Nomads who don’t know where northern Nigeria is

‘Whats the name of the city we hail from?’ Saleh Isa queried, turning his plump face to his brother “Is it Kano? I can’t remember.” We burst into laughter in a little section of the cattle market at Enugu where Sarkin Fulani Saidu Baso had received us earlier. Sarkin Fulani is the warm, fatherly leader […]

‘Whats the name of the city we hail from?’ Saleh Isa queried, turning his plump face to his brother “Is it Kano? I can’t remember.” We burst into laughter in a little section of the cattle market at Enugu where Sarkin Fulani Saidu Baso had received us earlier. Sarkin Fulani is the warm, fatherly leader of the Fulanis who were attracted to the coal city, and are present there in large numbers. They may be Fulani on the outside, but their souls and intuitions are Igbo. Huge trailers which convey cows from the north, and symbolise ancient trading links between northern  and southern Nigeria, are parked in a corner.
In another part of the market are many cows with huge horns and fairly massive bodies, and then there are the everpresent boys  who attend to the cows. The speaker also laughed, revealing teeth that had turned a shade of brown over the years. It was good that he could see the humour in the situation, making it easier for me to ask the next question. After a brief, hurried consultation, Saleh Isa remembered that he has roots in Katsina  where his parents hail from. Saleh laughed again.He had been born in Enugu,and many years of life on the outskirts of the coal city, where he quickly learned Igbo and the accompanying culture, had erased the  memory  of his roots. Then there is the fact that he has not had cause to travel up north,and the will to make the trip does not exist and has never arisen. Sarkin Fulani states  “There are many Fulani in Enugu who have never been to the north.They were born here and don’t know their roots.”

He argues “There are 50 year olds here too, who have never been home, because they don’t have any relations or ties of any kind there.” He explains that most of these Fulani, who are usually nomads, speak Fulfulde, Igbo and Hausa. But he adds that some of them cannot speak Hausa. Many speak pidgin English, in addition to Fulfulde and Igbo, he says. Daily Trust soon saw that it is normal to find that nomadic Fulani sometimes name their children as this is done in the host communities close to them. This group which travels  a lot, is generally bilingual and multicultural. But they adore Fulbe culture with all their hearts. Saleh confesses that Enugu represents home to him, and that sometime in the future he may travel to Katsina.
Shanga Mohammed, a  herder who also hails from Katsina, adds that he has never visited the city ,and that he has “20 brothers and sisters  in Enugu who are just like him, and have never visited the north.” Hassan Tobi, another herder, makes a point about the sun “I wouldn’t like to go to the north. This is because the sun is quite hot over there,and many of our people have spoken a lot about this.” He says there is peace in Enugu, and this is a major attraction for the nomadic Fulani “I like the peace of Enugu, and because of this we will remain here.”
But more revelations were to come later the next day when Daily Trust visited the Ruga or settlement of Sarkin Fulani at Akwuke, another part of Enugu. We  had to cross a dead river before arriving at the Ruga. All around is flat sand, and a  body of water raced across the old river surface. Nearby sits a collapsed bridge, which gave evidence of more prosperous times in the area. As we walked barefoot, we noticed a young lady standing at a distance on an elevation. It looked as though she had been waiting for us. Very soon she introduced herself as Mairo Saidu, daughter of Sarkin Fulani, who had asked her to meet us at that point. Like many others, she too had been born in Enugu and is a student at a popular school in the city. She says that she has never been to the north,but would like to go there “because there are many Muslims in the north.” But she likes the education she is receiving in Enugu. She  adds that she is fond of some of the Igbo performances, as well as Igbo foods. Hauwa Abubakar and Zainab Abubakar, who live in the Ruga, have stories similar to that  narrated by Mairo. They were both born in Enugu, just  like Mairo, and have never been to the north. But they imply that they are not keen on travelling there too. Abubakar Baso, brother to Sarkin Fulani, speaks about aspects of his life “I was brought here at the time of the Nigeria civil war, and I have never gone back to the north.”
On whether he ever thinks of returning home, he answers “If there is peace here, I wouldn’t need to return to the north. I prefer that my 10 children remain here, since there is peace in Enugu.” Idi Adamu was born in Kaduna,and arrived Enugu ‘long ago’. He has not gone back to the north, since he arrived the coal city  “Most of my children don’t know the north, and were born here.” Hauwa Idi and Zainab Idi, were both born in Enugu,and like the city, describing it as home.
They add “We have never been to the north, and don’t want to go there. We don’t have anybody in the north, and so we don’t feel like returning.”

