Dambe, the Hausa people’s kind of martial art as seen practiced in Nigeria and around the southern part of Niger and southwest Chad, is a common tradition of West Africans. Dambe is fast gaining more international audiences and is well on its way to becoming an internationally recognized sport.
History of Dambe
Dambe, Hausawa’s wrestling is thought to have originated in the 10th century BC. It began as a way to prepare men for the events of the war in the past, which explains the various phrases and styles that indicate its resemblance to warfare.
Dambe was also performed as a sort of amusement following the harvesting period, and it was a chance for the men to demonstrate their strength and bravery.
Unmarried guys utilize this technique to impress their female peers just like the Sharo festival. It, however, is a sport that is most common among a specific profession; butchers and fishers, and less frequent are craftsmen and farmers.
Cultural Significance of Dambe
Culturally, Dambe played many significant roles in communities, depicting the end of a particular harvest. Usually, the end of a farming season came with individuals being financially buoyant.
As a result, the spectators had enough money to bet on the most potent fist of “masu Dambe.” The contest usually occurred amongst fighters of several butchers’ unions, spectators within the audience would occasionally be challenged. In the traditional dambe, Hausa society considers butchers as those generally accepted to handle the slaughter of meat.
Often, traveling butchers also form their team of boxers from amongst themselves, called rindina – armies. During those periods, clusters of butchers travel to cities mostly known as farmers’ communities to undertake the work of butchering their animals for their festivities and putting on their type of show to give celebration more flare.
How Dambe is Done
Village bouts occur on a cleared area known as the battlefield, with spectators forming the ring’s perimeter. Local competitions are held in makeshift rings outside abattoirs in modern urban fights, where members of traditional butcher castes still prevail.
In these metropolitan matches, participants of dambe, Hausawa don shorts rather than loincloths. Larger bouts are held in conventional arenas, widespread in large cities, and are frequently paired with traditional wrestling championships.
Percussive music and chanting, whether traditional or modern, precede the bouts. Both groups and individuals are linked with the music and chants used to summon boxers to the ring, tease opponents, and stimulate audience participation.
Amulets are frequently utilized as sources of protection in traditional fights. Modern urban conflicts also have charms, but officials generally oppose the use of mystical protection for justice.
Fighters often scar their striking arm, rubbing salves and resins into the healing wounds that are thought to bring strength or defense, and amulets are still commonly placed in the feather-filled pillows that fighters put in their curled fists. Before fights, several modern touring boxing teams smoke Hemp or Marijuana as a tradition.
In a typical bout, competitors try to subdue into total submission in three rounds. It frequently results in significant bodily damage, like broken jaws and ribs, for the challengers.
Today’s competitors are primarily urban youths who compete year-round in gyms or their backyards. While no longer the domain of the Hausa butcher caste, the fraternity aspect persists as young professionals join a professional society that travels to conduct bouts in carnival-like settings, complete with amplified music systems and elaborate pre-match rituals. Spectator betting and prize money for participants are still significant parts of the show.
Despite the lack of established weight classifications, competitors in Dambe contests are usually of similar size.
Rounds
Three rounds are played in each match. These rounds do not have a time limit. Instead, they stop when one of the participants or an official requests a halt or when a participant’s hand, knee, or body contacts the ground. Knocking down an opponent is referred to as killing the opponent.
The strong-side fist is the primary weapon. The “spear” fist, on the strong side, is wrapped in a piece of cloth that is tightly knotted cord. Some fighters dipped their spears in sticky glue mixed with shards of broken glass; however, this became banned. The “shield” is the opposite defensive hand, held with the open palm facing the opponent, and can be used to grab or hold as needed.
The leg is used for both offensive and defense. Kicking can also be done with the unwrapped back leg. Kicks are more common than they used to be because wrestling used to be allowed. The purpose of the game was to knock down the opponent, which was referred to as killing, and the winner was the person who knocked down the opponent.
Some of the fighters that have since risen to fane include; Alhaji Aminu Goje, Shagon Dan Tagayi, Shagon Mada, Ebola, Ali Kanin Bello, Jaafaru Balbalin Bala’i, etc
Alhaji Auwalu Abdullahi Rano, known as A.A Rano is a Kano-born and bred silent billionaire, with his company valued at over $6 billion, almost 2 trillion in Nigerian currency. AA Rano has become a household name within the Nigerian business space, mostly because of his business-friendly models.
Here are three things you can take away from Rano’s life.
1. Hard Work Pays Off
Alhaji A.A Rano started from a humble beginning. Unlike the likes of Aliko Dangote and Abdulsamad Rabiu BUA, he wasn’t lucky to be born into a wealthy family. He had a humble beginning and worked his way up to his current position.
This is a sign that with hard work and dedication, dreams are always achievable.
2. You Can Be Rich and Still Be Humble
A.A Rano has been described as a humble billionaire, who treats everyone with dignity and respect. His humbleness can be traced to his earlier days when he was less fortunate, this goes to show that when one becomes rich, he doesn’t have to become arrogant.
