Re-Enacting the Place and Position of Gobir Kingdom Beyond the
Confines of Nigeria
By
Prof. H. O. Danmole
Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Nigeria
This conference strikes me as an opportunity to re-enact the place
and position of Gobir not only within the confines of Nigeria but also West
Africa at large. Gobir has multidimensional traditions of origin. It is
therefore important in this conference to reflect on Gobir’s connections with a
number of nation-states, namely: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Egypt and Niger
Republic. Apart from all these countries, Gobir’s antecedents with Borno,
Alkalawa, Zamfara and many other localities before the beginning of the
nineteenth century need further examination because of the transformations and
change that have been taking place in those territories.
I would like to think that the wide array of topics to be addressed
by participants at this conference will enrich our knowledge of the
contributions of Gobir and the Gobirawa to the developments in Nigeria, even
before the nation was born over a hundred years ago. Gobir Kingdom and the
Gobirawa have had remarkable impact on localities both near and far from the
kingdom. The Gobirawa culture, language and literary traditions have
intermingled with those of her contiguous communities. In short, this would
have led to cultural and linguistic diffusion. Therefore, this conference is
expected to explore the historical significance of this phenomenon.
Through our study of the nineteenth century reform movement led by
Usmanu Danfodiyo in Hausaland, the pre-reform political institutions in Gobir
Kingdom and the independent nature of the Kingdom have received considerable
attention from scholars. The most important of these political institutions was
that of Sarkin Gobir. It is relevant to indicate that knowledge is constantly
updated based on unfolding events that bring new insights to what has been
previously addressed and accepted. This international conference provides a
good opportunity of evaluating the sources, both documentary and otherwise,
with a view of understanding the process of transformation that have been
taking place in the kingdom. Indeed, most of the political institutions of
pre-Islamic reform Gobir Kingdom were readily used in the Sokoto Caliphate. All
the emirates in the caliphate adopted some of these political institutions that
met their peculiar circumstances. In Ilorin Emirate, for example, many of the political
offices exist, albeit as honourary titles, till this day.
In nation building, the existence of inter-group relations have
always been a bridge builder, as such relations help promote cultural
understanding, political and religious ideologies. There is abundant evidence
to show that the Gobir Kingdom was one of the most frequented in West Africa by
Islamic scholars from North Africa and traders like the Wangarawa, well before
the nineteenth century. These visits, in no small measure, helped the spread of
Islam in the Kingdom and other places. At the same time, the Gobirawa factor
was quite manifest in places like Borno, Daura, Zamfara, Katsina, Zaria and
Kano where the Gobirawa themselves were active traders. Not only in these areas
were the Gobirawa influence radiated. It is my belief that this international
conference will give sufficient attention to the influence of Gobir Kingdom in
these areas. The Nupe, Ilorin and other parts of Yorubaland received Gobirawa
scholars and traders which led to the promotion of vibrant inter-group
relations.
It is observed that the presence of the Gobirawa in Ilorin, for
instance, predated the establishment of an emirate in the region in 1823.
Reportedly, the first Sarkin Gobir in Ilorin was a follower of Mallam Salih,
the progenitor of the Emirs of Ilorin, to different parts of Yorubaland during
Salih’s preaching tours. The office of Sarkin
Gobir has remained a respectable one in Ilorin till this day. Clearly, the
Gobirawa in Ilorin have been prominent people since the establishment of the
emirate. What is fairly certain is that there has been high degree of
intergroup relations between the Gobirawa in Ilorin and other groups in the
emirate. The Gobirawa, like other ethnic groups of Ilorin origin, have
developed a common identity peculiar to Ilorin. Indeed, the Gobirawa in Ilorin,
while keeping their identity through the ethnic facial marks, combine Yoruba
names with their Muslim names, but certainly retain Gobir as their surname.
There is hardly any scholarly work on the contributions of the Gobirawa to the
political and socio-economic development in Ilorin. It would be a matter of
pleasure for the scholars in this conference to have some thoughts on the
historical significance of this aspect of Gobirawa inter-group relations.
