By Dr. Aliyu Ibrahim Kankara

The 282-paged book with the title shown above written by one Abdullahi Sabo Mahuta had cut through the northern Nigerian royal clan history and culture, its philosophy and leadership administrations and orientations. The book is rich and meets historical standard. The book has a quality binding, quality printing. The paper used is qualitative too that can make it to last. The title of the book is okay and captivative, that can attract readers. What is more amazing is, with 282 pages, very substantial for reading, it cannot be boring (for reading) In the contemporary times when reading culture is fading, decaying, most readers shun books with bulky pages.

As the title of the book reflected, it has seven (7) chapters, surpassing from Chapter one: The origin of Danezawa Fulbe, with accounts of theories and origin, Chapter two: settlements, scholarship and warriorship, Chapter three: Daneji’s campaign in the jihad of Shehu Usman Bin Fodiye, Chapter four: the positioning of Danezawa in the Dallazawa rulling house, Chapter five: The hierarchy and history of Galadiman Katsina from Dudi and the centers they lived, Chapter six: dealt with prominent personalities in the Danezawa family, those who made fame. And lastly, Chapter seven: dealt thoroughly with the Geography of Malumfashi, were Galadimas settled and administered people.

A reader must be overwhelmingly overtaken by the history the book cut across for a research to cover these aspects with historical impacts as done by Malam Abdullahi Sabo Mahuta, the author.

Chapter five was okay, which dealt decisively with chronology and biographies of district heads, those holding Galadima title from the beginning. This covers 81 pages, beginning from page 51 of the book and ended at page 132. I am convinced here that the chapter is rich enough to aid or catapult to another window of research. I am also overtaken by the brief biographies of sons and daughters of the royal clan who made names and fames in various for a within and outside, which was seen between pages 133 to 237.

Chapter seven too fascinated me, for it dwelled on Climate, vegetation, people and occupation were okay. The writer also made mention of religion and islam in Malumfashi. This covered 20 pages, from page 238 to 258.

However, the author should address the following for future edition of the book:

1. Let chapter seven be moved to form chapter one, or the introductory part.

2. When going through the book it was discovered the author was not keen and enthusiastic to mention dates on the forward of the book made by Bello Musa Dankano on page vii, and hence there were also no dates for his acknowledgment on page vi and for notes from the author on page x. Was the writer very weird for swimming through Usman Bin Fodiyo’s jihad that he forgot to had mentioned dates on those important items mentioned above?

3. Also, in Chapter one, the author ought not to have started with upper case, although it was a quotation from the Holy Quran. Then, the chapter, The origin of Danezawa Fulbe, with accounts of theories and origin, only covered 15 pages, which was too short, too in adequate for a section of a book that required attention of readers and other researchers. This number of pages could not covered the totality of peopling in the East, then, their migration and settlements in what is now Western African region, say Senegal, and then their scattering, dispersing and their regroupings, resettlements. What is meant here is, fifteen pages could not yield to tracing the origin of Danezawa. Let the writer think as if he is the only one writing on this angle, and, possibly, a time may arise when clans may wish to trace their ancestry. Tracing one’s origin with skeletal data is meaningless. .

4. Then, Chapter two was on movement, settlement and entry into the Hausaland by the clan. This also began from page 16 and terminated at page 30, bringing the pages covered to be only 14. This is also too skeletal and needed to be fattened for more elaborateable happenings to be encompassed even due to its sensitivity.

5. Chapter three was for Daneji’s camp in the jihad of Shehu Usman Bin Fodiye (1804-1807) which was only 8 pages. This, their roles here too needed to be more elaborable, expansiated. It is believable that the writer had not laid his hands on what was supposed to make those chapters richer and enough for another research opening.

6. Chapter four was a write-up on relationship between Emir of Katsina, Umarun Dallaje (1807-1835) and Danezawa which lasted for 10 pages, from pages 40 to 50. This too was too short for a research, to be candid. This short story could not had touched how Danezawa struggled to be in Katsina, try coming closer to emir and why, and how the relationship was strengthen that which also metamorphosed into turbaning their bantoustants to hold Galadima title. Remember, history and its tracing or origin is not a joke.

7. In the Appendix number II, pictures of prominent people of historical touch the writer placed like those of Dangaladiman Katsina I and II on pages 272 and 273, and those of Danejin Katsina I and II in pages 274 and 275 respectively should be transferred back to the main book and be placed in the relevant places of the texts.

8. In the page 266 cited traditional title holders of district head of Kafur as part of an appendix. It is recommended that they should form a separate appendix. The same should be applicable to those for Daneji, Mahuta, and the ward heads of Kafur too can form separable appendixes.

9. Lastly, in the next edition, some punctuations and wordings should properly be placed appropriately. And, the book should be edited by a university English lecturer, for the orthography and style of English to properly be updated to match a book of international standard.

Prof. Aliyu I. Kankara

Author of Shata Biography,

and a lecturer, Dept. of Geology,

Federal University Dutsin-Ma,

Saturday, 15/6/2024