3. Find Your Niche
Alhaji A.A Rano over the years has identified a simple concept of identifying business niches. This is shown in his gas stations as the majority of his customers are the masses, who could form kilometres of lines to buy fuel or gas from his stations.
Abdulsamad Isyaku Rabiu, CON is a Kano-born billionaire who according to Forbes magazine, has estimated over 6.8 billion dollars, making him the fifth richest man in Africa and the 380th in the world as of the 4th of April 2023.
Abdulsamad Rabiu is known as a sturdy businessman and a hearty philanthropist.
1. He Studied Abroad
Abdulsamad Isyaku Rabiu studied at the prestigious Ohio State University USA.
As a common saying of the Nigerian youth “school na scam, na business be the way“, signalling that school doesn’t teach any practical value, this goes to show the contrary.
2. He Hates Monopoly
One would assume that as a business mogul of his capacity, he would fathom the idea of monopoly, but this isn’t the case,
Abdulsamad loathes business monopoly and believes in a fair market for everyone.
3. He is An Astute Believer of Afro Capitalism
In an interview held at Abidjan in 2018, the founder of the BUA group Abdulsamad Rabiu stated clearly that Africa had the number and resources to be looking elsewhere for its services.
He proposed that governments in Africa should help cultivate a favourable business environment for its citizens to drive Africa to a sustainable future, this is the only way for Africa to be self-reliant.
4. Has a $100 Million Social Fund
Yes! The majority shareholder of the BUA Group has pledged a 100 million dollar fund for social and economic development across Africa through his foundation; Abdulsamad Rabiu Africa (ASR Africa) initiative.
5. Has Only “ONE” Wife
While it is a common practice for Northern Nigerian Muslim men to engage in polygyny as it is allowed in Islam, Abdulsamad has maintained a single wife with four children and lives a pretty private life.
Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal is a popular entrepreneur, business tycoon, and political godfather in Katsina state. He founded max air in 2008 and to date remains the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Dahiru Mangal net worth is estimated to be about 1.5 billion dollars making him one of the richest men in northern Nigeria.
Dahiru Mangal Net Worth, Car, Houses, Company and Other Properties
Alhaji Dahiru Mangal net worth is estimated at about $1.5 billion which is equivalent to over a trillion Naira. This includes his companies and other personal properties.
His AFDIN group of companies is estimated at a whopping amount of about $1 billion which is equivalent to over 500 billion naira. This is thanks to the fleet of 10 aeroplanes that he has. An average aeroplane costs 98 million dollars. His construction companies, oil & gas, and others are estimated at about 500 million dollars.
His houses in Abuja and Katsina can be valued at 2 million dollars and all his vehicles are estimated to be at about 1 million dollars.
Early Life
Born Dahiru to the family of Alhaji Barau Mangal and Hajiya Murjanatu in what is known today as Katsina in 1957. Dahiru was raised alongside his siblings; Bashir, Hamza, Zulai, ‘Yar Goje.
Dahiru Mangal like many others had a humble start in life. His lineage is traced back to the late Barau Tukur of Manasawa Quarters of Katsina Metropolitan City. He began schooling at Gafai Primary school ranging from the mid-1960s to the 70s.
He afterward went to the Katsina Arabic Teachers’ College to secure a Higher Islamic Certificate, which he completed in 1976.
Dahiru Mangal Business Career
Mangal (as he’s popularly known) owns several companies within Katsina State and around Nigeria. He is the major shareholder of the AFDIN Group Nigeria Ltd, a holding company that shelters several of his other companies which include Max Air, Masanawa Oil, AFDIN Construction Company, Mangal Oil, Masanawa Enterprises, and others, and is managed individually.
Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal began business at a very tender age. Due to his humble beginnings, this meant that he needed to fend for himself quite early. He started work as part of those who offloaded loads from trailers. This was when he first got accustomed to buying and selling.
Mangal slowly had an eye for business and gradually started the trade wholesaling. Alhaji Dahiru’s big breakthrough is reported to have come much later when we began to mingle with the higher Katsina bourgeoisies. He was in close and familiar contact with the then military administrations of Colonel Yahaya Madaki and Navy Captain Emmanuel Acholonu and the civilian administrators during this period were not oblivious to him.
These associations that Dahiru Mangal had, created the opportunities and the solid foundation for his new empire which led him to secure many legitimate business opportunities through contracts that were issued by the government. This created an enormous amount of wealth for Mangal.
Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal is a Non-Executive Director at MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, a position he has held since March 2009.
He equally is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Max Air Limited, one of Nigeria’s biggest commercial airlines that operates within and outside the country. He also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Katsina Dyeing and Printing Textiles Limited.
Mangal also sits on the Board of Massanawa Travel and Tours as an Executive Director, a company that operates to ease the travel processes and logistics of individuals. Dahiru Mangal also held shares at Oando Plc four which he sold in 2021 after a leadership tussle with the founder.
