Visiting Tudun Fulani, Abuja’s ‘jewel in the desert’
That the Fulani are industrious is an understatement. As early as 7am when we managed to navigate the harsh terrain surrounding Tudun-Fulani, a boisterous Fulani settlement in the center of the capital city, we could only see a few of the denizens of the enclave. A great number of them had gone out from the […]
That the Fulani are industrious is an understatement. As early as 7am when we managed to navigate the harsh terrain surrounding Tudun-Fulani, a boisterous Fulani settlement in the center of the capital city, we could only see a few of the denizens of the enclave. A great number of them had gone out from the confines of the hamlets spread in a conical fashion along the fringes of the AYA-Nyanyan-expressway in search of their daily bread. In this ever glowing settlement, no one is permitted to be idle right from the oldest to the numerous offsprings of the community. Everyone is busy with one task or the other. The older men, those left at the habitation after the young able bodied men have left for the township to “hustle” are not idle either. With different farming implements grasped in their calloused palms, they work spiritedly on little portions of farmland, evidence that the little community is proud to say that they produce what they eat.
A few young men are also seen battling to see that the hundreds of cattle in the hamlet are taken care of. Milking of a few cows with the attendant deep throated sounds from the herbivores appears to complete the feeling of serenity one can only experience in the heart of a rural community. As one makes a timid bid to interact with the unusually friendly few residents who come out as a swathe of welcome, a young Fulani boy makes an energetic dash after a frenzied cow that appears determined to join another group of animals grazing contentedly a few meters away. “She wants to join a group that she is familiar with. These cows are like humans. They tend to move in familiar groups. When you try to force any of them to join a new group, that is an invitation to crisis. That one will not relent until it is allowed to join the group it is familiar with,” Zakari Umar, an amiable teenage boy who noticed our amused attention focused on the titanic battle between the kid and the cow explains.
Zakari has other concerns to attend to and quickly leaves us to look after about 200 cows he tends on a daily basis. The kid finally catches up with the runaway cow and with the cut off stick he wields in his tiny hands, starts the onerous journey of coercing the animal to join another group not far away. One’s attention quickly shifts to other interesting sights in the agrarian community.
Zakari appears to be focused on carrying out a more tasking venture. He has to look for the few cows whose udders are busting with milk, but the harsh harmattan season has made milking difficult. Only a few cows can supply the much-needed milk. In the rainy season, according to the young man, the amount of milk that can be procured is much higher. But the community just has to await the coming of a friendlier season. Till then, Zakari and his fellow herdsmen will continue the daily toil of milking the few cows that can give out the precious liquid.
Umar Jaoji, another resident, clutches his small transistor radio which he proudly displays for all to see. He is busy listening to an interactive radio program but he politely pauses his enjoyment to attend to our prying.
Electricity is the preserve of the high and mighty for this father of 24 children and husband to two. He says that he only sees the benefits inherent in steady supply of electricity when he visits his friends in the city. “We have never enjoyed light for as long as I can remember. I have been here for over 20 years. We have been forgotten. We all come from various parts of the north. We were here when people started coming to Abuja. But today, we have nothing to show for it. We have nothing to show in terms of the arrival of modernity to this city.” For Umar, the anger over neglect by the authorities pales significantly over a greater emotion: fear that they could be ejected from their humble abode by the government.
The Fulani people of West Africa are believed to be the largest nomadic group in the world. Africaguide.com, an online resource pool says, ‘that the origins of the Fulani people are highly disputed. Some believe that they are of North Africa or Arabic origin, characterized by the lighter skin and straighter hair. Some Africans even refer to them as “white people”. However, recent studies show that they descended from nomads from both North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. The Fulani were the first group of people in West Africa to convert to Islam through jihads, or holy wars, and were able to take over much of West Africa and establish themselves not only as a religious group but also as a political and economic force.” The Fulani normally raise large numbers of cattle and have therefore settled in the large plain areas of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Guinea.
Salisu is a father of nine and husband to two wives. He says he has an undergraduate son schooling one of the nation’s premier universities whom he trains from the proceeds he makes as a driver with a private establishment in Abuja. He is unhappy by the neglect his people are going through and the attendant socio-economic pains of the community. “Apart from the poorly constructed nomadic school they built for us a few years ago, there are no other provisions made for the educational welfare of our children and wards. We are not being treated as part of the FCT and this pains us a lot. It is only when politicians need our votes that they will remember us. We will not be surprised if they start trooping in as the elections draw near. We want to be treated as part of the city.”
Women like Mariam Umar and Kadija Umar are enjoying the commercial benefits of a growing city however. They daily make trips into parts of the city to sell Fura Da Nono and other food items to members of the public. “It is a good business that gives us money to save and also assist our husbands to take care of the needs of the family. We are not complaining. We have also been able to make many friends in the course of our daily trips into the city,” Mariam beams with pride.
In Tudun-Fulani, life for every inhabitant continues with an unequalled expectancy and brightness that ignores stark realities, embraceing communal beauty, industry and unity as exhibited by even the smallest resident.