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The Gambo Sawaba Story

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THE GAMBO SAWABA STORY

© Echo Communications Limited

First Published 1990

Second edition 2004

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or

transmitted in any form or by any means: electric or mechanical including

photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system with-

out permission in writing from the publisher.

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The Gambo Sawaba story

ISBN - 978-37305-0-9

Echo Communications Limited,

Suite One, Inwade House

Plot 1331, Jere Street,

Garki Two

PO.Box 9476

Abuja

[email protected]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.

A project, such as this one, with all its complexities, depends essen-

tially on the good will of people.

mailto:[email protected]

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The Gambo Sawaba StoryWe acknowledge the patience of Hajiya Gambo Sawaba, who not

only accepted the project without second thoughts but on several occa-

sions, stopped attending to her numerous friends and associates to go

through the rigorous interview sessions which seemed so unending. To

Mohammed Alangade and Lawan Danbazau who gave us attention those

times we knocked on their doors, Baba Bida, Mudi Spikin, Abubakar

Rimi, Solomon Lar, Hajiya Hussaina, Baba Amartey and Mrs. Ladi Shehu,

we are very grateful. Of course, we can hardly forget Ayodele Abubakar,

Danjuma Sani, Abdulkareem Danladi Lawal, Captain John Franklin,

Danjani Hadeija, Lili Gabari, T.I.A. Ojelade, Bilkisu Ojelade, Dr Tegbo,

Adaman Kandawaro, Habiba Adamu, Haruna Jibrin, Binta Buredi, Baba

Keffi, C.E. Nwaolori, Fati Misisi and the Kuti family.

There are many more whose invaluable contribution to the success of

this project cannot be overemphasised. We are also very indebted to

Abubakar Sokoto Mohammed, Dung Pam Sha, Thomson Adanbara,

Emmanuel Gogwim, Franklin Samuila Kure, Titus Mann, Chris Abashi,

BaIa Takaya, and Mrs. Ladi Shehu for the pains they took in going through

the script and making valuable comments. To those such as Toure Kazap

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and Aminu Yusuf who lent us their books, we say a big thank you.

To Habu Dauda, Daniel Patrick Bawa, Bagauda Kaltho and Joseph

Miapyil who dedicated themselves to research, words can hardly express

our gratitude. Nor can we forget Louis Nwankwo, Hussaini Suleh and

Celina Yaro

We also wish to acknowledge the use of photographs from sources

too numerous to mention here.

Echo Communications Limited,

P. 0. Box 7534,

Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

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FOREWARD

I eagerly await the public outing of this material in a book form. For,

here is the unveiling of a living legend: GAMBO SAWABA!

Truly, Gambo Sawaba is a household name, not in vain. She is every-

thing that is ENIGMA. Why? Imagine an uncompromisingly radical Woman

Political Activist in the glorious era of emirate hegemony, a hegernonic

era that represents the epitome of male chauvinism reinforced by an ortho-

doxy of anti-feminine Islamic darika dogma! At once you get the feel of a

woman Don Quixote riding out against the windmills. Yet, not so vulnerable

this young quixotic Gambo; for, unlike old Don, she is a sure signal-flash of

a new era threatening those towering anachronisms!

Is she super human? Where does she derive her ideas? How come

she has got such boundless energy? How come her thoughts are several

generations ahead of her contemporaries, uneducated though she is? Does

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she possess mystic powers and super-natural abilities? These are some of

the questions that engage the minds of Gambo’s admirers and adversaries

alike, now put to rest in this book.

Right from the start, the major aspects of Gambo’s character emerge

very boldly. To Gambo, oppression is unbearably revolting; hence she stoutly

defends the rights of the weak. She does not brook undeserved wealth and

even shares every kobo of hers with the poor. Deeply nationalistic, she

abhors ethnicism, regionalism or any forms of discrimination based on pri-

mordial factors. She is always humble and unassuming but prides herself of

having borne the negative consequences of defending the rights of the op-

pressed. Hear her:

“If I don’t know book, I know rights... I have not been a member of

any House of Assembly (legislature). I have not held any office except that

I was a member of the House of Prison.”

