✍🏾 Madalla Kadiri, Zaar Activist.
Usman Fodiye was born on December 1754 in Maratta in the olden days Gobir Dynasty to the family of Muhammad Fodiye, His Father was a scholar from the Toronkawa clan, which had emigrated from Futa-Toro in Senegal about the 15th century and settled in Maratta. Currently Maratta is under Niger republic not Nigeria as it is written in all Nigerian history books. According to Kadiri (2024) "Generally, people were identify, recognize and distinguish through there Clans tribal mark not colonial geographical demarcation of boundaries. The issue of identifying, recognizing and distinguishing people through Colonial geographical demarcation of boundaries started during the colonial era, where land of Africa was partition and shared by Colonial masters among themselves during the Berlin conference from 1884-1885". Maratta prior to colonial era, the area use to be an extension of Gobir dynasty and the reason was because one of the clan of Gobir dynasty were living there and pay homage to Emir of Gobir, but due to boundary demarcation and adjustment during the colonial era the area was put under Niger republic not Nigeria.
I challenge you Prof. Salisu Shehu to come out with facts and dispute my assertion that Maratta the village where Danfodio was born is not currently under Niger republic.
According to Scholars like Ado Mahamman a Professor of History at the Abdulmuni Diof University Niamey, Niger he said that When young Usman reach the age to enrolled in Quranic School His father send him to Dagel south of Maratta in the olden days Gobir Dynasty and that time there was no country like Nigeria, but other Scholars argue that While he was still young, Usman moved south with his family to Degel, where he studied the Qurʾān with his father.
Degel is currently under Nigeria located in Sokoto State.
He didn't study Quran from one scholar, he moved from one teacher to other studying Quran in the traditional way. He was taught also by Hausa Islamic scholars. One of his powerful intellectual and religious influence was his teacher in the southern Saharan city of Agadez, Jibrīl ibn ʿUmar, a radical figure whom Usman both respected and criticized and by whom he was admitted to the Qādirī and other Ṣūfī orders.
About 1774–75 Usman began his active life as a teacher, and for the next 12 years he combined study with peripatetic teaching and preaching in Kebbi and Gobir, followed by a further five years in Zamfara.
Throughout the 1780s and ’90s Usman’s reputation increased, as did the size and importance of the community that looked to him for religious and political leadership. Particularly closely associated with him were his younger brother, Abdullahi, who was one of his first pupils, and his son, Muhammad Bello, both distinguished teachers and writers. But his own scholarly clan was slow to come over to him. Significant support appears to have come from the Hausa peasantry. Their economic and social grievances and experience of oppression under the existing dynasties.
In 1790s, when Usman seems to have lived continuously at Degel and gain more followers he create a parallel government within Gobir Dynasty with Headquarter in Dagel, and authoritatively permitted his followers to be Armed acquiring the characteristics of a state within the state.
About 1797–98 Sultan Nafata, the Sultan of Gobir Dynasty reversed the liberal policy he had adopted toward him 10 years earlier and issued his historic proclamation forbidding Usman Danfodiye from preaching in the whole of Gobir Dynasty.
In his quest to rule by force Usman Fodiye launched a war to capture power and land in Hausaland of northern Nigeria in 1804. The war that was launched by Usman Fodiye was not a religious war (jihad) as it is erroneously written in Nigerian history books.
According to Ado Mahamman a Professor of history at the Abdulmumini Diof University Niamey, Niger in his interview with Garzali Abdu Tasawa a veteran DW Hausa correspondent in Niamey Niger some years back titled:"The history of Katsina Maradi of Niger and Katsina of Nigeria", the Historian Argued that the war launched by Usman Fodiye in 1804 to capture power and land in Hausaland was not a religious war (jihad) as it is erroneously written in Nigerian history books, because Islamically Jihad is only lunch on non Moslem, not those who have accept Islam, even the non Moslem if there is peace agreement (pact) in accordance with what Sharia dictate religious war (jihad) will not be declared on them.The Hausa environment where Usman Fodiye launched to capture power and land under the pretext of religious war (jihad) was deeply religious in Islam. Islam was more than 400 year in Hausa before Usman Fodiye launched war in Hausaland to capture power and land. All the Emirs in Hausaland were Moslems, Gobarau Minerat and Kano Mosque in front of Kano Emir Palace and other Islamic architecture and monument in Hausaland was already built before Usman Fodiye father emigrated from Senegal, the third largest Islamic University in Africa located in Yantodo present day Katsina with world class Islamic scholars after Al'aqsar Islamic University Egypt and Islamic University Timbuktu was already built, it was destroyed and all the Scholars got killed
by Usman Fodiye and his Son Muhammad Bello for opposing the Jihad of Usman Fodiye that it was not in accordance with Islamic religion teaching he concluded. The Hausa Emirs were defeated and Fulani appointed as Emirs.
in 1812 an empire was established called the Sokoto Caliphate, composed of emirates and sub Emirates, many of which were built on the sites of previous Hausa states.
