How Hausa community survived 100 years in Rivers State

As the people of Rivers State prepare to  celebrate the state’s Golden jubilee for which Governor Nyesom Wike recently inaugurated a committee, the role of the Hausa community in the development of the state comes to mind.  The Hausas have co-habited with their hosts for over 100 years, contributing their own quota  to its socio-economic […]

As the people of Rivers State prepare to  celebrate the state’s Golden jubilee for which Governor Nyesom Wike recently inaugurated a committee, the role of the Hausa community in the development of the state comes to mind.  The Hausas have co-habited with their hosts for over 100 years, contributing their own quota  to its socio-economic development.

Late Alhaji Madaki was a Hausa leader who settled in Port Harcourt in the late 20s. The cattle trader came to Port Harcourt in 1922, seven years after Port Harcourt was discovered. Besides the cattle business, he also traded in other food items including yams and vegetables.  He was married and had all his children in Port Harcourt. His first son and the present Sarkin Hausawa of Port Harcourt is 71- year-old Alhaji Isa Madaki JP, who is also the chairman of the Arewa Council of Chiefs in the South-South and South-East.

Alhaji Madaki said the Hausa community should be part of the Rivers success story.

“The success story of Rivers State will not be complete without identifying the role of the northern community in its socio-economic development. Our forefathers migrated to Rivers State from Plateau and Benue in search of the golden fleece”.

“They were into mining while others were great hunters. Alhaji Dikko came to Eleyele in Rivers State about 200 years ago. He was a great hunter and his hunting expeditions were  behind the naming of the community ‘Hausa Eleyele’. Our people according to history migrated from Plateau and Benue in search of solid minerals and later moved to Port Harcourt’’, he said.

Madaki said northerners played a great role in the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as the Hausa residents of Port Harcourt constituted about 60 per cent of its workforce.

“The Hausa community has a strong administrative structure that identifies and unites the entire northern community in the entire old Eastern region. For instance, Alhaji Umoru is the head of the council of chiefs in Onitsha, Anambra State. He oversees the welfare of Hausa residents in the East,” he said.

But when the civil war broke out, most of them returned home.

“The Nigerian civil war affected us as we went back to the North in droves. But luck beamed again on us   in 1968 when Port Harcourt was captured by the Nigerian Army and a good number of us came back. When we came back, the military helped us a great deal because they protected us from attacks. We were also doing business with them as we supplied them food items, although it was a bit difficult supplying food because the Biafran Army barricaded all roads to the East,” he said.

Despite the effects of the war, Madaki maintained that the Hausa community had a very good relationship with the Igbos. He blamed politicians for creating an impression that the North and the East were enemies.

‘’I can tell you that the Hausa community has a very strong affiliation with our Igbo brothers. We had in the past shared things in common. Our strongest allies have been the Igbos. In the 1970s, some of the properties we acquired in Port Harcourt were procured through the assistance of our Igbo brothers. Our land deeds were prepared by them. So the trust and confidence have long existed. Politicians are dividing us and creating the impression that Hausas and Igbos are not the best of friends.

“Our relationship with the Igbos dates back over 100 years. We were very close to the Eronini family from Owerri and this relationship dates back to the 70’s and has continued, it was Eronini that prepared our land deeds,” he noted.

On their relationship with the people of Rivers, Alhaji Madaki said, “We have a very strong relationship with Rivers people. We love each other and we share many things in common. I was born at number 44, Victoria Street in Port Harcourt. My father built the mosque at number 41’’.

The leadership of the Hausa community in Port Harcourt is looking for a better way to improve relationship with both the government and people of Rivers State. To achieve this, Alhaji Madaki recently created a liaison office. The purpose of the new office headed by Alhaji Musa Saidu is to build synergy with all relevant authorities in the state for the purpose protecting and promoting the interests  of the northern community in the state and ensuring that they live in harmony with their neighbours.

Alhaji Saidu who is also the coordinator of the Arewa Co-existence Initiative has since assumed office.  Saidu said his task is very challenging given the myriad of problems confronting the northern community in the state.

“The task before me is very enormous. My people have found me worthy of such position and I promise to try my best to carry out this huge task. We have a lot of work to do. First of all, we have to address the erroneous impression that every Hausa person is violent. Before, our people here were called all sorts of names, such as Boko Haram and all that.”

‘“ny time there is a riot or a protest those at the receiving end are our people. Our brothers from IPOB always attack our people anytime they protest. During the recent protest in Port Harcourt so many of our people were attacked and their properties were destroyed. So this is one area we are going to work hard on to ensure that our people are safe and go about their lawful duties. A Hausa man is not a trouble-maker. He goes about his legitimate businesses. I don’t see why they should be prone to attacks at the slightest provocation’’, he said.

Saidu lamented that their only cemetery was seized by the Rotimi  Amaechi administration and was desecrated by officials of the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area.

“The Amaechi era was not very favourable to us.   He was instrumental to the taking over of our burial ground. They exhumed the bodies buried there and set them ablaze. Since the place was taken over by the city council, no alternative place has been given to us. We now have to travel miles to bury our dead,” he said.

 He added that the liaison office would take up the matter with the state government. On the IPOB members who are fond of attacking  Hausa residents, Saidu said: “I want to let them know that Hausas and Igbos are brothers and have had a strong affiliation from the past. We don’t want anything that would bring disunity among the two tribes”.

He urged Hausa residents in the state to avoid any act that would portray them in bad light and live peacefully with their neighbours.

The Secretary-General of the Hausa Community Traditional Welfare Association in Port Harcourt, Alhaji Sabo Jiddau, said the Hausas are very peaceful people who go about their legitimate businesses.

Madaki, the Sarkin Hausawa, is delighted that Hausa people have lived in Rivers State for more than 100 years without any trouble,  saying it is cause to celebrate.