Written by Reno Omokri
The extent to which supposedly intelligent and educated people expose their ignorance is really sad. And it is a very ignorant thing to say that the Hausas have dominated politics in Nigeria.
The truth is that only one Hausa man has ever governed Nigeria, and he governed for only nine months (Abdulsalami Abubakar). Murtala Mohammed and Muhammadu Buhari were/are partly Fulani. None of them had Hausa blood.
Only Murtala’s mother was Fulani, and just Buhari’s father was Fulani. Both of them grew up without their fathers.
The only pure Fulani to have governed Nigeria was Shehu Shagari, perhaps one of the most decent human beings this land had ever produced.
Umaru Musa Yar’adua was Tuareg.
Tafawa Balewa was from an ethnic nationality called Gere, which are one of the first Northern people to accept Western style Christianity, and education.
Yakubu Gowon is alive and can testify that he is an Ngas by ethnic origin.
I left Ibrahim Babangida to the end, because, as is typical with most things Babangida, his ethnicity is deliberately shrouded in controversy. And because of that, I will not add to that controversy beyond saying he is of uncertain ethnicity.
Sani Abacha is pure Kanuri, although he claimed to be of Kano origin.
The conclusion of the matter is that Hausa domination is a myth! And ever since the Shehu Uthman Dan Fodio Fulani Jihad of 1804–1808, the Hausas have been the most denigrated, downgraded and marginalised ethnicity in the geographical entity that is now known as Nigeria.
Even the one Hausa man that became Head of State for nine months, Abdulsalami Abubakar, got there purely by chance. He was to be retired by Abacha, but Abacha died before he could sign his retirement papers. Oladipo Diya, who would have automatically taken over, as Abacha’s deputy, had been convicted of coup plotting. Leaving Abdulsalami as the next in line according to military hierarchy.
That is how God gave Nigeria her only Hausa leader till date.
Reno Omokri was a presidency media aide under the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
