Tahir Ibrahim Tahir
Well, if I had better things to write about, I wouldn’t have written about this; notwithstanding, the character mentioned above has remained one person I have always wanted to reply or retort to, because of the manner in which he cleverly writes with slander and scorn, against northerners, Muslim northerners. A friend of mine had lamented about Aruwan’s write ups and he just couldn’t point his finger on what was wrong or incorrect with Aruwan’s presentations as my friend admitted that Aruwan was meticulous with facts and figures and perhaps verses from holy scriptures and quotations from historical books and national archives; whatever, therefore nothing could be said or done to counter this Samaila Aruwan character.
I have not bothered to look up what and who constitutes Aruwan but I can deduct from his names that he is a half breed from two countries or two geopolitical zones and therefore one who would usually be at crossroads with events and developments in our very secular state; Nigeria. Samaila is a Muslim name whether he is Muslim or not, and Aruwan is a name I am not familiar with, could be a tribe from Nigeria, could be from beyond.
Now, most northerners, especially the younger generation are very disgruntled and angry people who believe they could have been better off; the predicament they are in today is an entrapment from both bad leadership and parental upbringing. So a lot of the time I feel or understand Aruwan’s anger and frustrations with the system; but my grouse with his vituperations is one and one only, which is his loath and probably hatred for the northern Muslim.
If I cite an example here and try to justify my claim, I would be lying. But what has squarely caught my attention and prompted me to write this article is a small piece he wrote on his Facebook page, denigrating or chiding Gen. TY Danjuma for accepting the traditional titles he has been “collecting” from the different emirates in the North, most recently the Jarma of Zazzau. Of course, I was pleasantly surprised too that Danjuma would become the Jarma of Zazzau of all people but hey, in a season of digital politicking like the 2015 one, anything is possible and everything goes.
Samaila Aruwan disrespectfully called the titles TY was getting as ‘bandages’ and he criticised the General for wasting his time collecting such bandages instead of concentrating on making contributions to the educational sector which General Danjuma is now famous for nationwide. Well for one, Samaila should have known that the General is not a bigoted Nigerian, carrying venomous religious and tribal bigotry that has continued to exacerbate the troubles and problems our dear republic is facing. Samaila should also note that the General is a septuagenarian who definitely is more sagacious than Samaila will ever come to be or know; therefore General TY appreciates those bandages and thus his northern trotting, collecting one bandage or the other.
Samaila should know that those ‘bandages’ (turbans worn by traditional title holders) have a heritage that is more than 500 years old and most importantly, those bandages and the caps that come with them have for centuries been crafted in the UK and still are. They are popularly called ‘yar Ingila’ (Aruwan knows the Hausa meaning) because of where they come from.
Why do you want to humiliate traditional title holders by calling them bandages? Are you peace loving or you have a proclivity for seeking trouble by disrespecting another’s belief or lifestyle? Nigeria is a secular state but I’m sure Aruwan could even lecture me on what that means; the gap would be in Aruwan embracing the secular nature of Nigeria. We are in a hall of different colours, Aruwan, and if you do not like my colour, our bandages, then it is pointless dissing it or painting it the way you see it. It is prestigious, priceless and commands respect and honour.
If TY is called upon to have these bandages, then it is easy to interpret or appreciate what they really are and specifically not the bandages that you tagged them. Bandages are worn by brave soldiers, conquerors of heaven and earth, princes and queens, scholars and technocrats who defined our lands and societies which we are now in such a rush to transform into other cultures that have only succeeded in removing us from the ideologies of our own ancestors, and yet has not taken us into the heart of New Hampshire, nor changed our skins to white, or even albino!