That is your enigmatic Gambo Sawaba, the natural champion of Hu-

man Rights and a symbol of women (nay, human) liberation. The scourge

of oppressors this Gambo who, though a poor talaka, would not give up

the struggle even in the face of temptations and pressures. Indeed when her

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The Gambo Sawaba Storycomrades-in-arms sell out and grow rich, Gambo would rather, she grew

poorer; being contented, even punished as example for other non-com-

promising activists.

Gambo is truly the living embodiment of A Luta Continua and you

can see, radiating in her, even in old age, the absolute confidence that Vic-

toria A Certa!

B.J. Takaya

University of Jos, Nigeria

May, 1990.

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IN THE BEGINNING

Between 1900 and 1910, a young man came to Zaria; one of the

thirty Emirates in Northern Nigeria1 He was one of the thousands of immi-

grants who came to the ancient city. His accent was Ghanaian. He was a

Christian. As an educated elite from Ghana, he was clad in a well-tailored

suit. A surveyor, who graduated from the Ghana School of Survey in Accra,

he sought for employment with the Nigerian Railways Corporation. He

thus became one of the pioneering staff of the nascent railway corporation.

The name of the young man was Theophilus Wilcox Amartey Amarteifio.

He had traveled all the way from Tudun Matan Fada near Accra to Zaria.

Of course, he was not a complete alien. For such migrations and

settlement were very common in the West African region, especially those

that were under British sovereignty. Besides, migrations and resettlements

had predated the coming of the British. The people of the region had lived

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The Gambo Sawaba Storytogether, migrating from one area to another for hundreds of years. Fur-

ther, British rule only imposed artificial borders, often splitting tribes into

different countries.

However, Amarteifio’s case was a peculiar one. His people, then liv-

ing in Ghana trace their roots to Nigeria. Though there are two conflicting

accounts of their first home of origin in Nigeria before the migration to

Ghana, the two accounts are agreed on the fact that the Amarteifios pres-

ently living in Nigeria and Ghana, began their migration from Nigeria. The

first account has it that the Amarteifio family first began its journey from

Benin in the present day Bendel State of Nigeria.

From there it was believed to have traveled along the coastline to

where it is presently settled in Ghana2.The second account, however, has

it that the Amarteifio family started its journey from Argungu in Sokoto3.

Both accounts are agreed that the family was a fishing family and has re-

mained a fishing family in Ghana.

When Theophilus Wilcox Amarteifio arrived in Zaria he was not a

complete alien. He felt at home and went about his activities without inhibi-

tions.

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However, the Nigeria, which his great grand parents knew, particu-

larly the Northern parts of the country, was quite different from the one he

met. Several changes had occurred. The land mass then, known as North-

ern Nigeria, was not the one political entity the British colonialists were

trying to create out of it. There was neither a centralized political authority

nor a dominating economic power. There were, however, various inde-

pendent political Kingdoms, which were at different stages of develop-

ment. The most prominent of them was the Sokoto caliphate whose head-

quarters was in Sokoto. It was headed by the caliph, the descendants of

Usman Danfodio who led the very formidable revolt of the early nineteenth

century against oppressive material conditions and spiritual degeneration

of the Hausa States.

Next to the caliphate was the Borno Kingdom. Led by the Shehu of

Borno the people had stoutly and successfully resisted the onslaughts

launched against it by the caliphate. Borno was, and still, is known today as

a seat of Islamic learning.

Besides these two, there were also other independent kingdoms, which

were not under the control of either Borno or Sokoto. There were the

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Hajiya Gambo Sawaba (left) with a friend when she wastwenty one years old

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Hausa States of Abuja, Kebbi and Yawuri. There were also numerous

other groups such as the Kaje, Tangales, Bachamas, Kilbas, Kutebs, Jukuns,

Birom the Tivs, the Nupe among hundreds of others. The latter were largely

non Islamic.

On the eve of the intervention of colonialists, Islam was the single

most prominent religion. Majority of the people still adhered to their differ-

ent deities whose mode of belief and worship differed from one area to the

other. Christianity, which arrived before effective colonial rule, was also

growing in influence at this time.

