We the people of Wawa write this passionate appeal to our governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State for his kind intervention over an issue troubling us for many years.
We deem it highly imperative to write this piece because of our strong belief in the government of the day in dispensing social justice and harmony.
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One major issue that bothers us as a people which we would like Your Excellency to look into is the non-restoration of our Emirate status since 1991 following the merger of Bogu and Agwara from the Old Kwara State upon the creation of Niger State in which we now belong.
It is worthy of note that while our contemporaries in Kwara State are enjoying First Class status, we are still existing as districts in Niger State after many centuries of existence of the Wawa Dynasty.
There have been a lot of conspiracies to stop us from getting our staff of office as a First Class Emirate which is a source of worries to us.
Many additional districts were carved out of Wawa district, thus making us of equal status with such new districts.
Sir, we write with the highest sense of humility and respect for your exalted and prestigious office. We are constrained to make the foregoing issue open to the public, of the surreptitious moves to demean and throw the Wawa Dynasty into oblivion.
We believe this administration is clearly conversant with the depth of historical antecedents of Wawa kingdom. Hence, you have shown perfect understanding on the need to change the narration of the oppressed in the face of justice. However, we have made it a point of duty to pursue legitimately our highly earned reputation to the logical conclusion, without fear of molestation and intimidation.
Conversely, in the span of the aging self-induced dominance and its accompanied trauma, the people of Wawa Kingdom are becoming more resolute in following the conventional path of seeking redress to the historical onslaught to an emirate that was in retrospect, an independent kingdom. However, it is our belief that there is no criteria at all that is required by law that the people of Wawa community and indeed its ruling class have not fulfilled. Consequently, we have always argued, we stand to be corrected if otherwise that, in the history of traditional institutions in northern Nigeria, the Wawa dynasty is the top most evidently cheated, ridiculed and relegated.
In a remarkable historical perspective, the Wawa dynasty was established in 1715 with Abdullahi Toga as the first king and Dr Mahmud Ahmed Aliyu as the 16th king of Wawa. The city of Wawa has been reliably quoted by many indigenous and foreign historians to be one of the most ancient dynasties in the Empire of Borgu. This history was admitted by Master Dwyer in 1907, when he said: “Wawa is of very old standing as one of the districts founding the Borgu country”. However, the consistent organized ruling dynasty progressed up to the 19th century. Amazed and overwhelmed by the well ruled town of Wawa, Clapperton and Lander in 1826 could not hide their satisfaction of the ruling style of the then Wawa king and hence, they called the Wawa king “a governor”. Wawa’s incredible leadership espoused her from any interference from the rulership of Bussa, Kaiama and Nikki and because of the impeccable governing criteria, Wawa ruling dynasty has for three hundred and five (305) years steered her people to prosperity.
Without prejudice to any established Emirate in Borgu Empire, we wish to emphatically state that we are being robbed, deceived and relegated by the successive government of Niger State. The government failed to consider the cultural peculiarities, hierarchy and mutual understanding that have for a long time bound us together.
Sir, it is worthy of note that we would deploy all peaceful available mechanisms to restore our lost glory. The labour of our heroes’ past shall not go in vain. We sought for this option to toe in line with the global best practices of airing grievances. By antecedence, the people of Wawa community are peaceful, law abiding and friendly. It’s a home of warm hospitality, tourism and recess.
The ordeal we as a community are facing has reached the climax. Our patience is drastically diminishing; the people’s frustration has reached a crescendo and we believe the government has all it takes to write its name in history of making the people happy and fulfilled. It is our conviction that the remedy of the said problem is within the purview of the state government to do the needful to subdue the already ignited crises from flaming to insurrection.
Facts about Wawa dynasty
- The Wawa dynasty was established in 1715. Bussa, Wawa and Kaiama were upgraded to third class staff of office at the same time. However, Wawa staff of office was later retrieved in 1903 due to illness and old age. The compendiums below are some of the throes that have inundated the Wawa dynasty in recent history:
- In 1983, it was reinstated along Babanna and Saragi.
- In 1991, upon hearing the approval of second class staff of office to Wawa by the then Governor of Kwara State Col. Alwali Zaugil Kasir, Borgu and Agwara Local Government were merged to Niger State.
- Records of assets and liabilities have shown that Borgu Local Government came with Wawa’s second class staff of office to the government of Niger State.
It is worthy of note that former Governor Alwali Zaugil Kasir is still alive.
- In 1994, Col. C.K. Emeh approved the staff of office and was aired by Kaduna Radio. Thereafter, it was subverted.
- In 1999, the fifth assembly of Niger State House of Assembly read liabilities of Borgu and Agwara on the floor of the house to be gazetted and Wawa second class staff of office was read for first and second reading which later was removed on the directive of some bigwigs.
Regalia and other symbols of authority in Wawa today include :
305-year-old handwritten Quran; a spear, traditional drums, Tambari, city walls, traditional gun, umbrella, trumpets and Fullan Albarkada.
It is in compliance with the restriction order by the government occasioned by COVID-19 and strict adherence to the non-pharmaceutical safety protocol, that we shall put on hold, some of the activities planned by the community to register our displeasure.
We appeal to your loving kindness and ever-flowing mercy to wade into the matter by setting the ball rolling on restoration of Wawa Emirate. The restoration of Wawa Emirate is the one and only solution to the perennial crises.
Please accept our assurances of the highest regards.
Abubakar Yahaya writes from Borgu on behalf of Wawa youths
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