Biography of Bayajidda, the Founder of Hausa States

by Bello Abdullahi | Jan 6, 2022 | Heroes

Bayajidda is arguably the most unique story of the Hausa people, despite it being considered a legend by most historians. It takes a lot of weight knowing that this single individual has shaped the way the Hausa people view themselves as well as their common origin, myth or legend, the story of Bayajidda is indeed one that should be known.

Who is Bayajidda?

Early Life

Born Abuyazid (popularly called Abuyazidu) to the king of Baghdad Abdullah. However, not much is known about the origin of Bayajidda – being the dominant name of Abuyazid (translatable as ‘the father of Yazid). It is said that when Queen Zidam conquered Baghdad, Bayajidda fled Iraq with forty servants to enter Nigeria through Lake Chad by the town of Ngala and arrive in Gazargamu which is present-day Borno state.

Occupation

In the legend of Bayajidda, his occupation wasn’t the major crux of the story, but it can be understood that he enjoyed horse riding as well as hunting; as those were the tradition of most royals in that period.

Although his major occupation came much later in his life as he took the mantle of rulership in the city of Daurama, currently Daura of Katsina state.

When did Bayajidda Arrive Nigeria?

There are two stories as to what Bayajidda did when he arrived in Nigeria. In one story, when Bayajidda first came to Gazargamu (Borno state), having come from royalty with the technical know-how on warfare and people affairs, Bayajidda decided to dethrone as well as do away with the incumbent king he found at Gazargamu, seeing he had a superior force as compared to that of the king.

The news of this dethronement came to the king and he immediately consulted with his high chiefs and advisors and came to the conclusion that he should give Bayajidda his daughter, Magaram (also known as Magira) in marriage.

This in effect worked as Bayajidda didn’t go ahead with displacing the king. In later years, when the king made new conquests of new cities, he convinced Bayajidda to give up his men to put up guard in these new cities and this drastically reduced the men that Bayajiida had.

When Bayajidda had realized that he was being tricked by the king, it was already too late for him to react with force as he only had a slave with him, together with his wife. He then fled the city of Gazargamu at night with his wife and a servant heading westward to Garun Gabas of present-day Hadeja region in Jigawa state (east of Biram).

Marriage and Later Life

However, according to a different version of the story, when Bayajidda came to Borno, he was welcomed warmly, got married to Magaram and became popular with the people. Because of this new popularity, the king became envious of him and plotted against him; upon being informed of this by his wife, he fled Borno with her.

Whilst they were there, Bayajidda’s wife, Magaram, gave birth to their first child, Biram, the infamous leader of the small kingdom of Gabas-ta-Biram (east of Biram).

At Garun Gabas, he still feared for his life, and he sneaked out at night leaving behind his wife and servant to move further eastward to a place known as Gaya, presently known as Abajiyawa where the people of Kano are said to have originated from. Others however believe it is present-day Niger. There he found blacksmiths and directed them to cast him a sword similar to his previous, but which he lost on the way. After which he continued Northward.

Bayajidda’s Adventures in Daura

He then finally arrived at a place situated at present-day Daura which is located in Katsina State, where he entered the first house, which he had access to which belonged to an old woman called Ayana and asked for water. She informed him that a serpent named Sarki, kept guard at the well, only allowing people access to the well water once a week.

Because Bayajidda was so thirsty, she gave him a bucket to go fetch water at the well, with the risk of losing his life. He set out for the well and killed the serpent with his sword, which he beheaded, drank the water and kept the head in a bag. He returned to the old woman’s house.

The next day, it was a wonder in Daura as people saw the snake out of the well which meant the snake would terrorize the city. Magajiya Daurama was informed and she ordered to beat the drum called ‘Dajinjin’ to alert people to gather at the well to praise the snake and beg it to douse its anger to go back into the well.

As people converged at the well alongside Daurama, they all stood far from the well wondering what triggered it to be out of the well as no one dared to face the wrath of the dreaded beast. It was a man named Audi Indi who courageously moved closer to the well to assess the situation that found out the snake had been killed; this fetched Audi Indi the first-ever title of Kaura of Hausa land for his bravery.

