Abstract: Since the early ages of modern socialization amongst the Hausas, i.e. learning to read and write, poetry had been a good instrument used in educating, enlightening, orienting and passing across important messages among a host of related others. Most of the early Hausa poets were knowledgeable, who had a sound experience of the national affairs. They were also critical thinkers, so skeptical about the present and zealous of foreshadowing the future. They sometimes warned humanity on the dangers they forecasted, urging peoples to change attitudes for better. Against this background, this paper traces a number of prophecies made by some Hausa poets, which have turned realistic. The poet forecasts some disastrous outcomes to loom Northern Nigeria, shall the Northerners dare not to cease certain attitudes and some bad practices. This paper traces the instances of such prophesies made by poets, which are obviously realistic today. The study is limited to three selected poems viz: AJM, TSW, and MAHRƘW. However, the study found that a number of prophecies made by the selected Hausa poets in forms of warning and or alarms have been realized. Finally, the paper tabled some suggestions among which one is, that reading and listening to poems should aim beyond the mere passion of its tranquil nature. Their teachings should rather be carefully studies and fittingly utilized.
Keywords: Northern Nigeria, Hausa, Poets, Poems, Prophesy
And
Abu-Ubaida SANI2
1.0
Introduction
Poetry is an effective instrument for national
development and the promotion of self and national consciousness. The tranquil
nature of literature attracts greatly the attention of individuals. Messages
passed through poems barely are in vain, for people read or listen to them even
just for pleasure. Poems, among other literary works, in many cultural groups
are held with great esteem. People from such populations gain self-esteem by
seeing themselves represented in books, poems, and folktales among other
literary works. Thus, people begin to appreciate others from culturally diverse
backgrounds (Roe, & Ross, 2010).
Usman,
(2009) considers poetry as the peak of human philosophical expressions, which
have a greater influence on the human mind. In contrast, the Northerners seemed
to have being given deaf ears to the alarms of premonitions being raised by
Hausa poets among others. The paper selected three poems as references in this
regard. They are:
Waƙar
Arewa Jamhuriya ko Mulukiya (AJM) of Sa’adu Zungur
Waƙar
Tutocin Shehu da Waninsu (TSW) of Mu’azu HaÉ—eja
Waƙar
Muhimmancin Al’adunmu: HaÉ—arin Rungumar na Ƙasashen Waje (MAHRƘW) by AlÆ™ali
Haliru Wurno
The
paper is interested in finding answer to the following questions:
i.
What are those prophesies being made by
the Hausa poets on the future of Northern Nigeria?
ii.
Are such prophesies ever realized?
2.0
Brief About the Poets
The paper selected three
poets, from whose poems relevance instances are cited. This session of the
paper accounts for a brief discussion on the poets; viz; Malam Sa’adu Zungur,
Malam Mu’azu Hadeja and AlÆ™ali Haliru Wurno:
2.1
Malam Sa’adu Zungur
Malam
Sa’adu Zungur who was a very prominent public figure was an indigene of Bauchi
State, Nigeria. He came from a renown knowledgeable family. He attended Katsina
College and was the first Northerner college graduate to be sent to higher
college-based at Yaba, Ikko. In fact, he was a key figure in the politics of
Northern Nigeria. Since around 1940, he organized and delivered a lecture at
Zaria on the relevance of political parties, which led to the emergence of one
of the first Nigerian political parties notably Zaria’s Friendly Society. Moreover, he was one of the founders of the northern Nigerian academic staff political party. He first traveled to England
on political issues since around 1947 when politics was a new phenomenon in
Nigeria. However, Malam Sa’adu Zungur had written several poems, which are
mostly political.
2.2 Malam Mu’azu Hadeja
Malam
Mu’azu Hadeja was born in 1918 at Kilabakori, Hadejia of Jigawa State,
Nigeria. He obtained adequate parental rearing with a good Islamic orientation.
He was taken to a traditional Qur’anic school in his early years. Mu’azu was
young when formal education was introduced to northern Nigeria around 1910. As
such, he attended an Elementary school called Dalla at Hadejia between 1935-1937. He
did not abandon the pursuit of Islamic education while in the formal school
system. Rather, he conjointly pursued the two pieces of knowledge.
