THURSDAY COLUMN BY SAFIYA ADAMU
What I guess would readily come to mind at this topic is the meaning or what and what is Gamji? And why ‘Gamji’? ‘Gamji’ is a nickname with which some refer to the late Sardauna of Sokoto and the first Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello.
As the name implies, the Sardauna was a solid figure with great foresight, courage and carriage that instill awe and to some extent kind of fear in some. I guess his fearlessness, and wholesome honesty just threw opponents and colleagues while inspiring admiration in friends and followers.
Today I’m visiting the great man whose ideas were way ahead of his time. A great man that left outsized shoes that no feet fit, whose demise left Northern Nigeria and indeed Nigeria with a gaping hole seemingly never to be filled. Why so? The answer to me is ever so simple and yet quite a number will argue it; we as a people simply lack sincerity of purpose.
This didn’t just start it has been with us right from the very early times in the conception of Nigeria. The idea of Nigeria birthed the amalgamation of the North and South. While the north had a well-organized administrative structure, defined authority lines and responsibilities, a good part of the south did not have same and here I refer particularly the southeast populated with tiny republics. The difference was vast and structural in nature; the south was the first to come in contact with western education and influence and because of the absence of an existing administrative structure, the colonial system in the south was direct colonization. Structures were designed and operated. Colonial system in the north was a system of indirect rule defined here as deploying existing structures to attain a set goal and of course to conquer a people. Beyond an existing administrative structure was an education and judicial system that oil the wheels of governance and administration. The north had evolved to that level at which they had developed through adoption of Arabic letters writing and communication system that enabled them document, record and communicate developments. This system of is referred to as “ ajami”. The letters were Arabic but special signs or “harufas” were introduced that translated them into the Hausa language. So search through history and records one easily finds well-recorded and documented events spanning centuries, letters between emirs before and after the jihad of Uthman Dan Fodio another great man with foresight.
Now let us talk education in the North and this will of course naturally dovetail into leadership and governance in Northern Nigeria. At the onset of independence as our founding fathers prepared to take up the mantle of leadership my opinion given events that unfolded is that we were not all on same page. There were already evidence of distrust, hypocrisy, and obvious condescension towards others by others every step of the way. This may not sound good nor go well with many but from where I stand this is what I see. And to me this is why all we ever do is pay lip service to unity and progress or whatever.
While the Muslim north had an organized “ madarasata” form of schooling, which encompassed Islamic education in its entire ramification, it was very suspicious of western education because it did not conform to Muslim ideals and practices. The western education in Nigeria and the missionaries who propagated it integrated with Christian doctrine as much as western ideals and “values” and seeking to eradicate every other culture, tradition, faith and practices. That suspicious still lies barely beneath the surface to this day.
The years leading to independence actually magnified this suspicion mostly because the south as much as possible exhibited airs of superiority and advancement that did not quite cut with the Northern leaders. The Northern people led by Sir Ahmadu Bello unequivocally refused to succumb to any form of bullying or be railroaded into a situation that was not favorable to people of the North. While leaders of the southern block felt ready and thought they were, Northern leaders were cautious and wanted to go at their own pace.
Sir Ahmadu Bello became a minister in the colonial government in 1952, he did not possess University degree but he was respected for principles and forthrightness and plus he shared the dream of a greater north with his colleagues from northern region. He realized and accepted from the onset that the North was greatly disadvantaged and closing that gap became mission and goal to be accomplished. He was confident the North will catch up and he was aware of the areas that the north was lacking. Most of all he realized quite early that the North needed a mouthpiece to tell its side of the story, he realized that he the people he represents must be western educated to be competitive. He also accepted the fact that the region will have to accept people from other parts and even expatriates to man its civil service while the North educates and trains her people. While the quest for independence by the Southern leaders consisting of the NCNC and Action Group was driven by political ambition, the Northern leadership saw it beyond that.
( TO BE CONTINUED),