All wondering who had killed the snake, Magajiya Daurama, offered sovereignty to over half the town to whoever could prove that they killed the snake. Hearing this, the old woman Ayana who had Bayajidda as her guest informed Daurama that it was her guest who had killed it.

Daurama summoned Bayajidda to support this claim and to present the snake’s head, which would prove to her that he was the one who had slain Sarki. After showing proof that he indeed killed the snake, she offered him half the town but he turned down the offer, instead, he requested for her hand in marriage, and she married him out of gratitude for slaying the serpent.

According to an oral palace version of the Bayajidda legend; it was against the then customs of the Daura people for the queen to marry, and Daurama made a compromise and said she would consummate the marriage later. This made her gift Bayajidda a concubine named Bagwariya, so as to give her time to undergo the ritual proceedings to break the vow of remaining unmarried.

How Bayajidda Founded the Hausa States

Later, with the queen of Daura, Bayajidda had a son called Bawo, which meant ‘Give it back’, which was in response to Bagwariya – Bayajidda’s concubine -who also had a son fathered by him which she named him Karaf da Gari, or Karbagari which means ‘snatch the town’ in Hausa, this worried Daurama.

In a version of the legend, Bawo is said to have succeeded his father and had six sons who became the rulers of Daura, Katsina, Zazzau, Gobir, Kano and Rano. These, together with his half-brother Biram, formed the ‘Hausa Bakwai’. In other versions of the legend, they leave Bawo and Magaram out entirely, with Biram, Daura, Gobir, Kano, Katsina, Rano, and Zaria all being the sons of Bayajidda and Daurama.

However, Karbagari the son of the Gwari mistress also had seven sons, who were said to have ruled Kebbi, Zamfara, Gwari, Jukun, Ilorin, Nupe and Yauri which are referred to as ‘Banza Bakwai’ or ‘Illegitimate seven’

The historical Hausa kingdom began as these seven states were founded by the Bayajidda legend and the six sons of Bawo and himself.

Legacy

It can be argued that one of the foremost legacies of Bayajidda is the memory left at the Kusugu well, which nowadays is a tourist attraction site.

Another major legacy of Bayajidda would be the forming of the Hausa states by him and his progeny.

When Did Bayajidda Die?

Not much if at all any has been reported on the death of Bayajidda, but from studies, it can be understood that he lived quite a long life.

Controversy Regarding Bayajidda’s Life

The major controversy in the Bayajidda Legend is to date the argument of historians as to the plausibility of the occurrence of such a figure, a major chunk of historians believe that he is just a mythical figure created to appease the Hausa folk, alongside the many inconsistencies in the folktale. All that is said about him has been through the word of mouth, with the only record and most authentic source on Hausa history which was done by the then Prince of Daura, Alhassan AbdurRahman as requested by his father, the then Emir of Daura AbdurRahman dan Musa.

Biography of Aminu Kano’s Mentor, Sa’adu Zungur

by Bello Abdullahi | Jan 6, 2022 | Heroes

The history of Sa’adu Zungur is indeed one of complete fascination and absolute motivation as it depicts the versatility of Sa’adu Zungur, showing what an ingenious polymath, he was. Challenging whoever and whatever was evidently wrong, this man stood up against British colonial rule when it was an almost impossible task to do, challenged and debated intelligently with internal and external oppressors.

Who is Sa’adu Zungur?

This brief history of Sa’adu Zungur would flummox and leave you with the question of how the story of such an individual is almost completely unknown.

Early Life

Born Ahmed Mahmud Sa’ad (popularly Sa’adu) Zungur on a Tuesday 24^th of November 1914 in Ganjuwa ward of Bauchi metropolis. He was born to the family of Muhammad Bello, the son of Ahmad who was the leader of the Zungur Kogi Community. His mother, Fatima, was the daughter of the servant to the Chief of Jaku, she was Sa’adu’s father’s third wife.

Sa’adu Zungur’s paternal great grandfather, Idris was a Scholar-Jihadist who is said to have studied directly under Dan Fodio himself, who under the then Emir of Bauchi, had gone to collect the flag of authority to carry out Jihad in Bauchi.