However,
Mu’azu was appointed a teacher at Wudil Elementary School in 1938 where he
had been teaching until 1940. From 1944 to 1947, he became a Teacher in Charge (IC). He also taught
at Katutu Elementary School, Ringim from 1944 to 1947. Mu’azu was transferred
to Kano as a visiting teacher by 1947. He worked on this position up to
1958 when he died. During his time, he had written voluminous poems, which are
mostly educative.
2.3 Alƙali Halur Wurno
Alƙali
Haruna Wurno was born in 1925 in a village called Kwargaba, Sokoto State.
He attended Qur’anic school, Makarantar
Malam Maccido, in Sokoto at his younger age. He later attended a law school
at Sokoto between 1943 and 1947. Later, he moved to sharia school at Kano where
he graduated in 1951. He studied voluminous pieces of literature especially in the
field of sharia law.
Wurno
taught in Elementary School Maru for one and half a year. Subsequently, he picked
an appointment with the ministry of sharia and justice in Sokoto, that was around
1952 to 1965. In 1965, he decided to rejoin the educational sector, in
which he picked a job with a school named Nizamiyya
in Sokoto. It was during this period of service that he wrote one of his famous
poems, Fanda ko Danja, explaining the
terrible accidence he had together with his brother, Muhammad Lema.
After
sometimes, Wurno was appointed a judge at Sokoto. He worked in the sharia
sector until 1981 when he willingly retired. Finally, he died in the year 2003.
During his lifetime, he had written voluminous poem, as he picked poetry since
in his 5 years.
3.0 Traces of Prophetic Alarms from
the Selected Poems
The
three poets, among other Hausa poets, however, had bitterly raised several
alarms of concern regarding the attitudes of the Northerners. They expressed a
strong premonition, which is obviously subject to certain attitudinal
practices of the Northerners. This includes a thirst for migration, negligence to
religion, dishonesty, corruption in politics and leadership as well as other
immoral acts, which include prostitution, and greediness among others. These could be discussed
under the following subheading:
3.1 Dis/Honesty in Politics and
Leaderships
In
Arewa Jumhuriya ko Mulukiya, Sa’adu
Zungur points out that, dishonesty and corruption in leadership brings about
disintegration and turns societies ungovernable. He says:
29. Shehu
Abdullahi hakikatan,
Ya bar mana gadon gaskiya.
Shehu Abdullahi
(has) undoubtedly,
Bequeathed to us the legacy of
truth.
30. Ilimi, hikima
addini duka,
Da dabarar sarrafa duniya.
Knowledge, wisdom
and religion – all,
And the skills to manipulate the
world.
31. Muka lalata,
muka wargaza,
Ga shi yau sai a nai mana dariya.
We despoil and
scattered (them),
Today we have become a laughing stock.
32. Babu tsuntsu
ba tarko duka,
Wallah mun yi hasarar duniya.
No birds and no
snare – all lost,
By God, we have lost the world!
52. Kar ka bar
arna su shige musu,
Don su watsa dafin Jumhuriya.
Never allow
infidels to penetrate them,
And spread the Republican poison.
54. In ji dai kun
hangi mutan Gusun,
Masu mai da ƙasa Jumhuriya.
I hope you have
espied the southerners,
Who transform a country into a
Republic.
(WaÆ™ar AJM ta Sa’adu Zungur in Yakubu, 1999:
336-364)
In
other stanzas of the poem, he calls upon traditional leaders to promote justice
and that they should be alerted on the missions of some individuals Southerners
who are ready for the disintegration of the country at all cost. He also
emphasizes that leaders shall be considerate of the interest of their
subjects. He says:
97. Hakkin jama’a
na kansu duk,
Su riƙe igiyarsa da gaskiya.
Responsibility of
the people is on them, all,
They should hold fast the rope with
unity.
98. In kunka sake
jama’ar Kudu,
Suka hau mukin Nijeriya.
If you allow the
Southerners,
To come to power in Nigeria-
99. DaÉ—a ba sauran
mai tambaya,
Kowa ya san zai sha wuya.
Surely nobody will
ask any more question,
Everybody knows that he is going to
suffer!
100. An sha bamban
bisa kan nufi,
Na shirin mulkin Nijeriya.
Our intentions are
different,
For the administration of Nigeria.
