Department of History, UDU, Sokoto

and Department of History and Security Studies, UMYU, Katsina

Introduction 

Right from the scratch, the founders of NEPU, with Abba Maikwaru spearheading the struggle, had no illusions about the enormity of the task before them, or pitfalls they must encounter. But with faith in the cause of the struggle and determination to succeed, they set out courageously and proudly in their ‘Forward Ever, Backward Never’ motto towards the realization of democracy and social justice. Their first strategy was to intensify NEPU’s mass appeal in every nook and cranny of Northern Nigeria through the propagation of the party’s ideals, it values and expectations in a manner comprehensible to the ordinary people by way of lectures, handbills, party songs and opening new branches.  Thus, within a short period of time NEPU succeeded in establishing branches all over the country with NEPU leaders travelling to several towns to deliver lectures and set up the organisation and open new branches. For example, from 1950 to 1955 many branches were opened in Bauchi, Azare, Maiduguri, Benue and Jos. In most of the branches, NEPU preached a new brand of social welfarism through reforming the autocratic institutions of traditional rulers in Northern Nigeria.  Thus, within a short period of time, the activities of NEPU attracted the attention of many people from Katsina, Zaria, Sokoto and Keffi. As regards to the former, there were people like M.D Yusuf,Wada Nas and Samban Barkan among others. These people were the first to embrace NEPU from Katsina emirate.  

So, radicalism continued to gather momentum in Katsina emirate so much so that the NEPU members in Katsina invited Malam Aminu Kano in 1952 to Katsina to open an office. In return, Malam honoured their invitation sending Magaji Danbatta, Alhaji Musa Kalla, Abba Maikwaru, Baballiya Manager, Abdulkadir Na Adamu Danjaji, Bello Ijumu, Malam Baba Banufe and Mudu Sipikin to commission the office.  The committee arrived Katsina at around 12:00pm, on 14th March, 1952. They were lodged at Malam Sani Yansiluyu’s house, Katsina. After they had a lunch, they preceded to Katsina NEPU office accompanied by other NEPU supporters in Katsina. In the usual practice of NEPU Magaji Danbatta delivered a lecture and inaugurated the Katsina NEPU officials under the leadership of M.D Yusuf, Malam Isah Buli Secretary, Alhaji Muhammadu Anda Funtua president RSS and Datti Aliyu Malumfashi as his secretary.  Alhaji Ibrahim Hayin Gada was made the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the new branch. It was at this occasion that M.D Yusuf raised the NEPU flag for the first time in Katsina. 

Furthermore, the emergence of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) during the Second Republic also served as another impetus for the spread of radicalism in Katsina Emirate. This is because the party was out to emancipate Talakawa and fight against human rights abuses which the people were for long subjected to. This development no doubt affected most part of the emirate especially on its attempts to abolish Haraji and Jangali which were important avenues the traditional institutions muscle the Talakawa in the state. The people of Katsina accepted the PRP in 1979 because they perceived that the party as the only party in the country committed to create a new social order with equity, justice, fairness and universal suffrage. This would help Talakawa to appreciate their true position in the scheme of things 

 

 It is base of this that the article discusses the heroes of radical politics in Katsina Emirate which include M.D Yusuf, Wada Nas, Musa Musawa, Samban Barkan and Yusuf Bala Usman. This would help us to appreciate their profiles, philosophies and legacies left behind so that our generation and those yet unborn would see their efforts in the fight against the cause of the common man in the emirate. 

Brief Profiles of the Heroes of Radical Politics in Katsina Emirate 

Like any other Emirate in the country, Katsina Emirate had produced many politicians who played important roles in the political history of the area Most of these politicians participated in the politics of the First and Second Republics. Therefore, considering their roles in the area it is important to examine some of the heroes of radical politics in the emirate so that at the end one could appreciate their roles in the history of radical politics in the area. These influential politicians are Wada Nas, Musa Musawa, Samban Barkan, M.D Yusuf and Yusuf Bala Usman.