Sa’adu was brought up in the scholarly tradition of his family, being a polyglot who spoke multiple languages including; Hausa, Fulfulde, Arabic and much later in his life, English. Sa’adu was of a slim build with a somewhat longish chin and thick lips. From his mother, he had two sisters; Aisha (Nana) and Hassana (Aji), and being the only son of his mother.

He had three brothers; Mahmud, Hamidu, and Aminu and three sisters; Aisha, Hafsatu and Hadiza from his father’s other wives. His father had a total of nine children. He grew up with his elder sister, Aisha (Nana) who was fourteen years older than he, she was married to a disciple of her father’s.

Sa’adu Zungur’s Education

Under the mentorship of his father, Sa’adu was exposed to formal Islamic education at a very young age. Within a short frame of time, Sa’adu grasped and became good with Tafsir (Exegesis of the Quran), Nahwu (Arabic grammar) and the Islamic Sciences of Jurisprudence and Theology. At a very young age, Zungur became an extremely voracious reader, with the ability to easily assimilate and retain what he had studied to his memory and that of his colleagues.

Sa’adu’s brothers tried to compete with him but were admonished by their father that it was futile doing so. He was obsessed with reading a lot of Arabian and Indian folktales whilst he was growing up. Because of this zeal, he became very close to their father and the family’s favourite child.

With the advent of Western education in Bauchi, Sa’adu looked at it with great excitement. It was however not what his father wanted from him as he wanted Sa’adu to follow the family’s footsteps and become a great Islamic scholar, as he feared for his son from getting trapped into the ‘tragedy’ called Western education, although he taught at the provincial primary school at Yelwa.

However, for Sa’adu, it was on the insistence of the Emir of Bauchi Yakubu II, that Sa’adu was enrolled in the provincial primary school of Bauchi at six, with careful observation from his father. As was the colonial practice of identifying individuals with names of their cities, Sa’adu was identified as Sa’adu Bauchi.

In 1912, he was at the katsina college to train middle school teachers and he was admitted to be trained as a science teacher. Having only spent 3years in the five years duration of the course, he was allowed to graduate early, considered as far above the standard of the highest seat of learning in Northern Nigeria. To the surprise of his teachers, he was equally taking lessons in private lessons on advanced jurisprudence from renowned scholars in Katsina, a text considered to be complex to comprehend, especially to a mere teenager.

It was then decided for him to be moved to Yaba Higher College in Lagos, which was the then highest learning institution of colonial Nigeria. This of course came with a refusal from his father, in which the Emir had to intercede again for Sa’adu to be allowed.

First Northerner to Attend Yaba College, Lagos

Sa’adu left Katsina for Yaba, Lagos as the first Northerner to be sponsored by the colonial administration to advance studies outside the north. He was supposed to specialize in Biology and Chemistry, but Yaba turned out to be a great disappointment for him, according to a report to Mr E. L.  Mort, the Bauchi Provincial Superintendent of Education, that it was too elementary. Although some allude his leaving Yaba as a failure, which wasn’t so. He later ended up studying General science.

Although part of the reasons Sa’adu didn’t want to return was because of his father’s antagonism towards his new way of dressing when he returned from Yaba. His father believed that the Euro-Christian way of life was influencing his son.

However, his stay in Lagos played a very vital role in the life of Sa’adu Zungur, forming how he viewed the role of the colonial British and probably convinced on how he could change his own immediate society. He is said to have taken part in rallies as well as attended debates on the negatives of British colonial rule.

He was excoriated by Mr. Mort for his comment about the school at Yaba, and the inculpatory statement about the colonial system of Education. Eventually, Mr Mort made a reconsideration believing that more harm than good would be done in rusticating a man of Sa’adu’s intellect, suggesting that Sa’adu be employed by the administration so as not be become to them a “dead loss”.

Carrer

Mr Mort searched for jobs in departments other than that of Education, knowing the Director of Education of Nigeria wouldn’t consider Sa’adu. He later found a spot at the Northern regional health department, who were willing to offer him low paying jobs, and he accepted. The department posted him to the Kano School of Hygiene to train as a third-class Sanitary inspector.

Sa’adu proved to be far ahead of his peers and after a month, the senior health officer telephoned the Chief Inspector of Education in June 1935, that they would promote Sa’adu at a later date to post of Instructor. He was paid far less as someone of his standings would have been, and a plea for reconsideration was sent in 1938, the same year he passed his Sanitary Inspectors’ Course (London Matriculation) with distinction.