107. Fatarmu Arewa
ta farga duk,
Don ta gane lamarin duniya.
Our hope is that
the North awakes instantly,
And understand worldly affairs.
108. Farfaganda
makirci duka,
Sai a bar ta, a binciki gaskiya.
All deceitful
propaganda,
Should be ignored and the truth
sought after.
(WaÆ™ar AJM ta Sa’adu Zungur in Yakubu, 1999:
336-364)
It is obvious that these prophecies are realized. History shall never forget the
deadly activities of Boko Haram sect in Northern Nigeria. Though their
activities started since around 2007 when a Northerner was the Head of State,
it did not metamorphose until around 2011 when a Southerner was handling the
mantle of power. Hamza, (2012) associated government movements during the
Boko Haram crises as a conscious attempt for the destabilization of the North.
Hence, the crises continued, leading to loss of lives and properties, until
around 2015 when a Northerner became the Head of State.
Similarly,
Mu’azu calls upon leaders thus, they shall maintain judicious treatment of
their subjects, as they mean everything to them (to their subjects). He points
out that, without good leadership, there would never be good followership.
This is because leadership determines the attitudes of followers towards it.
He says:
37. Ku kunnuwanmu ne ku san, Ku ne idanunmu ku san,
Ku ne
ƙafafunmu ku san, Ku
bakunanmu ne ku san,
Wuyanku
munka rataya.
You are our hearing, beware, You are our seeing, beware,
You are our movements, beware, You are our voices, beware,
We
rely on you.
38. Inda baki ya karkata, Ta nan miyau shi kan fita,
In ka ga
kyalla ta Æ‚ata, Mai bin ta ne
ya sake ta,
Ƙafarta
babu igiya.
When leadership is faulty, Society turns ungovernable,
If things fall apart, Leaders
were careless,
They allowed a lawless society.
(Waƙar
TSW ta Muazu Hadeja)
3.2 Cultural Controversies
Alƙali
Haruna Wurno opines that differences in cultural practices is the backbone of
pandemonium, which brings about an unease atmosphere between the Northern and the Southern
parts of the country. He holds that the best precaution against being
oppressed is for the Northerners to remain in the North where they could freely
practice their good cultures. This is to prevent chaos and to safeguard individuals’
lives and properties. Recently, on the 9th January 2018, an online
Nigerian newspaper (Naija News) reported Nigerian police confirming the killing of an NYSC member at Akwa Ibom State (Abiola, 2018). Earlier on the 15th in December 2017, the Sun News reported how a confession of a murderer on raping
and killing NYSC member at Ogun State (Raheem, 2017). In this regard, Alƙali
Haruna Wurno says:
7. Gidan wasu ba gidanku ba ne ka gane,
Uwar
wasu ba uwarka ba ce ka bar ta.
Beware that strangers’ home is never yours,
One
man’s food is another man’s poison, let it go.
8. Garin wasu ba garinku ba ne ka lura,
Zaman
Gumi bai kama da zaman su Delta.
A strange town is never like yours, beware,
Life at Gumi differs from life at the likes of Delta.
(Waƙar
MAHRƘW ta Alƙali Haruna Wurno)
Using
similar stanzas, Sa’adu Zungur warns the Northerners to stay within the North
and strive for its development and that they should never follow propaganda of
some unscrupulous individuals who wish for the disintegration of the nation. He
says:
125. Kar ku ruÉ—u
da zancen ja’irai,
Masu son halakar Nijeria.
Never be deceived
by the words of daredevils,
Who wants the destruction of Nigeria.
130. ‘Yan Arewa ku
daina gaganiya,
Ku riƙe daularku da gaskiya.
O, Northerners,
stop wrangling,
And hold your domain with sincerity.
135. In kun dage,
kun shantake,
Bisa al’adu na mazan jiya.
If you are
heedless and procrastinate,
In adhering to the olden customs.
136. Za ku rera faÉ—ar
da-na-sani,
Da na bi jawabin gaskiya.
You will chant
“Had I known –
I would have accepted the true
advice.”