The advent of colonialism, which was strongly resisted by the people,

was, however, to change this picture. Propelled by the need to get market

for their finished goods and room for new investments, Africa was invaded

by Europeans in what is today known as the scramble for Africa. Due to

the superiority of European weaponry and the weakening African States

suffered as a result of the several centuries of slave trade and the “legiti-

mate trade”, among other reasons4, Africa fell to the invading Europeans.

When the conquest of Africa had been completed, the colonial masters set

about organising the society in a manner that suited the objectives for which

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they invaded the continent.

For instance, Sa’ad Abubakar5 records that during the process of

occupation of Nigeria, several Emirs and Chiefs in Northern Nigeria were

deposed or forced to abandon their capitals. By 1906, at least, ten of them

had been deposed or replaced by men chosen by the British. Earlier in

1903, the British had crowned a new caliph of Sokoto - the head of the

caliphate with the title “Sultan” - who then ceased to be the political head

of the emirates. Appointments and deposition of Emirs became the pre-

rogative of the British overlords. Indeed, all independent kingdoms were

now brought under one central authority - which was the British colonial

machinery.

Resistance to British occupation, however, did not cease. For up to

the end of the First World War, armed resistance against British occupa-

tion continued. For instance, at Gwari of Gussoro, the people, in 1903,

attacked a British political officer and released some prisoners from cus-

tody. In 1908, the Dakarkari assaulted a British military team on patrol.

Administrative reforms, as introduced by the British also drew the ire of the

people. In 1916, for instance, because of the subjugation of the Montol

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(left to right) Hajiya Hussaina Ibrahim, Baba Amartey and GamboSawaba

Hussainaand Nnanusa,

Gambo’s senior sisters

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people in the present day Plateau State, to the Ankwai, also of Plateau

State, the Montol people, for the seventh time, on July 30th, 1908, at-

tacked and killed Rapman, the Chief of Ankwai along with two of his broth-

ers. Mr. M.F.F. E. Maltby, the Assistant District Officer and 50 others

were also killed.

In one of the Emirates, Zaria, the people refused to pay taxes to the

Emir after the British occupied it in 1902. The refusal of the people to pay

tax is said to have been as a result of the British propaganda, which had it

that the British were fighting to rescue the Hausa people from their Fulani

overlords.

Resistance also took the form of Mahdism. This was especially in

Katsina, Hadeija and Fika. Indeed, at Nunku in Akwanga area of present

day Nasarawa State, the protest was led by a man known as “Mai Rigan

Karfe.’ Pockets of resistance also continued in Tivland, Egbaland and

lgboland.

While the resistance of the people was still going on, the British colo-

nial authorities continued with their plans. To achieve their objectives they

decided to harmonise political developments in the country. In May 1906,

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The Gambo Sawaba Storythe Lagos Colony and protectorate of Southern Nigeria were amalgamated.

In 1914, the North and Southern protectorates were amalgamated.

In fact, due to the agitation of the educated elites, Lagos colony, as far

back as 1886, was separated from the Gold Coast and given a separate

government of its own. Its administration was vested in the Governor who

had an executive council as well as a legislative council, which comprised

of the Colonial Secretary, the Queen’s Advocate, and three unofficial mem-

bers. The number of unofficial members rose gradually until 1922 when

four of the unofficial members were elected to represent Lagos and Calabar.

This was the situation Amarteifio found when he arrived in Zaria. He

quickly reconciled himself to the situation and joined the efforts to create a

railway line - which was part of British efforts to re-direct the economy of

the country in line with its objectives of finding new markets, new room for

investments and raw materials for its industries.

When he got to Zaria, he could not settle within the city. The city was

meant exclusively at that time for the indigenes of Zaria.

At first, he settled at a spot near the city, at the present site of the

Barau Dikko Campus of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

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Later, he moved into Sabon Gari and settled at a spot known as

Layin Yan Jirgi – street where people working on the rail line live. He

might have moved, as a result of the need to live near his place of work. As

one of the earliest settlers, he, as others, set about the task of clearing

Sabon Gari of its thorny bushes. The plot allocated to him then, is now

number forty three Benin Street.

One change, which he underwent when he got to Zaria, was his con-

version from Christianity to Islam. After his conversion his name was changed

to Isa. He dropped Theophilus Wilcox and became Isa Amartey Amarteifio.