In 1939, having been satisfied with his ratings was transferred to Zaria to the school of Hygiene, later school of Pharmacy. Within a short period of time, he became the first Nigerian to obtain the prestigious Meat inspectors’ Certificate of the British Royal Sanitary Institute.

Sa’adu Zungur’s Entry into Politics

Zaria gave Sa’adu an experimental ground to experiment his political views and fight for social change, as Zaria was the hub of intellectuals and a midpoint of Kano and Kaduna, the commercial and political capitals of Northern Nigeria respectively. Zaria had a pinch of being a mini-Nigeria, having several European companies which employed southerners. This was a place to test his ideas. This however brought a lot of conflict with his colonial superiors.

In 1935 when he was in Kano, he singlehandedly formed the Young Men’s Muslim Association (YMMA), associating its self with the world body based in Egypt, which he had hoped would turn to a political association in the long run.

However, this positioned his subsequent career into the Nigerian anti-colonial movement. The eight years he spent in Zaria, between 1939-1947, became ground zero for when Sa’adu Zungur developed his ideals to fully wage a war on the colonialists, despite the prior knowledge of possible hostility from the British government.

With his experience in Kano, he understood the need for more collective action and became predominantly concerned with forming an organization that would tackle social problems. He formed the Hausa Youths Keep Fit Class which tackled physical to Socio-political problems. Seeing a reasonable success, he then transformed it to Northern Nigeria Youth Movement (NNYM) which was popularly known as the Zaria friendly society (ZFS), which further transformed to Northern Provinces General Improvement Union (NPGIU) in 1941.

With the help of Gaskiya ta fi kwabo magazine, some of these issues raised at the meetings were published as issues, so as to reach a wider audience. This made the colonial masters outrightly ban the organization since it wasn’t willing to play a role in supporting its World War II campaign, and Sa’adu Zungur was transferred to Anchau to join the anti-morsitans campaign and resettlement scheme of the sleeping sickness Programme.

Health Complications

The transfer of Sa’adu to Anchau made his frail health much complicated, which made him spend most part of late 1941 through 1943 being hospitalized in Zaria, Kaduna and Kano. This can be said to be a deliberate move by the colonial government to worsen Sa’adu’s health, with a claim that over ten months, sixteen doctors failed to properly diagnose his condition.

It might have been because he wasn’t going to help them in their cause that they decided to transfer him to Anchau where the facilities there were hardly up to basic standard.

Marriage And Family

Sa’adu Zungur married a total of six times throughout his life, however never maintained more than one wife at a time. He also never had any children, although two of his wives had miscarriages; one at three months and the other at eight months, although his family members insist that none of his wives had ever miscarried a pregnancy.

A family member believes that he wasn’t able to keep a wife because of his voracious days-on reading and writing, giving his wives little or no attention.

Disengagement from Service

Sa’adu was disengaged from his government Job which took effect from 4 March 1943 and was paid a 90 pounds gratuity, which he had to petition the Senior Health Officer for the Northern Provinces. With only a ten-year service period, he was not qualified for a pension. And because there was no possibility for a government job or offer, he relocated back to Bauchi where he could at least have family support.

With a wife to take care of, he was economically back pressed to the wall. Although pressed to the wall financially, he was troubled with the uncertainties the future of his country held, which made him resort to writing.

The Bauchi Discussion Circle (BDC)

Having no say over his affairs now, the colonial government knew that Sa’adu would now go for the Jugular of the colonial rule and possibly cause more havoc, this prompted them to create a forum where they could control what was said against the government, this is credited to be Sa’adu’s initiative.

The Circle was dissolved by the emir following a well-organized attack by Sa’adu Zungur, first on the Resident overseeing Bauchi and then on the indirect rule and the autocracy of the emirate system, this action angered the Emir that he dissolved it before the subsequent week.

The termination of the Bauchi Discussion circle lead Sa’adu Zungur to form the Bauchi General Improvement Union, which was similar to the BDC but was not controlled by the colonial government nor the Native Authority (NA).

