the matter remain Tafawa Balewa is the ancestral headquarter of Zaar Kingdom which is non negotiable and we  cannot leave an inch out of our land to imposters.

*Who is Professor Salisu Shehu*.

He claim to be indigene of Tafawa Balewa LGA, he is currently the Deputy Secretary of Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs 

(NSCIA), Professor Salisu Shehu and Shehu of Borno are representing the  north east  at  the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs 

(NSCIA). Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs 

(NSCIA) was established in 1973 to “cater for, preserve , protect, promote and advance the interest of Islam and Muslims throughout the country” and has been responsible for the unity of Nigerian Muslims as the official body, recognised by the Nigerian Federal and State Governments, coordinating the affairs of Islam in Nigeria.