The Reward for Garba Maidoki’s Story is the Need for the Profiles and Biographies of the Elites of Zuru

Of course, as expected, I received a lot of reactions and responses from the coverage of Garba Musa Maidoki. From distant lands, I had the best of reactions. A few concerned friends asked me how much I was paid. Others asked, what I want from the Senator and advised me to stop if a contract was not agreed upon.

I reminded a few close allies that I did the same for Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah at the beginning of his Senatorial tenure, particularly when Ahmed Idris of CUPS and Abubakar Meli were insolent to him. My write-ups on that are still intact on the net. Similarly, I did the same to Dr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki, whom I owe great respect. Although he knew I was not partisan and had no monetary contributions to offer, and will not join his campaign trail; he personally called to inform me that he had made up his mind to contest. No politician in Zuru accorded me such an honour, NONE!

The gospel truth is that one can only contribute what he has to his community, I reminded my advisers.

However, I indeed have greater goals for undertaking such ventures. I fell in love with the history of Zuru, and until the people of Zuru recount their story by themselves, I will not rest my oars.

And in Garba Musa Maidoki, I have achieved many of the objectives. A senior citizen narrated to me how he got most of the information about his lineage. When I asked him if it was written, he said he has put a plan in motion to that effect. He will start by getting an exercise book and capturing everything as he was told.

Very early one day, one of Garba Maidoki’s family members called me to disagree with some of my findings about their family. I told him to hold on while I called back, because a critic is not someone you joke with. He is an asset. So, I did call back. I listened to him. We later agreed aside the names of the great-grandparents; I was more on tract than he actually knew. For up till now, the gaps of dates and other facts in the story are still missing.

Most importantly was how I arose a tremendous interest in the family history.

I had a sound sleep the day a young, but senior military officer called me to disagree with my position on Dabai's supremacy over and above other Zuru historical heritages. He said, his elders told him that Dabai was politically subservient to Isgogo. I asked him if the facts were documented. He too promised to undertake that project soonest.

I thought to myself, the Garba Musa Maidoki’s story has awoken a sleeping crocodile in the Zuru people. I slept with a smile that day. No amount of money will give me such inner peace.

When I undertook to write about my ancestors of Macheka, I came to terms that no one book can capture the history of Zuru. Macheka alone may need volumes of books to capture the heritage of the five clans that made the settlement. Personally, the story of the Biko (my family) family’s ancestral C’kolo (slave exploits) will make a book, so is that of other families.

Each trade, each custom, each tradition and each festival or harvest or hunting expedition or the story of the wrestling champion or the satires songs of Yadato and many more will all take volumes of books.

I welcome the day that every clan in every settlement will document their historical antecedence, heritage, cultures and traditions in their modern life.

But, this is my pain. I am lifting this quote from my book,

I jokingly told my wife – a Hausa woman, that the white man went to the Hausa overloads and asked for the name of those “pagan” tribes, referring to my ancestors. The leader called his scribe: “magatakadda, menene sunan yaren arnan can?’ The scribe retorted, ‘Allah Ya ba ka nasara, Ya ja zamanin ka, kana nufin Dakarkarin can?’ As light-hearted as that sounded, that was how the history of Zuru was written without any consultation or input from the indigenous people. The major reason for doing that was because the people of the Territory were depicted as illiterate pagans. Therefore, history was written for ‘these unlettered pagans’.

My pains reverberated each time I recalled that all my findings disassociated my ancestors with Dakarkari, the Pejorative Hausa Name for my people. I am still in pain.

Do we still need foreigners to write out story for us? Garba Maidoki’ story is a modest attempt aim at answering that question.

It was quite true that the history of our ancestors and even the few kingdoms within their territory were not known to the outside world. There was no known notable Empire or Kingdom recorded in the history of Zuru. There was also no record of outstanding leaders, or great battles or political revolution that launched the Zuru history on the global map.

However, in today’s world, the people’s past consists of much more than the rise and fall of Kingdoms. Also, Zuru’s distinct languages, unique cultures and customs, dynamic social and self-sustainable economic factors, more than atoned for the other elements of history.

Zuru’s rich socio-cultural heritage which binds the fabric of its society is in itself history. The most important of all, the biographies of Zuru’s illustrious sons and daughters is a great contribution to the rich heritage of courage, patriotism, sacrifice and selfless service to their fatherland.

It is unfortunate that this great history of our leaders is conspicuously omitted, either tacitly or overtly, by omission or commission.