Sa’adu Zungur’s Writings and Poetry

Sa’adu, who was not unfamiliar with the pen, and being voracious at reading, published several articles, amongst the most widely read was the one he published in the Nigerian Review which had a nationwide presence, where he castigated the colonial administration and the “Unenlightened” traditional rulers.

He also took to poetry whenever he felt his articles wouldn’t encapsulate his messages, his most popular poems to date are the; Jihadin Neman sawaba; wakar bidi’a; Arewa: Jumhuriyya ko Mulukiya; Yaki da Shaidani etc.

Journalism and the NCNC

His article in the Nigerian review attracted Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe’s attention, which lead him to appoint Sa’adu as its correspondent of the Associated Newspapers of Nigeria; which had several newspapers under it, all owned by Dr Azikiwe

Initially serving as its Correspondent for three North-Eastern Province; Adamawa, Bauchi and Borno, later he became the Correspondent for the whole Northern Provinces.

Trouble with a White Officer

A famous story was his report in the pilot of a Mr. J. A. Ogle, a mechanical engineer posted to Bauchi Native authority as Workshop Superintendent who treated his African subordinates with contempt. Sa’adu took to interview the staff under Ogle, which enraged Ogle and promised to teach Sa’adu a lesson.

He initially ordered that a sign be put up due to Sa’adu’s frequent visits to the workshop. Sa’adu Zungur then published a satire in the pilot where he compared Ogle to a species of Hornbill birds because of his unappealing physique and sarcastically insulted him for having Kwarkwata (lice), and that his body was full of scabies (kirci).

This enraged Ogle so much that he hunted Sa’adu with his revolver to end his life. Whilst Sa’adu was in hiding, he sent a note to his alter ego, Aminu Kano through his nephew Mukhtar. They sounded the alarm and alerted, the Superintendent of Police for Bauchi-Plateau provinces located in Jos, the Lieutenant Governor in Kaduna and the Governor in Lagos and released a report to the pilot, which appeared the following day

The news spread like wildfire and the pilot saw the need to protect their staff and to make a point of being an anti-colonial nationalist newspaper. It provided legal aid to Sa’adu and charged Ogle with attempted murder. At the end of the day, Ogle was charged with the illegal possession of firearms and fined 5pounds. Ogle left Nigeria in 1948 which made his subordinates happy and dramatically skyrocketed Sa’adu’s reputation as a courageous man.

Sa’adu saw the role the NCNC played in its national outlook strategy and the importance for him to join the NCNC to play a role in pan Nigerian nationalism, in a speech he gave at the party’s first annual convention and national assembly held at Kaduna, despite its strong Southern presence.

Federal Secretary of the NCNC

Sa’adu alongside Raji Abdallah and Abubakar Sadiq Zukogi; who was a Bida prince were there as representatives of the Northern Elements’ Progressive Association (NEPA). In his speech, Sa’adu made clear of his support to the NCNC was conditional upon the role the party played in getting Nigeria free from British rule and fostering Unity amongst Nigerians.

Sa’adu was then taken as the Federal Secretary of NCNC, a position which he had to leave Bauchi to Lagos for, a position that made the British and local aristocrats castigate him as a heretic who forsook his religion for arnan kudu (Southern pagans). He took his wife Marka and nephew Mukhtar to accompany him to Ebute Meta, where the office was located.

Amongst his first worries at Lagos was the Constitutional future of Nigeria. As he felt the Richardson’s and Macpherson’s constitution was highly under-representative of the Nigerian people.

Sa’adu began having issues with the NCNC, who were beginning to compromise the original ideals of the party, especially the leader Dr. Azikiwe; who didn’t want to be viewed as a radical by the Macpherson’s government. Also, was the publication of the NCNC of an article that portrayed Dr. Azikiwe as a saviour by Gideon Urhobo, further say that believers of other faiths particularly Muslims should leave their heathen ways and follow Jesus Christ and his successor Dr. Azikiwe.

This infuriated Sa’adu that he dismissed Urhobo’s claims on behalf of Jam’iyyar Al’ummar Najeriya ta Arewa (JANA), calling him a “politico-religious opportunist”, confusing the NCNC with Christianity, an infidel ignorant about Islam and highly insensitive to the multi-religious nature of the Nigerian state and the diversity of the NCNC support. Urging the NCNC to desist from publishing such kinds of articles.