Upon his conversion, he devoted himself to the task of learning all he could

about his new religion. Though he was an educated man, he did not feel

slighted devoting himself to Koranic education. He became so devoted to

his religion that when he had children, he compelled them to follow his

footsteps.

Then he met Fatima, a Nupe woman from Emigi Lali in Lavun Local

Government Area of present day Niger State. It is believed that the great

grand parents of Fatima had migrated from Borno. Originally Beri Beri6,

they had migrated to Bida where they settled at Chanchamugu - a settle-

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The Gambo Sawaba Storyment of blacksmiths. Her great grand father was a blacksmith as well as a

warrior who gave birth to Mamman Dazu, their grand father. Mamman

Dazu is said to have been a great warrior often consulted by the Etsu Nupe.

When Amarteifio, now Isa, met Fatima she was a widow with chil-

dren. She had three children with Mohammadu Alao, her then deceased

husband, namely Safia, Kaduna and Aishatu. As at the time Isa married

her, she hawked oil, firewood and pots for a living. The marriage was

performed in accordance with Islamic rites.

The result of the marriage was seven children: six female and one

male. Among them are Hassan (deceased), Hussaina, a housewife living in

Zaria and Nnanusa, a politician who pitched her camp with the Action

Group. The others were another set of twins who died in their infancy. The

only male child of the marriage is Baba Amartey, a legal practitioner living

in Zaria. He was not only the only male child, but also the last of the chil-

dren. Born on February 15, 1933 was a female child. Immediately before

her was a set of twins, Hussaina and Hassana. The new female child was

given the name Hajaratu. But because she was born immediately after twins,

she was called Gambo, in accordance with the custom of the Hausa peo-

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ple.

By the time Hajaratu was born, the Amarteifio family was already a

big one. The house they lived in had about forty rooms. The religious fer-

vour of her father had made him very accommodating to strangers and the

needy. And so, AImaiirai from Maiduguri and elsewhere as well as peo-

ples of different ethnic belongings such as the Igbos, Yorubas and Baburawa

lived with them.

Though, he married a second wife, a Fulani woman from Sokoto by

name Hastawabi, who took care of his children after he and Fatima had

died, he so loved Fatima that he called her Iyawo, my woman.

Hajaratu, who is now known as Gambo, grew up to be well liked,

especially, by her mother. Indeed, so well did she like Gambo that when-

ever she was asked by Gambo not to do anything she would comply. This,

however, could be explained by the fact that Gambo was believed to have

possessed certain supernatural powers. One day, when, as usual, the song

“A chire de, A chire de, Achire Kashin yawo” 7 was being sung to call

people out to clean their surroundings of thorny bushes, Gambo had stood

at the door and prevented her mother from coming out. She simply went

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The Gambo Sawaba Storyback into the house. At this time, she had begun to manifest certain charac-

ter traits, which came to be associated with her. She was involved in street

brawls - and often went out of her way to seek to fight. Today, in her

reminiscences, she rationalizes what she did as standing in defence of the

weak. According to her, she could not stand by to watch a weak friend or

relation being molested. She used to take over such fights. Whenever she

got to the scenes of such fights, she would immediately say “OK, I have

bought the fight from you” to the weaker person and take over the fight.

She also used to walk about with guru - a supposedly charmed rope.

Anytime she lost it, she would look for money to buy a new one. The guru

was always tied to her waist, and was meant for girls that were stronger

than her. By this means, she used to turn an unfavorable fight to her advan-

tage.

An immediate result of her fights was the fact that her clothes, almost

always, did not last long. Her mother had to stop buying ordinary cotton

clothes for her dresses. She resorted to tarpaulins, which withstood the

rigours, which her restless nature necessitated.

Once, she had gone out hawking with her friend, now Hajiya Fatima.

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As they combed the town trying to sell off their wares, they met a certain

girl. She was one of the royal households, for her father was the Iyan Zazzau.

She teased them as they went about their duty. As if that was not enough,

she started insulting them, and they viewed the girl’s utterances seriously

‘insultive’. They pounced on the girl, beat the day light out of her and got

one of her hands fractured. Then they fled. A search was ordered for her

and Fatima. When they got to know of the danger that awaited them, they

went into hiding. This time, thanks to Gambo’s mother, Fatima, who locked

them up in one of their numerous rooms. When tempers had cooled down,

she released the two friends with a warning that they should not repeat their

action.