Muhammadu Dikko Yusuf was born in Katsina on 10th November, 1931 to Yusuf Lamba one of the sons of Emir of Katsina Alhaji Muhamadu Dikko. He was first educated at Katsina Middle School before he went to Kano in 1947 to pursue his secondary education at the school for Arabic Studies which was popularly called the law school in those days. After completing his studies he was employed by the Katsina Native Authority in 1949. He worked in the Katsina central office from 1949 to 1954. From 1952 to 1953 he attended the Institute of Administration in Zaria. After some years he transferred his service from Katsina Native Authority to the Northern Regional Government in 1956. In 1956 he went to Oxford University where he undertook the special administrative officer’s course at Christchurch College. Returning to Nigeria in 1957, he was posted to Ilorin as an Assistant District Officer. In 1959 he was sent to Kaduna to join the Northern Regional Public Service Commission where his duty was to recruit junior administrative officers and arrange opportune ities for young Nigerians to gain higher qualifications in order for them to participate in the Nigerianisation of public service which was taking place all over the country. A year after independence, M.D Yusuf joined the Federal Government Service but he was not release until 1962.  Between 1962 and 1964 M.D took an intensive course of training in the broadcast aspect of police operations. He was then posted to Kaduna as Assistant Commissioner of Police. He joined the force on this rank because of his seniority in the public service at that time.  M.D Yusuf spent most of his career at the police force to the extent he rose to the position of Inspector general of Police in 1975. 

However, the political caeer of Yusuf could trace back to 1950 when he was a student at Arabic school in Kano. It was at this school that he was influenced by the radical ideas of Malam Aminu Kano. Therefore, soon after its formation in 1950, Yusuf was one of those who invited Malam Aminu to Katsina to open NEPU office and he became the Secretary of the branch and later the president after the death of Mohammadu Anda. It was at this occasion that M.D raised the NEPU flag for the first time in Katsina. 

This was considered an extremely brave move especially by a member of the royal house whose privileged NEPU opposed. According to him, he said, ‘there was a lot of fear in those days because people were persecuted for their belief, but as I belonged to the persecuting class, I provided some protection for the members by my membership.  Therefore, throughout the First Republic, Yusuf remained one of the strong members of NEPU. Thus, after his retire from service he joined politics in 1979 when the country return to democratic rule again. For him, he found Peoples Redemption Party as convenient to him because its manifestoes and ideology. He became a card carrying member of the PRP a party according to him supported by the masses in the north. Therefore, Yusuf became one of the strong men in the party in Katsina to the extent that they defeated the National party of Nigeria during the gubernatorial elections in the then Kaduna state. The defeat was a serious blow to the NPN considering that fact that the traditional rulers and educated elites were behind the party. So, he continued to be in PRP up to 1984 when the military staged a coup against Shagari and took over the reins of power. 

After many years of military rule Yusuf return to politics in 1993 when Late president Abacha wanted to return the country to civilian rule. Thus, Yusuf announced his intention to seek nomination for the presidential ticket on the platform of the Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM). His reason for the contest was his long tradition of dedicated service to his nation and unconventional adherence to the philosophy of support for the cause of the common man. He further contends that ‘he was motivated by the need for all Nigerians of goodwill to come forward to help bring about a truly democratic form of government for the nation’.   At the same time he says, he observed the growth of fear and complacency which seems to have gripped the political class since 1993 and he hoped to break the cycle by emerging from his customary back-room role into the forefront of the political contest to show the nation that the spirit of sacrifice and dedication is still alive in the land.   It was in the context of this that government abolished the political parties and introduced new once. It was based on this that Yusuf together with some of his colleagues from other parts of the country formed Movement for Democratic Justice (MDJ) under his leadership. Under this arrangement, the government wanted all political groups to organised themselves into political parties and contest Local Government elections base on certain criteria. Unfortunately, MDJ could not fulfil the criteria so the association was not registered as a party to contesting for election in the country. This was how Yusuf and his association lost the whole political process during the 1995 and after. However, when the country return to another democratic rule in 1999 Yusuf was already old to take part in politics, thus, remained one of the political caucus in Katsina emirate and indeed Northern Nigeria until his death in 2014.

