Jama’are: Lone Bauchi emirate without tertiary institution

The travails of an emirate in Bauchi State without which does not have an institution of higher learning came to mind immediately the news broke that the Federal Government had approved the establishment of six new Federal Colleges of Education (FCE). The emirate is Jama’are. It is one of the emirates that was established by […]

The travails of an emirate in Bauchi State without which does not have an institution of higher learning came to mind immediately the news broke that the Federal Government had approved the establishment of six new Federal Colleges of Education (FCE). The emirate is Jama’are. It is one of the emirates that was established by a retinue of Fulbe Marai from Dilara in the Chad area.

This group of pious Fulani scholars/herders under their leader, Muhammadu Wabi, helped in the pacification of the areas West of Sokoto Caliphate. Their political acumen is clearly seen in their effort at establishing a political entity which came to be known as Jama’are Emirate after receiving a flag from Sokoto as a sign of authority in the 19th Century.

From there, Jama’are has been a hub of scholarship. It is the enduring legacy bequeathed to the people of Jama’are by the founder and leader of Fulbe Marai. The colonialists took that tendency in the people seriously and, hence, Jama’are Emirate produced many teachers that contributed towards the development of a new set of  scholars (yan boko) long before independence.

Successive governments followed the footsteps of the colonialists by establishing different types of schools at different times. As destiny will have it, despite all the landmarks made by the 19th Century emirates in scholarship: Islamic and Western, Jama’are does not have an institution of higher learning of any kind.

This may not be unconnected with the “pulako” identity which constrains Fulbe folks of Marai to behave and act unassumingly when it comes to the politics of education.

God’s time, as they say, is the best. With the recent development, Jama’are’s long patience should be taken into consideration so that when the new schools are distributed, it will no longer be the only emirate in Bauchi State without a higher institution.

In view of this, I call on the Federal Government to note the suitability of this emirate by citing one of the new FCEs in Jama’are town.

 

Ibrahim Sulaiman, Jama’are  [email protected]