This was not to be. The following morning, Gambo gathered some of

her friends and asked them to follow her to one Mallam Musa Ganga’s

house. At the house, she told them to climb the wall of the house. They

refused. Her pleas did not impress her friends, as they would not heed her.

She then removed the rope she had tied round her waist and forced

the girls to climb. After she had forced the girls to climb, she followed suit.

As she did, her leg slipped and she fell very badly to the ground. Her dental

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The Gambo Sawaba Storyformular was distorted. One of her teeth was forced by the hard fall, to

stay on top of another.

Another early trait was her forthrightness. She was also reputed to be

very forthright. She was not given to telling lies. This made her particularly

popular with elderly people. Whenever they wanted to verify whether or

not someone was could lying they would seek out Gambo, whom they

believed could always be relied upon to tell the truth. This virtue seemed to

have been an influence of the mother. According to her, whenever anybody

gossiped to her mother she would invite the person against whom the alle-

gations were made and reveal it in the presence of the person who made

the allegation. In this way, people feared to tell lies in her presence.

She was not only stubborn and forthright, but her anger knew no

bounds. Even when she had grown matured she remained stubborn. She

recalls today once when both herself and Hussaina, her elder sister, were

divorced and stayed at their family house together. Something had hap-

pened which both are yet to forget. Baba, the youngest of the children,

who was then doing his Higher School Certificate studies, was at home.

Baba and Gambo were quarreling. Hussaina, as an elder sister intervened

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but Gambo would not have it. She threw out belongings of Baba and

Hussaina from the house, and shouted at them to get out of the house.

When Gambo became uncontrollable, Hussaina with a baby on her

back, hurried to the Sabon Gari Police Post. There she met one sergeant

Makama, now deceased, to whom she presented her case.

“Now, who are we going to arrest?” sergeant Makama queried

Hussaina when she finished narrating her story.“Of course, Gambo; she is

the one causing the trouble,” she replied. After thinking for a while, he

decided on a course of action, which seemed very strange to Hussaina. He

knew Gambo was stubborn and that bringing her to the Police Station

would only cause more problems.

“Okay, go out and invite any policeman you see to go with you.”

“Which one? There are several of them,” said Hussaina.

“No. Don’t worry. Just pick anyone you see,” Sergeant Makama

said.

‘Thank you very much,” Hussaina said and walked out of the station.

“Hello sir,” she greeted when she saw a policeman.

“Hello, what can I do for you?” Hussaina then went on to relate her

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The Gambo Sawaba Storystory. As she did, the enthusiasm of the police constable began to wane.

“I am sorry. I can’t help you. I am in a hurry. I am going to report to

duty. Sergeant Makama is waiting for me.” He told her.

“I am just from the station. He said I should go with any Policeman

that I meet,” she said.

“Please, look for another one. I have to report,” he said and walked

away.

She hissed and continued her search for a policeman who would ar-

rest Gambo. To her dismay, she walked round the whole of Sabon Gari,

without finding any policeman who agreed to arrest Gambo.

Exhausted Hussaina walked back home. When she got back she found

a very large crowd. The crowd was so large that it would have appeared

to anyone who did not know what was happening that there was either a

big fight going on or some form of celebration. Gambo was at the door.

She refused to let anyone enter or go out. She was, however, prevailed

upon by the people who had gathered there to let her relations pack their

property back into the house. Then she suddenly burst out crying and apolo-

gized for her actions. After this, she went into her bedroom and brought out

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Hajiaya Gambo Sawaba, with her fourth husband, Abuabakar,a business man

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The Gambo Sawaba Storyall the money she had, which amounted to five shillings. With it, she asked

Hussaina to accompany her to the market where they bought meat and

other food items, which they cooked and ate, as a mark of reconciliation.

References and Footnotes.

(1) Y.B. Usman (Ed), Studies in the History of Sokoto

Caliphate: The Sokoto Seminar Papers, 1979, ABU and Sokoto State

History Bureau.