           Alhaji Wada Nas was born on 15th February, 1938 at Funtua. He was enrolled into Funtua Elementary form 1945-1948. After graduating from elementary school he gain admission to Katsina Middle School from 1948-1952.  He went to Katsina Teachers College from 1953-1954 where he obtained his Grade III Teachers certificate. Having got the minimum requirement for teaching profession, he was employed as primary school teacher by Katsina Native Authority in 1955. He was posted to Kankara primary school. He worked in Kankara for the period of two years as class room teacher. From Kankara he was transferred to Kaita primary school.  At Kaita Wada suffered a lot of humiliation to the extent that before his arrival to Kaita, the people of the area were told about him.  In fact Wada in his pamphlet described the condition he found himself in Kaita when he says

Before I report to Kaita the people of the town were told bad things against me. On my arrival the Headmaster and the District Head were all not happy with the posting on the ground that I am Dan NEPU who if care is not taken I will destabilized the school and the town as a whole. 

              He further said that after presenting the posting letter to the headmaster he was taken to a house very close to the school. The house had two rooms and a toilet. Wada was given the first room which was very close the entrance of the house. Surprisingly, the windows of the room were plastered with mud. This indirectly means for him to sleep in the room he must let the door open because of heat. At his first night at Kaita, a drummer went round warning people not to have anything to do with Wada. As such people were scared to interact with him. In the long run, he had to trek from Kaita to Katsina a distance of twelve kilometres weekly to buy food stuffs. This was how Wada lived in Kaita under difficult condition.  However, the reason why Wada was badly treated according to Datti Malumfashi was that in those days teachers were seen as active NEPU supporters. Therefore, Katsina N.A and indeed the districts heads would do everything possible to frustrate them as shown in the above paragraphs. This was true because Wada was an active NEPU supporter who played a significant role in the spread of the party in Southern Katsina. Having spent four month in Kaita Wada was transferred to N.A office in Katsina. At the N.A office, Wada witnessed a new form of humiliation to the extent that in 1959 Wada had to resign his appointment and joined politics. 

           

    As one of the founders of NEPU in Southern Katsina Wada joined politics after he retired from service in 1959. Thus, his party (NEPU) gave him the ticket to contest for member Regional House of Assembly representing Maska/Makama constituency in 1959 election. Wada defeated Lurwanu Garba of NPC. Unfortunately, after winning the election, Wada defected from NEPU and joined NPC on the ground that the party caucus in Katsina were against his election and continued to mount pressure on him especially on his attempt to support a bill for the creation of additional constituencies in the province.  

            During the Second Republic Wada happened to be one of the caucus of NPN in Kaduna state. He emerged as the secretary of the party from 1979 to 1983. So, throughout 1979 and after Wada was the Secretary of the NPN and Musa Musawa was the Chairman of the PRP. Thus, on the eve of 1983 elections Wada left his post and contested for the post of member House of Representatives representing Funtua/Bakori constituency. Wada lost the election to Rabiu Maitumatir of PRP. So, throughout the Second Republic, Wada remained an active supporter of the NPN until the military took over in 1983 following a coup d’état by General Muhammadu Buhari and his cohorts.  With the emergence of Buhari, political parties were ban and politicians were charged with corruption and most of them were jailed. The ban of democracy forced Wada to go back to his farm in Funtua until in 1992 when the then President General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida promised to return the country to a democratic rule.  Babangida introduced two political parties i.e SDP and NRC. Wada emerged the Chairman of the NRC in Katsina state. He also served as the campaign coordinator of Saidu Barda the gubernatorial aspirant of the party during the 1992 elections in the state. Wada continued to be in this position up to the time when General Abacha toppled the Interim National Government of Chief Ernest Shonekan in 1993.  In discussing his appointment as campaign coordinator of Saidu Barda Ibrahim and Abubakar in their book maintained that:

As part of his efforts to win elections in the state, Saidu Barda appointed three politicians from each zone as his campaign coordinators during the 1992 gubernatorial elections in the state. From Daura zone Saidu picked Abdu Mashi and from Katsina central zone Iro Abubakar Dan-musa was appointed as the coordinator. From Funtua zone Saidu picked the Chairman of the party Alhaji Wada Nas as his campaign coordinator. 

     The choice of Wada was not farfetched but lies on the fact that he was the Chairman of the party and a figure in the zone who was highly respected because of his ideology in social justice and human dignity.  In fact Sani Maiyadi maintained that ‘Wada was appointed because of his political experiences and a freedom fighter in the zone that cherished the course of the common man since the time of NEPU’.