(WaÆ™ar AJM ta Sa’adu Zungur in Yakubu, 1999:
336-364)
On
a similar note, Mu’azu HaÉ—eja was baffled by the situation in which some Northerners
are deceived and influence politically to wholeheartedly accept the political
and socio-cultural mutuality with the Southerners, the ground on which they
(the Northerners are oppressed). He says:
45. Ka ji abin mamaki, Ungulu
zai kasha maiki,
Dawa za
ta ci doki, Kare yi
sannu da zaki,
Don
juyi na duniya.
What a surprise! Vulture
will kill an eagle,
Graces feed on hours, A
dog associates with a lion,
(All)
as a result of the changing world.
52. Abin ga ko da gaskiya? Kura ta iske tunkiya,
Ta ce su
je su tsariya, Akwai tuwo
akwai miya,
Su
yi shagali na duniya.
Isn’t it a deception? (For)
a hyena to invite a goat,
That they go to
a picnic, Where all sort
of foods are available,
So
that they enjoy together.
3.3 Religious Zealousness
Northern Nigeria is predominantly occupied by
the Hausas (Musa, 2013) However, the majority of the Hausas practice the Islamic religion.
Only a small percentage of Hausa people known as Maguzawa (pagans), practice religions other than Islam (ALS, 2015).
Moreover, a larger population of most of the other tribes residing in Northern
Nigeria are Muslims. As such, therefore, Islam could be regarded as the religion
of Northern Nigeria. Sani & Tsaure, (2016) consider religion as a manual of
life. Thus, God knows best, and that only by acting in accordance to religious
teachings, there would never be peace. Sa’adu Zungur has pointed a similar
situation, warning the Northerners that, shall they abandon Islamic teachings,
misery would loom the land. He says:
38. In fa addini ya raunana,
Babu alheri nan
duniya.
(For) if religion is neglected,
There is nothing
good in this world.
48. Sai arnanci ya yi sallama,
DaÉ—a har abada ba dawaya.
Infidelity then vanished,
Never
again to return.
(WaÆ™ar AJM ta Sa’adu Zungur in Yakubu, 1999:
336-364)
3.4 Antisocial
Practices and or Attitudes
Immoral acts such as prostitution, hooliganism
as well as alcoholism and drug addiction are considered highly antisocial and
against the cultural norms of Northern Nigeria. Sa’adu Zungur strongly points at some of these
practices warning against them. He emphasizes that shall the Northerners dare
not to listen, the result must surely be calamitous. He says:
141. Matuƙar
a Arewa da karuwa,
Wallah za mu yi
kunyar duniya.
As long as there are prostitutes,
By God, we shall
suffer worldly shame.
142. Matuƙar
‘yan iska na gari,
ÆŠan Daudu da shi da Magajiya.
As long as there are hooligans in town,
Pimp and the
influential brothel lady -
143. Da samari masu ruwan kuÉ—i,
Ga maroƙa can a gidan
giya.
And young men who
shower money,
To praise singers in beer houses -
144. Babu shakka ‘yan Kudu za su hau,
Dokin mulkin
Nijeriya.
Surely the Southerners will mount,
The horse of
Nigerian leadership.
145. Su yi ta kau sukuwa bisa kanmu ko,
Mun roƙi zumuntar
duniya.
And they will be
galloping without remorse over us,
Even if we beg for mercy.
(WaÆ™ar AJM ta Sa’adu Zungur in Yakubu, 1999:
336-364)
Mu’azu HaÉ—eja says in some similar stanzas of his poem:
50. Ga shi muna son mulki, Tsaninmu
babu mataki,
Zancen awa na mafarki, Auren da babu sadaki,
Yana cikin haramiya.
We have thirst for
power, Yet, we lack the
requirements,
It is more of a false
dream, Like a marriage
without dowry,
That is an abomination.
51. Ƙasarmu ba masu sani, Idommu
ma ba su gani,
Mu bar shiga zugar wani, Da hankali da tunani,
Kadda mu koma baya.
Our land lacks
knowledgeable people, We are even
blind,
Let's not be influenced
by propagandas, let's be rational and
thoughtful,
So that we do not retrogress.
65. Ana zato za a iya, Wataƙila za a sha wuya,
Don ƙarya
da gaskiya, Ba su zama wuri
É—aya,
Kan ƙauli na gaskiya.
It is assumed ordinarily simply, It may be total torture,
Because honesty and falsehood, Are never practiced at a time,
In the name of justice.