(2) Interview on January 17,1990, with Dr. Emmanuel Nikojo

Ama Tegbo, cousin of Hajiya Gambo Sawaba. Dr. Tegbo who practices

at the Clinic Nursing Home in Wusasa, Zaria, said that his elders told him

that the family migrated from Benin City in Nigeria to Ghana. “We are the

Ga, and our family house is the Amarchire. Amarchire is in Gbese.”

(3) Interviews on November 25,1989, with Baba Amartey, im-

mediate younger brother of Hajiya Gambo Sawaba. He insists that, his

account was handed down to him by one of his uncles. Hussaina lbrahim,

Gambo’s immediate elder sister, gave the same account

(4) See Walter Rodney, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa,

Tanzania publishing House, Dar es Salam, 1972.

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(5) See Sa’ad Abubakar Northern Nigeria Under Colonial Rule,

in Obaro Ikime (Ed), Groundwork of Nigerian History, Historical Soci-

ety of Nigeria Heinemann Educational Books, 1980.

(6) Interview on November 25, 1989, at Sabon Gari, Zaria, with

Hajiya Hussaina lbrahim.

(7) The song means “come out please, come out and remove

thorns.”

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CHILDHOOD, EDUCATION.

The Hausa community, into which Gambo was born, like other Nige-

rian communities, is one in which certain beliefs of supernatural powers

and qualities abound. Among the beliefs is the one in which a Gambo, a

child that is born after a set of twins, possesses supernatural powers. A

Gambo is sometimes believed to be more gifted than his seniors, the twins,

and can, when angered, prevent food on fire from being done on time.

When this happens, the only way out is to plead with the Gambo to change

his or her mind.

A trait, which was noticed in Gambo Sawaba when she was a child,

was her unusual interest in mentally deranged people. Once when she was

still a child, a certain woman said to be mentally ill had gone to her parents’

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house and taken her away. She stayed with the woman for one week at her

residence along Cemetery Road in Sabon Gari, Zaria. After the one week

she grudgingly left the woman’s abode.

This queer behaviour, which she rationalise as her love for mad peo-

ple has remained with her over the years. People believed to be “cracked

upstairs”, both male and female, still visit her. There is a particular one who,

on coming near the house, starts calling her name, “Gambo!” “Gambo!!”

He never accepts explanations that she is absent. She gives him money,

clothes and food. He never accepts gifts from anyone in the house except

Gambo.

Habiba Adamu, a friend and tenant, recalls that when she packed into

Gambo’s house she met a resident there, a mad woman known as Tambaya,

who had a room to herself. Every day she was bathed, given food and

clothed. For six years that Habiba stayed in the compound, Tambaya was

bathed, clothed and fed. She made so much noise in the evenings that

those living in the compound, could not go to bed on time. For this reason

several of them formed the habit of going to cinema houses. By the time

they came back she would have exhausted herself and gone to sleep. One

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The Gambo Sawaba Storyday, she disappeared without a trace. When Gambo got to know of it she

wept. She sent people round to search for the missing woman. She did not

sit idly by. She also went out searching for Tambaya but the search turned

out to be fruitless. One day, someone came to the house and said that

Tambaya had died. He said he had seen the corpse. Another search was

ordered. Gambo went to the area where it was reported that Tambaya’s

corpse had been sighted. This second search, like the first one, turned out

to be a futile one.

Again, it was, and is still being strongly held by those close to her that

she could foretell the future. She remembers that it all began when, accord-

ing to her, she used to meet strange people who looked like Islamic clerics,

who told her that she would become great in future, so she should not be

frightened. They also used to tell her that if she embarked on any course of

action she would succeed. For instance, that should she tell any person

what he or she would be in future, such would turn out to be true. How-

ever, anytime she went back to those places to see those strange people

she would not see them.

Mallam Mohammed Alangade, NEPU president in Zaria and a very

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close ally of Gambo believes that she was a fortuneteller - one who cor-

rectly foretold the future. According to him, children, youths and women,

mostly those married to soldiers who were fighting at the war front con-

sulted her. He said that these worried women would give her either one or

two shillings; after which they would narrate their problems to her. For the

women, their problems were usually the need to know what had become

of their husbands at the war fronts.