A similar picture unfolds in Yala, near Ogoja in Cross River state.A naming ceremony among the nomads is taking place that morning, and countless men and women are present at the settlement. A happy mood grows as the interviews progress, and soon some  well cooked meals  and delicacies, are shared  among the guests. Haruna Buba “was brought to Yala at the age of 10.”
Now, he is 60 years old,but has never returned to the north. He argues “I don’t know the north.How can I go to a place I do not know.”
Though there have been some challenges in the area, which made it necessary for some nomads to relocate to a nearby barracks, he “grew up to know Ogoja,and does not know of any other place. So, we have to endure whatever happens in Ogoja and the neighbouring communities.” Ibrahim Adamu does not know the north, and has never travelled there. His words “I don’t know anywhere else. I only know Yala.” His  wife, born in 1975 in Yala has also not been to the north, says Ibrahim. He adds that his father was also born in the area. Hashimu Ibrahim was born in Bekwarra local government of the state. On whether he would ever go to the north, he says “I am not likely to go back to the north.” Fatima Usman, Hajara Dibe and Hafsatu Alhaji, were all born in the Yala area, and in answer to the question about visiting the north, ask “Whom do we know there, that will justify making the long trip?” On the other hand Buhari Audu is Fulani and very fluent in Igbo. He  belongs to the group  of Fulani that settled in the towns, rather than his pastoral friends, who reside in numerous settlements. He tells  Daily Trust that he has always had Igbo girlfriends. When asked if he will look north when the time comes for him to get married, he smiled, which seemed to imply that he would look southwards.

At Iseyin, Oyo State, a story  of Fulani integration emerges among the community there.Ramatu Yakubu was born in Iseyin, and like many others, does not know the north, and has not visited. She speaks Yoruba and Fulfulde, fluently. So does Salamatu Abubakar who was born there too, and has never been to the north. Lawal Abdulkadir’s story is similar to that of the duo above “I am not keen on going to the north. I have no relative there.So, its better for me to remain in Iseyin.”
Habiba Abdullahi says she was born in Iseyin, and that her parents were also born in the community. There are hundreds of Fulani in Oyo State who have been Yorubanised, owing to the fact of birth in the area. Nafissatu D. Mohammed, former Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), says of the nomads “The nomads assimilate very well. They very easily settle down in a community, and learn the language of a place. Most of them can speak at least two Nigerian languages.” Professor Rashid Aderinoye, Executive Secretary, NCNE adds “The Fulanis are very social and cultural people. Informed by their migration, they integrate easily into other cultures and adapt easily. For example, majority of the Fulani found in the South West have almost become Yoruba.”

But then a question must be asked: If Nigeria were to collapse as some seem to be advocating, where would they expect these countless nomads to turn to, a group which looks more to the south where they were born, rather than to the north where their blood  relatives are unknown or nonexistent? The message of the group is that home is where you are born, or  home may be where you live and are happy. By their quiet example, these simple folk  are sending a message of love and accommodation to Nigeria.
But the prize for the most  revealing statement during the visit to the three states, goes to Asmau Saidu, wife of Sarkin Fulani at Enugu, who, attired like a Queen, exclaims to the delight of all of us present at Sarkin Fulani’s expansive settlement, “My parents are from Zamfara. But I am from Enugu. I have never been to the north, and I don’t know where the north is. The mere thought of wishing to go to the north, the mere thought of it, does not occur to me. I am happy here in Enugu.”