Muhammadu Tambari

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Muhmmadu Tambari reigned as Sultan of Sokoto from 1924 to 1931, he was deposed in 1931. Tambari was the son of Muhammadu Maiturare.

Life[]

The Sokoto Caliphate leaders are partly Arabs and partly Fulani as stated by Abdullahi dan Fodio, brother of Usman dan Fodio who claimed that their family are part Fulani, and part Arabs, they claimed to descent from the Arabs through Uqba ibn Nafi who was an Arab Muslim of the Umayyad branch of the Quraysh, and hence, a member of the family of the Prophet, Uqba ibn Nafi allegedly married a Fulani woman called Bajjumangbu through which the Torodbe family of Usman dan Fodio descended.[1] Caliph Muhammed Bello writing in his book Infaq al-Mansur claimed descent from Prophet Muhammad through his paternal grandmother's lineage called Hawwa (mother of Usman dan Fodio), Alhaji Muhammadu Junaidu, Wazirin Sokoto, a scholar of Fulani history, restated the claims of Shaykh Abdullahi bin Fodio in respect of the Danfodio family been part Arabs and part Fulani, while Ahmadu Bello in his autobiography written after independence replicated Caliph's Muhammadu Bello claim of descent from the Arabs through Usman Danfodio's mother, the historical account indicates that the family of Shehu dan Fodio are partly Arabs and partly Fulani who culturally assimilated with the Hausas and can be described as Hausa-Fulani Arabs. Prior to the beginning of the 1804 Jihad the category Fulani was not important for the Torankawa (Torodbe), their literature reveals the ambivalence they had defining Torodbe-Fulani relationships. They adopted the language of the Fulbe and much ethos while maintaining a separate identity.[2] The Toronkawa clan at first recruited members from all levels of Sūdānī society, particularly the poorer people.[3] Toronkawa clerics included people whose origin was Fula, Wolof, Mande, Hausa and Berber. However, they spoke the Fula language, married into Fulbe families, and became the Fulbe scholarly caste.[4]

Prior to his selection as Sultan, Tambari was the Sarkin Gobir of Gwadabawa; his selection as Sultan was influenced by the Lieutenant Governor, William Gowers and Webster, the British resident in Sokoto. Tambari's major competitor was who was eleven years older than Tambari[5] and who was the preferred choice of the Sokoto traditional council led by Waziri Maccido. However, the masses were indifferent to the choice of Tambari over Hassan,[6] Tambari's father was respected for his kindness and they hoped his son will be kind like his father. During his reign, he did not enjoy loyalty from many of his officials due to the lack of support for his candidacy by notable men in Sokoto but depended on the support of the British to go along with his duties. Tambari consolidated his hold by firing or asking disloyal officials to resign, the first major official to resign was Waziri Maccido who resigned in September 1925,[7] some other officials dismissed were Usman the Magajin Garin of Sokoto, the chief Alkali and Usman the majidadi. He replaced Maccido with Abdulkadiri as acting Waziri, this was done despite the fact the new Waziri was not from the venerated Gidado line and despite the British resident's contemptuous attitude towards Abdulakdiri. However, three years later and on the advice of the British, he appointed Abbas as the new Waziri, Abbas had the support of notable family in Sokoto but he was not well liked by Tambari. Prominent among the children of Sultan Tambari was Sarkin Gobir Adiya.[8]

Deposition[]

Up until July, 1930, Tambari's relationship with the British residents had been cordial,[9] but in July 1930, allegations of miscarriage of justice, issuing usurious loans to district heads and consultation with African traditional religion practitioners was levied against him. Further, in October 1930, frivolous accusations were made against him by unknown persons.[10] The allegations were investigated in late 1930 and Tambari deposed.[11]

References[]

  1. ^ Abubakar, Aliyu (2005). The Torankawa Danfodio Family. Kano,Nigeria: Fero Publishers.
  2. ^ Ibrahim, Muhammad (1987). The Hausa-Fulani Arabs: A Case Study of the Genealogy of Usman Danfodio. Kadawa Press.
  3. ^ Willis, John Ralph (April 1978). "The Torodbe Clerisy: A Social View". The Journal of African History. Cambridge University Press. 19 (2): 195. doi:10.1017/s0021853700027596. JSTOR 181598. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
  4. ^ Ajayi, Jacob F. Ade (1989). Africa in the Nineteenth Century Until the 1880s. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-03917-9. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
  5. ^ Tibenderana, Peter K. The Making and Unmaking of the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Tambari: 1922–1931. Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, Vol 9, Issue 1.p. 104
  6. ^ Tibenderana. p. 109
  7. ^ Tibenderana. p. 111
  8. ^ "History of Sokoto State Logbaby". logbaby.com. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  9. ^ Tibenderana. p. 117
  10. ^ Tibenderana. p. 125
  11. ^ Barnes, A.E. (2009). Making Headway: The Introduction of Western Civilization in Colonial Northern Nigeria. University of Rochester Press. p. 60. ISBN 9781580462990. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
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