Gidan Palmer, Maimaina Askira and related matters (II)
The refurbished Gidan Palmer, which was inaugurated in the Kano Government House, was the first office of the Resident built in 1914 and occupied by Herbert Palmer. The British had invaded and occupied Kano in 1903. Before the invasion, the British forces then stationed in Lokoja had sent Maimaina, a local, on a major espionage […]
The refurbished Gidan Palmer, which was inaugurated in the Kano Government House, was the first office of the Resident built in 1914 and occupied by Herbert Palmer. The British had invaded and occupied Kano in 1903. Before the invasion, the British forces then stationed in Lokoja had sent Maimaina, a local, on a major espionage mission to Kano in 1902. But who is Maimaina, and how did he get to Lokoja? It is a riveting story published in a book titled Labarin Maimaina na Jega Sarkin Askira (The Story of Maimaina of Jega, Chief of Askira).
The writer was AHM Kirk Greene, a colonial officer who primarily served in Borno and Adamawa, and later became a highly respected scholar in the history, culture, and languages of the region. He was proficient in Hausa, Kanuri, and Fulfulde, and wrote numerous teaching texts on these languages. He died in 2018 at the age of 93 in Oxford, UK. In the mid-1950s, when the book was published by the North Regional Literature Agency (NORLA), Zaria, Kirk Greene was serving as a Divisional Officer in Borno Province, and Maimaina was Chief of Askira.
Maimaina’s connection with Europeans began with his grandfather, Abiga, a Marghi, who worked for Heinrich Barth, a German explorer who travelled through this region of Africa in the mid-1800s. Abiga travelled with Barth to Kano, Timbuktu and to various parts of Europe. Barth educated Abiga, baptised him and sent him back to Africa to spread the gospel. When Abiga returned in 1857, he reverted to his earlier religion, got married and settled in Lokoja, then a bustling commercial centre. He became a trader and, due to his exposure and education, became an interpreter to the European traders thronging Lokoja.
Eventually, when the British declared the Northern Protectorate in January 1900, Abiga was made the Chief of Lokoja. Earlier, Abiga’s daughter had married Yarima Abdu, a prince of Jega and went off to live there. Maimaina was born in Jega in 1874. Unfortunately, his father died early, and his mother brought him back to
Lokoja to live with his grandfather, Abiga. He was raised in his grandfather’s homestead and learnt to communicate in English. In due course, he also became an interpreter, which set him on the course of working with the British colonialists.
Lord Lugard, appointed High Commissioner of Northern Nigeria in 1900, was preparing to invade the Sokoto Caliphate, starting with Zaria and Kano. Zaria had conceded without a fight, but Emir Aliyu Babba of Kano was proving intransigent. Lugard had information that Aliyu Babba had a stock of modern armaments, but was not sure if the Kano soldiers had the capacity to use them.
To confirm this, Lugard had Abiga dispatch Maimaina to Kano to verify this vital information. In the book, Maimaina related details of his journey to Kano and how he penetrated the inner sanctum of the royalty to confirm that, although the emir had purchased modern armaments, he lacked competent persons to instruct his troops on their use. This information gave Lugard the confidence to command his forces stationed in Zaria to proceed to Kano in January 1903. Having successfully acquitted himself in the Kano assignment, Maimaina was asked to proceed to Borno to meet and assist the colonial officers spearheading the conquest of the entire area east of Kano.
It was a period when the scramble for territory was intensifying between the British, French, and Germans, particularly in the Borno and Adamawa areas. Maimaina travelled with the colonial army all the way and was able to exert significant backroom influence in the pacification of the regions. At Burmi, where the fugitive Sultan Attahiru had his last stand with the British colonial army, Maimaina witnessed the ferocious fight that wiped out the Sultan’s army. He was also there when the Sultan’s body was identified and was given a dignified burial.
In Borno, he was with the colonial army in 1903 when they attempted to win over Shehu Abubakar Garbai from the Germans. Maimaina was in the thick of the negotiations as interpreter, with the Shehu at Dikwa and Monguno. When the Shehu eventually acceded to British suzerainty, he was moved from Dikwa back to Kukawa, which then regained its capital status. In 1904, Lord Lugard came to Kukawa from his Lokoja capital to hand over to the Shehu the paraphernalia of office, including the staff of office, a sword and an umbrella. When the decision was taken to make Maiduguri the capital in 1907, the Shehu moved from Kukawa to settle there.
Maimaina continued working with the British colonialists as they consolidated their power over Borno. He moved in with the Borno Resident as his chief interpreter, effectively serving as the conduit between the colonial administration and the Shehu, as well as the general populace. He became a powerful figure and was nicknamed in Kanuri as Mai Maina, meaning ‘king-prince,’ and Maina Turjiman, meaning ‘prince of interpreters.’
When Maimaina retired from service in 1913, he was compensated with the 4th Class chieftaincy in the Marghi area. Finally, Maimana chose a virgin area to settle in. He named the place Askira, meaning thankfulness in Arabic. He died in 1964, after his 90th birthday. The son of his grandson, Mai Abdullahi Ibn Muhammadu Askirama, is now the 1st Class Emir of Askira.