She had certain objects, which she used to cast after which she would

tell the worried woman whether her husband was dead or alive. Alangade

says that whenever these predictions were cross-checked, they turned out

to be correct. A close friend of Hajiya Gambo, Hajiya Binta Buredi also

recalls that Gambo could recommend certain local medications, which, if

taken according to her directions or prescription, always helped to restore

the health of the sick.

Gambo was also believed to have been accessible to invisible spirits,

Kwan Kwamai - which protected and influenced her. These spirits, which

she said, looked like Europeans used to play with her. Times without number

she would disappear into a stream in Zaria, said to be dangerous. Some-

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The Gambo Sawaba Storytimes, even when she went with her friends, she used to disappear once

she had jumped into the river. According to her, she used to, on those

occasions, stay in the stream for one week. The spirits also came for her.

They would rouse her from sleep and take her to the stream to commune

with them. Whenever they finished playing, they would lead her back to the

bank of the stream. Not once was she ever harmed. As a result of this, she

was feared.

Whenever she got into the water, her spirit friends whom she said

were female and kids like her, would lead her to a certain place within the

water where they would play. Though she said she liked them, she could

not understand what was happening.

When this started her parents and relations were worried. But as it

continued and she was not harmed, they ceased to worry. Her mother,

however, as mothers are generally wont to do, continued to worry. So

worried and concerned was she that she accompanied Gambo out when

she went out with her friends to play lest the spirits seize her prized daugh-

ter away. Gambos, in Hausa land are also believed to possess powers,

which enable them to hold scorpions or snakes without being stung or

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bitten. If anyone offends them or makes them angry, Gambos are said to

have the power to direct the scorpions to sting such person.Hajiya Buredi

narrates that once her father had refused to buy a tray for her, with which

she wanted to hawk her wares.

She had taken her problem to Gambo.

“No problem. Come along with me to St. George Primary School.”

Young Gambo Sawaba had told her friend when she had finished stating

her problem.

“OK, lets go.” Buredi said and stood up.

Gambo Sawaba led the way. Buredi who was sulking from the disap-

pointment she received walked along hoping her problem would then be

solved.

“When we get to St. George, I will give you the tray,” Gambo had

said, as if she was replying to the unspoken hopes of her friend.

“Buredi,” she called when they got to St. George.

“Yes,” replied Buredi. “You see the hole over there? Go and dip your

hand into it and bring out the tray that is inside,” said Gambo. When Buredi

hesitated, Gambo dipped her hand into the hole, and brought out a tray,

36

The Gambo Sawaba Storywhich she quickly dropped back to the hole. Hopefully, Buredi dipped her

hand into the hole in search of the much-needed tray. When her hand got

inside, she felt something slippery. As she continued to search, she felt and

saw a snake trying to use her hand as a wedge to come out of the hole. She

screamed and tried to shake away the snake. “Don’t do that; the snake will

not harm you,” Gambo had pleaded with her friend. But Buredi was too

scared to heed the plea. She flung away the snake and took to her heels.

Not long after this incident Gambo went to school. It was to the Na-

tive Authority Primary School at Tudun Wada that she was taken to. She

then, was nine years old.

The decision to take her to a Western school, curiously, did not come

naturally to her parents. The fact that her father, Amarteifio, a Surveyor

with the Nigerian Railways Corporation, was educated notwithstanding.

Pressure was piled on her parents by an lgbo man who was called Babban

Baba, to send her and her younger brother, Baba, to school.

At the time she was in school, the Second World War was raging.

The attention of the Colonialists was on the war against Hitler, to which

hundreds of Nigerians were drafted to participate. It was also at a period

37


Hajiya Binta Tirbigidi

38

The Gambo Sawaba Storywhen the distrust for Western education in the emirates had waned consid-

erably. Products of Western education had become very popular within

their communities. But the British overlords were apprehensive, as they did

not want to complicate their problems by creating educated elites who will

give them problems as those in the Southern part of Nigeria, and as else-

where in Africa, who were constantly seeking for a role within the colonial

system, and even for independence.