The final straw that broke Sa’adu’s back was the obvious non-inclusion of qualified northerners in the Scholarship that the NCNC offered, despite his complaint to its leader, Dr. Azikiwe.

He left Lagos in 1950 on the insistence of the Emir of Katsina, Usman Nagoggo, to come back to the north to firstly organize a political party for the region, and secondly set up the proposed scholarship fundraised from Kundin Taimakon Arewa (Northern self-help Fund).

Sa’adu together with Sadiq Abubakar Zukogi and finally when Raji Abdullahi in 1951 left the party, really blemished the standing of the NCNC as a national party.

Beginning of Party politics in Northern Nigeria

The history of Sa’adu Zungur shows how his return from Lagos with a broken spirit gave him a new perspective on things which lead him to create the xoxo, despite being called by Tafawa Belewa to join the Jam’iyyar Mutanen Arewa. He is given credit for coining the English translation of the group, Northern people’s congress.

However, because of the high influx of the Native authority aristocrats, Sa’adu felt that its values would be compromised as the Native council would be limiting their actions in the fight against the colonialists. He then formed his own party, the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) in 1951, and was an obvious rebirth of NEPA, with just the substitution for ‘Association’ for ‘Union’. And this ushered the new age of party politics in northern Nigeria.

Sa’adu Zungur’s Death

Sa’adu died without seeing the fruit of his labour of an Independent Nigeria in 1958 as a result of the severity of his long-term illness; pile and ulcer. Because of his frequent association with the hospital, he contracted tuberculosis, making him a permanent patient for the rest of his life.

After his death, some of his writings were burnt including what he considered as his Muqadimma of ibn Khaldun’s book.

Controversies and Legacy

Throughout the history of Sa’adu Zungur, it can be seen paralleled with controversies, from his wearing of suit; which was then considered as heresy to the denunciation of genuflection done to the native authorities and British colonialists. He made himself dabble in the most controversial topics of his time, making him the weird apple in a garden of oranges.

Amongst his topmost commendable legacy is his consistent struggle in fighting off the colonialists as well as old repugnant practices of a culture that had nothing to do with Islam. He also left behind him competent disciples who took on his struggle after his death, the most popular being Aminu kano. He is considered to be the first Pharmacist in northern Nigeria.

His greatest legacy, however, is his intellectual standoff against the normalized social order and how he mobilized people to change it.

In 2021, Bauchi state Government renamed the State University in Gadau to Sa’adu Zungur University.

Culled from:  Sa’adu Zungur: An anthology of the social and political writings of a Nigerian nationalist, by A. M. Yakubu

Biography of Alhaji Mamman Shata

by Bello Abdullahi | Nov 18, 2021 | Heroes

Alhaji Mamman Shata is a revered musician from the northern part of Nigeria. He was well known by the Hausa and non-Hausa speakers. He is considered amongst the most iconic and well-versed musicians as his music had spread well across the Hausa speaking individuals of West Africa for about half a century. Also, he is said to have sung across all possible topics; ranging from politics, agriculture, culture, religion and much more.

Early Life of Shata

Born Mamman Ibrahim Yaro to a Fulani family in 1923 in Musawa of today’s Katsina State. His father, Ibrahim Yaro’s ancestry is traced to the Fulani of Sanyinna in the Sokoto area. His mother, Lariya, was of the Fulata-Borno, the Fulani people who migrated from the Borno Empire after the Jihad of 1804. Musawa village was under the Katsina Authority when Shata was born.

When Musawa was created, it was under the Kankia Local Government. It is a Local Government of its own today.

Schooling and Educaion

Mamman Shata attended Islamic School when he was a young boy. It was a customary act for every child to be trained in the Islamic etiquettes from an early age.

How Did He Get The Name “Shata” ?

Alhaji Shata is said to have gotten his pseudonym of Shata’ from a man called Baba Salamu, who was his relative. When Mamman Shata was young, he sold kola nuts and afterwards would share the profit to random people he met on the way home or in the market square, usually coming back empty-handed.

When he was asked about his gains, he answered, “Na yi shata da su,” i.e. he had given it away. This was the genesis that made Baba Salamu call him ‘Mai-Shata’, meaning one who squanders away his gains. He later ventured into the sales of sweet locally known as alewa.