Political Power
Alhaji Dahiru Mangal utilized the wealth he had made to be a politically relevant individual. This followed the massive funding he did to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at both the Federal and State and Local levels right from the beginning of the fourth Republic when President Olusegun Obasanjo took over power on 29th May 1999.
Dahiru Barau Mangal is rumoured to have played a great role to influence the election of the late president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to be the presidential flag bearer of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2007 elections.
After the uproar that was caused during the 2007 General elections, in which Yar’Adua was proclaimed not to have won the election, a presidential election tribunal was conducted in which Yar’Adua was cleared, as a result, Mangal purchased a full-page colour in the New Nigerian newspaper to openly display his satisfaction with the result of the tribunal and to congratulate Yar’Adua on the verdict of the tribunal.
Controversy
During Mallam Nuhu Ribadu’s tenure as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Director-General, he issued an order that warranted the arrest of Dahiru Mangal. This was due to a report on the intensity of his alleged smuggling activities which was detrimental to the nation’s economy.
An obedient son, Dahiru Barau is reported to have never crossed his mother’s commands. He is a devoted Muslim who is reported to constantly feed the needy in his many philanthropical outreaches.
Alhaji Mangal is married and has several children, including Bashir Barau Mangal, who is the CEO of Max Air, and Lawal Barau Mangal, Executive Director at Max Air and Politician. Mangal lost his mother in 2021.
He played a significant role in stopping the business monopoly of sugar production carried out by Dangote Group; Abdulsamad is reported to have said he hated monopoly in business, as it isn’t good for any business environment. He equally holds the philosophy of Afrocapitalism, similar to that of Tony Elumelu, and Aliko Dangote a business philosophy that promotes African businesses for Africans by creating a habitable working environment.
Abdulsamad Rabiu is known as a sturdy businessman and a hearty philanthropist.
Where is Abdulsamad Rabiu From?
Abdulsamad was born on 4 August 1960 in Kano, the Northern-Western part of Nigeria, two months before when Nigeria got its Independence. He comes from a family of businessmen, as his father, Khalifah Isyaku Rabiu, was equally an outstanding Industrialist during the ’70s and ’80s.
He founded Isyaka Rabiu and Sons, which had dealings in manufacturing, real estate, and banking.
Abdulsamad Rabiu attended Federal Government College, Kano, after which he gained admission to study Economics at the Capital University Columbus, Ohio, in the United States of America.
Early Business Career
Abdulsamad returned to Nigeria when he was 24 years old. He immediately oversaw the day-to-day activities of his father’s business, during which his father was detained by the then Buhari military government for not paying import duty on rice.
In 1988, Abdulsamad founded BUA International Limited with the primary aim of commodity trading. The company imported flour, cooking oil, and rice and even dealt with iron and Steel, among other activities.
Delta Steel Company, a government-owned company in 1990, signed a contract with BUA to supply its raw materials in exchange for finished products. This partnership gave the new company a steady balance in the business world and the needed gas fee to expand further.
The company was hand-dipped further into importing iron ore, producing billets and Steel, and eventually constructing several rolling mills. A few years down the line, BUA bought the Nigerian Oil Mills Limited, Nigeria’s giant cooking oil processing plant.
In 2005, NUA further ventured into flour production by building two milling plants in Lagos and Kano’s hometown. In 2008, the company went heads-on with the Dangote Group to break the eight-year-long monopoly of the sugar industry in Nigeria, building the second largest sugar refinery in Sub-Saharan Africa.
As of 2009, Abdulsamad’s company had obtained a majority stake in a cement company in Northern Nigeria that was publicly listed and began the construction of a $900 million plant in Edo State, finishing it in the early part of 2015.
In February of 2022, his brainchild, the ASR Africa initiative, gave 85 modern medical equipment to the Gwarimpa General hospital in Abuja, following a grant awarded to the hospital the previous year.
Personal life and Family
Abdulsamad Rabiu is married with four children two sons, and two daughters: Isyaku Rabiu, Junaid Rabiu, Rukkayah Rania Rabiu, and Khadijah Rabiu (Cookie).
Abdulsamad lives a highly private life as very little is known about his wife or family affairs. He has forty-two siblings, including Rabiu Rabiu (also known as Alhaji Karami), the Chairman of IRS Airlines.
Achievements Awards and Accolades
The CEO and owner of the BUA Group, Abdulsamad Rabiu, has achieved so much and, as a result, has received countless awards and accolades for those achievements. He was recently appointed Chairman of the France-Nigeria Investment Club by French President Emmanuel Macron, a considerable achievement milestone.
In 2020, he received the Businessman of the year award from the Vanguard of 2019-2020 Award. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reporters Philanthropic Awards lists him as Person Of The Year.
He bagged the Africa Industrialist of 2016 by CNBC and the All Africa Business Leaders Award (AABLA) South Africa, amongst many others.
