“Abuja kwari ba ruwa amma kin ci mutum”. This is a Hausa quotation. It literally means “Abuja a valley without water but drowns a person”. The ancient Abuja town now Suleja acquired that praise due to its ability to absorb very dense population, despite being geographically located within what could be called a valley with limited space for expansion, on account of the mountain ranges and hills surrounding the town from all directions.
The ancient town is located north of river Iku a perennial river feeding the once famous and now neglected Mayanka Falls. When the founding fathers; Muhammadu Makau the last Habe king to rule Zaria,with his two brothers Abubakar Kwaka and Abubakar Jatau with many of their followers fled Zaria, after being conquered during the Jihad. Their scholars predicted that locating their new settlement north of the Iku river, not the south, shall make them formidable against any external aggression from enemies. Unless an aggressor with a combined strength of twelve kingdoms.
As an extension of the influence of the kingdom of Zazzau the Gwari and Koro of the region continued with their allegiance to Makau as it were while he was in Zaria. Obviously, that did not go down well with the Fulani leadership in Zaria. Abubakar Jatau, known asAbu–ja was the one that established the town at the demise of Muhammadu Makau. Hence, the town’s name Abuja, now known worldwide as the capital of Nigeria.
According to the Abuja Chronicle the Fulani Emir of Zaria Mamman Sani came up against Abuja all the way from Zaria, but ended up making a truce with Abu-ja the king when he discovered that although not controlled by the Fulanis the Islamic religion is strong in the land. However, Emir Yero of Zaria led another force up to the gate of the walled town of Abuja during the reign of the third Emir of Abuja Ibrahim Iyalai, but he was severely repulsed. Subsequently at the end of hostilities the fourth Emir of Abuja Muhamman Gani chose Zaria for exile when he was dethroned by the colonialists. He was received as a brother with opened arms and lived happily afterwards.
In his introduction to the Chronicle of Abuja Dr Frank Heath wrote “When the Fulani, in their holy war of conquest, drove the original Habe king of Zazzau from Zaria, he made himself a new kingdom out of these Abuja lands. Established here, he and his successors beat off every attempt of the Fulani (the last in 1893) to reduce their stronghold, one of the only three places left where the old Hausa customs survived almost unchanged. Bida fell, and most of the surrounding country was carved up into the principalities of Keffi, Nassarawa, Lapai, and last, Kontagora; indeed, control of nearly all Northern Nigeria passed into the hands of the Fulani – but never Abuja”.
Thus it was not for nothing that Makau and his followers chose this geographical area after passing so many lands and making so many to come under their control, perhaps it has to do with the inspiration the land exudes. There were certainly elements of spiritual guidance, most especially when we take into account other later pronouncements made about the region which were pointers that one day it shall be on the lime light.
In the later period during the colonial era Mr. Michael Cardew a colonial officer and renown porter was given the task of choosing a site for a pottery center for the Northern Nigeria. After touring all parts of the north he wrote in his report submitted to the Department of Commerce and Industries Kaduna in the month of April 1951 that “We decided ABUJA after all, in spite of not being on the railway, good and central for the Northern Nigeria, wonderful local pots, a nice town where trainees can live, Hausas would not be out of place there, and above all a first rate Emir – yes, hurray!!! Abuja was the place for inspiration and that would make for good pots”. Such was the inspiration that provided the driving force for the success of the Abuja pottery training centre. It succeeded in producing a world renowned potter in the person of Dr Ladi Kwali and others.
As it later turned out the same inspiration provided the driving force for the successful transfer of the capital of a great nation to Abuja. It is interesting when we compare the similarities of Mr. Cardew’s report to that submitted by Justice T A Aguda Committee that was empowered to recommend a suitable and alternative location should it determine that the FederalCapital be moved out of Lagos.
Among the key conclusions of the committee while recommending Abuja for the new capital city in August 1975 were; “A new capital is desirable, that would be secure, ethnically neutral, centrally accessible, comfortable and healthful, and possess adequate land natural resources to provide a promising base for urban development. A new capital is needed as a symbol of Nigeria’s aspiration for unity and greatness”.
While undergoing my M.Sc. Degree in Zaria, I became a family friend of one Alhaji Mahmood a colonial administrator who at one time was a District Officer in Katsina. He told me that in 1971 while in conversation with his friend, His Royal Highness Alhaji Suleimanu Barau the former Emir of Abuja, the Emir told him that “My people are underrated, they are referred to as wood and stone carriers, but I assure you,by the Grace of Allah, one day the whole of this nation shall be under their domain”. Such was the foresight of the last Emir while the town was known as Abuja, the first as it is now known as Suleja, and the custodian of the famous, magnificent and great sword of Zazzau. Has that prediction not come to pass?