Early Music Career of Mamman Shata

Shata’s father didn’t fancy the idea of his son becoming a musician because it was considered a form of begging or praise-singing is known as ‘en roko’.

Mamman Shata’s persistence to be a musician was considered as rebellion against the normal expectations of the young men in the community who majorly ventured into farming or trading.

Shata initially started singing for fun with other youths in the village at the village centres known as ‘’dandali’’ after evening meals. After a while, his talent became apparent that he indeed was the most talented in his village. But he, like the other youths, merely engaged in it for fun and not for monetary gains.

Career Breakthrough

Mamman Shata later stopped selling sweets and completely ventured into music or praise-singing full-time. This newfound job took him to many villages in the Musawa area.

After moving about for a while, Shata decided to settle in Bakori after Abdullahi Inde, his benefactor who was a prince of Musawa and worked as a Native Authority official, asked Shata to move there.

In Bakori, Mamman Shata married his first wife, popularly known as Iya. They had a daughter, Amina, who unfortunately died in infancy.

Shata travelled with his group to far places such as Kano, which he first visited in the late ’40s and Katsina, having his base back at Bakori.

His fame began to become apparent in 1952 at Kano after he performed at a wedding part known as “Bikin ‘Yan Sarki” where some 12 notable Kano princes married.

He relocated to Funtua In 1960, considered a more cosmopolitan town not far from Bakori. Funtua then became Shata’s home for about forty years – up until his death.

Despite his form of music being predominantly praise-singing, Mamman Shata is reported to have refused to sing for many high-ranking individuals who had asked him to. However, he decided to sing for commoners.

Alhaji Mamman Shata spent about 50–60 years in the music industry. He is reported to have produced over 40 to 50 albums throughout his career. Mamman Shata is reported to have said he could not recall how many songs he produced. Many of his songs, especially those he produced in his teens, were not recorded.

Political Career of Shata

It is not popularly known that Mamman Shata participated actively in partisan politics throughout his life. His political inclination was mainly left-winged, contrary to that of his sponsors and benefactors who were mostly on the right.

In the 1950s, during the First Republic, he had aligned himself to Aminu Kano’s NEPU party, which was considered a left-wing party, as many of their ideals opposed that of the right-wing NPC of Sir Ahmadu Bello and the majority of the traditional leaders.

In the 1970s, he won an election, becoming a Councilor under Kankia Local Government Area of the then Kaduna State.
Mamman Shata was elected as the chairman of SDP during the Third Republic in Funtua Local Government Area. He was later impeached from the position. This was due to his left-wing inclination and also for being against retired Major-General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, the party’s main financier in Katsina State.

Mamman Shata wasn’t able to participate much in the politics of the civilian government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 due to his ill-health.

Shata’s Death

Alhaji Mamman Shata suffered an illness that made him very uncomfortable. The Illness reached to a point that he was hospitalized in Kano and then flown to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After the operation in Jeddah on his urethra, he got some relief. After his return to Nigeria, he was then re-hospitalized in the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, where he died on 18th June 1999.

The Family of Shata

As at the time of Alhaji Mamman Shata’s death, he had three wives; Furera, Hadiza, and Binta, 19 children, and 28 grandchildren. He was buried in Daura Local Government Area of Katsina state and Emir Muhammadu Bashar, his benefactor was present at the funeral.

Awards, Honours, and Legacies

Shata has visited many countries due to his music, especially in West Africa. He had also travelled out of the continent to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage, he had also visited the United Kingdom, France and the United States of America.

Shata had sung for every topic conceivable to him, from agriculture, culture, religion, economy, politics, military, morality and etiquettes, animals, trade, etc. He had produced over 10,000 songs, many of which were not produced. To many, Alhaji Mamman Shata remains the greatest ever Hausa, singer.

Shata is also known for his great dancing skills.

Mamman Shata received many awards during his lifetime. The awards included those from the Federal Government (which made him the Member of the Order of the Niger, MON), the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), the Kano State Government, an honorary doctorate by Ahmadu Bello University in recognition for his contribution to national development, as well as the University of California, Los Angeles.