The extension of the caliphate to Bauchi followed the presentation of the staff of office to Mallam Yakubu by Danfodio. Yakubu's expedition southwards Bauchi resulted in the conquest of the state of Lere in C.1815. Other areas conquered included, Bijinawa, Barawa, Jakawa and Bankalawa, all sub-groups of Jarawa. Eastwards, the attack on the Sayawa settlements met with stiff opposition owing mainly to the nature of the terrain and the segmentary pattern of the Sayawa settlement (Aliyu, 1974). Ikimi (1970) reports that the Sayawa sealed a friendship treaty with Yakubu at Inkil town with the breaking of bows and arrows.
According to Moses E. Ochonu in his book "Colonialism by proxy: Hausa Imperial agents and middle belt consciousness in Nigeria" Muhammad Nya lead similar war to capture power and land in Benue/Taraba areas but him and his followers face resistance in 1875 - 1895 like how Yakubun Bauchi face a successful resistance in Zaar land present day Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro LGA in Southern Bauchi State.
It took the British till the 1930s to conquer the whole of Middle Belt and merge it with the North.
Sayawa land was successfully merge with the Emirate by the British in 1916 not conquered by Sokoto Caliphate as it is erroneously written in Nigerian history books as a result of promulgation of Native Authority Ordinance by the British and Tafawa Balewa native authority was created, before then the Sayawa sealed friendship treaty with Yakubu at Inkil town with the breaking of bows and arrows have already been broken, there was no peace treaty between them again as a result of constant random raid of some selected Sayawa settlement to collect tax and Slaves by Bauchi Emirate . In the same 1916 district head was appointed from Bauchi Emirate on the instructions of British government to live in Tafawa Balewa and oversee Tafawa Balewa native authority.
Ownership of Tafawa Balewa Town.
The Sayawa have many "incontrovertible archaeological evidence" to prove that they have live in Tafawa Balewa Town since the era of stone age one of them are the popular ancient grinding stone (Vun tonga) which is located physically in the heart of Tafawa Balewa Town in three places. "Vhun tongha” is a traditional grinding technique employed by Zaar women at every unit, such a manual corn mill is usually provided on a wide and solid rock big enough to accommodate several grinders shoulder to shoulder at the same time and the grinding slots were usually hammered and carved deep enough to accommodate one grinding stone at a time.
The Stone Age refers to the prehistoric period when humans made tools and weapons with stone and organic materials such as bone, horn, and wood. These humans were called Homo Habilis which means tool makers. The first human tool was the hand axe, but they gradually made progress and started using fire and making better tools. Tool development continued as they created different variations of stone tools, such as pebble tools, blade tools, and flake tools. They made numerous discoveries, including pottery, art, agriculture, and shelters.
Fossil evidence proves that during this age, humans shared the earth with other species that are now extinct. Some of these species are called the Denisovans and Neanderthals. Therefore, the significance of this period is that it marks a stage of advancement and creativity that led us to further growth and upgrading. It shows the path of humans civilization towards developing, understanding, and building knowledge.
The Stone Age began at about 30,000 BCE and continued until 3,000 BCE. However, some scholars claim that the period began some 2.6 million years ago, based on the earliest evidence of humans using stone tools.
During the colonial era, due to ignorant of the British colonial masters about the history of cultural identity and diversity of the Minority tribes of the Middle belt, the British regroup the tribes of the Middle belt and merge them under the Emirate for proper tax administration without taking into cognizance the effect it may cause to the cultural heritage of the people. The regrouping and merging of the Middle belt tribes under the Emirate change the entire traditional institutions political system of the middle belt.
The truth of the matter remain Tafawa Balewa is the ancestral headquarter of Sayawa Kingdom which is non negotiable and we cannot leave an inch out of our land to imposters.
Usman Danfodio is not a Nigerian. His Caliphate Does not Extend to Sayawa Ancestral headquarter Tafawa Balewa. I throw open challenge to you.
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