Apart from Ilorin, further south into Yorubaland, there is hardly
any town or city of significance in Yorubaland, especially after the Islamic
resurgence of the early nineteenth century, that the Gobirawa, in their quest
for trading and religious activities, did not settle into. These Gobirawa
migrated from different parts of Hausaland as mentioned above in the nineteenth
century. However, their population increased during the colonial rule with
other Hausa communities. In towns like Ogbomoso, Oyo, Ibadan, Osogbo, Ile-Ife,
Ijebu-Ode, Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ota and in many areas of Lagos where they were
involved in professions such as well-digging, leather working and as truck
pushing. In most of these towns they were, and still are, known as Gogobiri.
The economic and social contributions of these Gogobiri to the growth and development of these towns and cities
will need some attentions in this conference. Many Gobirawa have married Yoruba
men and women to the extent that they have acculturated and regard their
present places of abode as their towns of origin. Like in Ilorin, Gobir, the
name of the Kingdom, has now become family names of many people across many
states in Nigeria. The significance of this inter-group relations which has
often escaped consideration by scholars also deserve our attention here.
In this conference, one should not expect the participants to
ignore the early activities of Sheikh Usmanu Danfodiyo in Gobir. His call for
Islamic reform and the support he commanded speak volume about his personality,
which has received scholarly attention. Nevertheless, the relationship that
subsisted between him and Sarkuna in Gobir in a way was the catalyst that
triggered the outbreak of the Islamic reform movement. The reasons for the
Sheikh’s action are now well-known, but nothing prevents continuous
interpretations and re-interpretations in the face of the transformation that
accompanied the movement on the one hand, and the continued study of the events
on the other. Knowledge is a dynamic enterprise and as scholars, it is our duty
to bring new perspectives that would continue to refresh what we do know at a
point in time.
The key words in the title of this conference are “Transformations
and Change”. Transformation in a sense implies change from one state to another
with a view to making something better. In other words, transformation refers
to positive change. There is no doubt in my mind that the Islamic reform
movement resulted in the establishment over a vast area of modern Nigeria a
caliphate that brought changes that were positive and indelible to a large
chunk of our country, including the Gobir Kingdom. As mentioned earlier, the
political institutions of the Gobir Kingdom were embraced and adopted in the
caliphate system. It is necessary in this conference to pay attention to the
changes in terms of functions and practice of these enduring legacies of the
Gobir Kingdom on the Sokoto Caliphate. Reciprocally, in a number of ways also,
the Gobir Kingdom has had its own share of the legacies of Usmanu Danfodiyo’s
reform movement. It is expected that participants in this conference would have
some thoughts on the legacies of the Caliphate on the Gobir Kingdom. This
reflection would bring to the fore the past in the present.
The
Sokoto Caliphate, whose origin began in the Gobir Kingdom and whose ideals
ensured order and method into the administration of Hausaland in the nineteenth
century, detested colonial incursions, but eventually fell into the hands of
the British after stiff resistance. Without doubt, Islam provided the unity to
confront the British and, partly for this reason, the British had no choice but
to respect the religion of the people, and in turn had to build on the organs
of government that have been established in the caliphate. Thus, in a way, the
rudiments of indigenous administration in the Gobir Kingdom were extended to
the colonial period, though with some reforms by the British, to consolidate
their hold on the then Protectorate of Northern Nigeria.
Colonial
rule came with its own reforms in all spheres of life, especially in political
and socio-economic realms. The development of communication network meant more
interactions among Nigerians and the Gobirawa were not left out in the process.
Many of them moved to different parts of Nigeria to pursue their desired
economic livelihoods. The Gobirawa and other Hausa groups from northern Nigeria
aided the growth of Sabo or Sango communities in different parts of
southern Nigeria. Furthermore, the Gobirawa, along with other Nigerians, were
active participants in the development of the country, holding various
strategic positions in the regional and central administration. In addition,
Gobirawa were active in the realm of politics. Many of their leaders participated
actively in the struggle for the country’s independence as they, with other
prominent Nigerians, were in the forefront of the various constitution - making
processes that culminated in Nigeria’s independence in October, 1960. The part
which the Gobirawa had been playing in the socio-economic and political
transformation in the region that is now called Nigeria has evidently given the
Gobir Kingdom and its people the Gobirawa, an important place and position in
the affairs of Nigeria. It is my strong belief that participants at this
conference will extend the discussion towards unearthing the transformations
and change in this unique but defunct Kingdom.
Thank
you for listening.
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