Allah ya Allah ya Allah
Hada kanmu Africa muso juna
Allah ya Allah ya Allah,
Hada kanmu Africa muso juna
Ethiopia tun tuni Sarki ne
Sarkin nan ko shahararre ne
A wajen mulki gogagge ne
Salasa Africa aboki ne
Allah ya Allah ya Allah,
Hada kanmu Africa muso juna
Can we please now meet you?
My name is Abubakar Ladan Zaria. I am about 74 years old because I was born in 1935. I was born inside the ancient city of Zaria. I did my Elementary School in Zaria and from there I moved to Middle School, Zaria, now known as Alhuda-huda College.
After I graduated from the Zaria Middle School, I took up a public service appointment. I served as hide and skin inspector at Kano and I also worked as veterinary officer. Thereafter, I worked at some publishing companies as distribution assistant. Most of the books we dealt with then were Hausa books like Magana Jarice, Mabudin Kwara, Tafiya Mabudin Ilimi etcetera.
Your career began with public service; what then attracted you to poetry?
I developed interest in poetry through my reading habit. I read poems of people like Mu’azu Hadeja, Sa’adu Zungur, Infiraji poems of Namangi among others. It is from there I decided to test my talent to see if I can imitate these great Hausa poets.
I began by composing some poems but because of the fact that the OAU was newly formed then, I felt composing a poem for that organization would be most appropriate. The aim was to urge the African countries to unite to fight the then colonialism that was reigning then and other injustices meted on the African countries. Allah knows best, I didn’t know that poem would be the one to bring me to limelight as it is still reigning, becoming newer every day.
Readers may want to know what motivated you to come up with the OAU poem, or have you been to so many African countries?
I have been to many African countries. It is through these errands to countries like Niger Republic, Mali, Cameroun, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Algeria and many other African countries I got so many things in my life.
The first country I visited in Africa was Niger Republic because we share so many things in common though all African countries share one thing or the other. What I cannot forget during these errands is the hospitality I received at Mauritania. I went there as a visitor on my way to Morocco, I don’t know anybody and it was already dark. I moved around the capital city of the country, Woshot, and I later went to a town called Attar. It is at that town I discovered that most people of Mauritania don’t sleep in their houses during hot season because of the extreme hot weather. They use to move to the outskirt of the town and make tents where they spent the night with their families.
I went to a tent and recited the usual Muslims’ greetings (Assalamu Alaikum) to the people inside that tent. The man in the tent came out and when he saw me, he asked me whether I was from Senegal because Senegal is their neighbouring country. I told him I was from Nigeria. He was surprised and asked me where I was going. I told him I was going to Morocco and I don’t know anybody in that town. To my surprise, this man moved out his family from the tent and left it for me to spend the night inside. I was extremely surprised and found that episode very difficult to forget.
After that, in the morning the same man went to the mosque and told the congregation of my problem and they contributed a reasonable sum of money and gave to me. That hospitality, I cannot forget.
How did you communicate to the people you mixed up with, do you speak other languages apart from Hausa?
Yes, I speak Arabic and little of English. It is because of that I move around easily in the African Arab countries.
Can you remember the number of poems you composed so far?
In every local government, place or country I have been to, I composed poems for those local governments, places or countries apart from the poems I composed on some topical national issues that demand enlightenment. Therefore, my poems are so numerous that I cannot say with precision their exact number. Nevertheless, I record all the poems I composed in a book but I cannot say the exact number now.
Can you tell us little about your family?
I have five female children and six males.
Apart from the Mauritania episode, do you have another nice experience which you cannot forget?
The nice experience that I cannot forget is my journey to Middle East. I have been to Bagdad in Iraq and Kuwait where I got a lot of money. I also visited the tomb of Sidi Abdulkadir in Bagdad. This is a very exciting experience which I would continue to remember for the rest of my life.
How is life with you now?
Life now is very hectic and horrible. I only depend on the invitations I receive from people who want me to compose poem for them either at an occasion on issues that demand publicity and enlightenment and get paid for that. In absence of that, I move around to the people I know and it is these people who give me alms because at my age now I cannot do anything that demands application of physical energy to earn a living.
Have you presented your case to the government for assistance as that your OAU poem is still a national pride?
Government has not done anything. Not even that, I was told that anyone who receives one of the national honours supposes to be collecting a stipend from the government but up to today I did not get anything from the government and I am a proud bearer of MON. I was conferred with this honour during the reigns of President Shagari.
Honestly, I am in a very critical condition. You could imagine that somebody of my age has to be going round the places begging. At a time I cannot more move around, you could imagine what would happen.
I have schooled with some prominent personalities like the emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, and anytime I go to him he assists. The former Chief Justice of the federation, Justice Muhammad Uwais is also my school mate at Alhuda-huda College and I used to visit him when he was in Abuja among many other prominent people who I know.
My major problem now in life is what to put on the table with my family. If I go to some people, I get what to eat if not I have to die in hunger.
I want to use this opportunity to call on government to do all it could to fight poverty because people like us are being rousted by poverty.
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