(WaÆ™ar TSW ta Mu’azu HaÉ—eja).
3.5 Pessimism
Versus Optimism
Sa’adu Zungur was moved by the Attitudes of the
Northerner to the extent of being pessimistic, forecasting regret as the
outcome if deaf ears are given to his words. He says:
113. Mu dai hakkinmu gaya muku,
Ko ku karƂa ko ku yi dariya.
Our responsibility is to inform you,
You either adhere
or laugh it off.
114. Dariyarku ta zam kuka gaba,
Da nadamar mai ƙin gaskiya.
Your laughter turns to sorrow in the future,
And
regrets, the kind done by one who rejects the truth.
Nevertheless, both Sa’adu Zungur and Mu’azu
Hadeja prayed for a better and positive transformation of the North. Ainu, (2007)
explains prayer as a special form of request laid to God using certain
distinctive statements. Sa’adu Zungur says:
16. Addu’armu ga Allah Rahimi,
Ya kiyaye Arewa
gaba É—aya.
Our prayers to God the Merciful (is that)
He protects the
whole North.
17. Muminai da Masihai jumlatan,
Kuma arna dodannin
gida.
Muslims and Christians all,
And the infidels,
the goblins.
107. Fatarmu Arewa
ta farga duk,
Don ta gane lamarin duniya.
Our hope is that
the North awakes instantly,
And understands worldly affairs.
(WaÆ™ar AJM ta Sa’adu Zungur in Yakubu, 1999:
336-364)
On the other hand, Mu’azu HaÉ—eja makes a similar prayer but on the condition
that if only the leaders are judicious. He says:
39. Allah muna a gare ka, Mun
ko fage a gare ka,
Muna biÉ—ar ka taimaka, Sarakuna
su É—aukaka,
In
sun tsaya wa gaskiya
Oh God! We are submissive to you, And
we defended on you,
We pray for your help, (That)
our leaders excel,
If
they hold onto justice.
(WaÆ™ar TSW ta Mu’azu HaÉ—eja)
4.0 Findings of the Study
From the instances in the three poems as given
above, the study understood that:
i. Hausa poets have been prophesizing on
issues, of which some are:
a. Dishonesty and corruption by Northern political
leaders will insure but the downfall of the land.
b. The Northerners would face oppression when on
the Southern land.
c. The North should await more dangers shall
religious teachings be neglected.
d. With the presence of some antisocial practices
and or attitudes, there shall never be peace in the North.
ii. The current situation of the Northern
Nigeria is just as being predicted by some Hausa poets. The present insecurity,
high level of corruption, economic setback and increase in social vices in The northern part of the country has been prophesized by such poets in their
various educative and enlightening poems.
5.0 Conclusion
If
effectively utilized, it would be interesting how significantly Hausa poetry
could help in promoting national integration, sound morally oriented community
and reduces all sorts of social vises to a very minimum level. As a media, it
stands an opportunity to be used in passing moral, cultural, political to mention
but some, messages with regard to integration (as well as other phenomena
associated with politics, economics, and religion among others). It could be
seen from the stanzas quoted above, factors hindering mutual coexistence and
lawful society. Therefore, is a challenge for the government and educators to
maximize this opportunity. Perhaps, Hausa poems of this type should be
appropriately incorporated in the school syllables so that their messages are best
unsterilized.
Against
this background, the following are hereby suggested:
1- Teachers and other educational personals should
bear in mind that poems help forge a mass of people into a unified society.
However, they provide awareness on traditional attitudes and values of
different cultural groups. That helps in knowing the culture and traditional
practices of one another, thereby promoting mutual respect.
2- Teachers should guide students to generate
principles and their applications from the various poems to real-life
situations.
3- Teachers should be guiding students to be able
to have integration of the theoretical studies (poems) with practical examples
(real-life situations).
4- While dealing with poetry (Hausa poetry in
particular), rote learning should be discouraged. Without understanding the
contest, there cannot be a transfer of learning (from the poem to real-life
situation). Nonetheless, reading and listening to poems should be aimed beyond the mere passion of its tranquil nature. Their teachings should rather be carefully
studies and fittingly utilized.
author/Idris, Y. & Sani, A-U.
journal/The International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention
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