The first public schools that were opened in the then Northern Region

of Nigeria were for sons of the nobility - who were required to learn some

skills to man the Native Authority offices. Thus, by 1913, only four schools

had been established. One was exclusively for the chiefs and one for the

training of mallamai. Earlier in 1910, when the department of education

was set up, the colonial administration and the Native Authorities were not

enthusiastic about it. While the British were fearful of creating agitators, the

emirs and chiefs saw Western education as a threat.

As at this time too, 1910-1913, on the eve of the amalgamation,

there were over 1900 Koranic Schools with over 143,000 students in the

Northern Region. These Koranic Schools have co-existed with Western

39


Alhaji Gambo Sawaba, gave Hajiya Sawaba Gambo, the name Sawabiya

40

The Gambo Sawaba Storyeducational schools to date. In fact, many students had to combine the two

systems. In other words, they would attend the Western school in the morn-

ing and Koranic in the evening or vice versa.

By 1935 when Gambo was two years old, the parts of Nigeria today

known as Northern Nigeria with its eleven million people had only 134

Native Authority Education schools with 6,060 pupils while the 253 Mis-

sion Schools had 12,037 pupils.

The language of instruction in the public schools was Hausa, up to

certain levels. Islamic Religious Knowledge was also part of the curricu-

lum. The major concern was character development.

The day Gambo got to school she could hardly contain her excite-

ment. Indeed, so excited was she that for some reasons, which she insist

consist partly of her seriousness to her work, she was made the leader of

the class - and was often asked to undertake certain chores. For instance,

on her first day at school, she was asked to bath a certain pupil who did not

have his bath before coming to school. Her class teacher was MaIlam

Jummare, who often asked her to bath and shave the hair of pupils who did

not cut theirs to shape. Cold water, she said, was often used. This fright-

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Malam Aminu Kano

42


Malam Lawan Danbazzau

Shehu Santanmi Joseph Tarka

43


ened the pupils who began to take personal hygiene seriously.

Mallam Jummare, according to her, discovered that she was stub-

born and serious. So he decided to use these attributes. Any time he wanted

to call her attention to something important, he would call out “Wo Gambo-

tu”. She would then reply “Hello Sir”. Then he would say “Gambo come

and do your duty”. She would then proceed to inspect the class. If, and

whenever, she saw anybody, however, big, with dirt, she would pull him

out of the class and have him bathed. With a razor blade, she was also

charged with the responsibility of barbing those with unkempt hair.

While she was a pupil she also engaged in pranks. Once, this prank

was burst and she had to pay for it. That day, while returning to Sabon Gari

from Tudun Wada, she had decided along with her friends, such as Bako

Abubakar, Audu, Lawal Dangaji, and Usman her brother-in-law, to enter

the farm of Baba Rabo. When they got into the farm they decided to help

themselves to cobs of maize. Everything had gone on well till she got home.

“Welcome my daughter,” her mother, Fatima, greeted when she en-

tered the house and had pulled out of her school uniform.

“Mother, here is maize,” she had excitedly announced to her mother

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The Gambo Sawaba Storywho had not yet seen the maize.

‘Thank you, my mamma,” her mother said. But she could not under-

stand how Gambo could have had access to fresh maize cobs.

“Did your teacher distribute maize to you at school?” she asked.

“No,” Gambo answered.

“Then, where did you get these ones?”

“We got them from Baba Rabo’s farm”

“Did he give them to you?” she asked, as she got more suspicious

about the source of the maize.

“No, when we were coming from the school, we decided to get into

the farm”.

“Was he there?”

“No, eh...” Before she could say another word, Fatima dropped the

maize cobs she was holding, seized Gambo and gave her the beating of her

life.

After closure from school each day, Gambo would proceed after her

lunch for Arabic lessons. Her teacher was Mallam Mohammed Sabo, a

Nupe man. Her father, Wilcox Amarteifio, who since his conversion to

45


Islam had remained faithful to it, and worked towards bringing his children

up in accordance with Islamic principles. He, therefore, insisted that be-

sides the regular prayers, his children had to acquire Islamic Religious

Knowledge.

Among the subjects, which they were taught at the NA school, were

Reading and Writing. The books she used were “Tasa Masara,” Waziri

Aku” and “Samun Bukin Maciji yafi Samun na Kwado.” All these in

Hausa. Handcraft skills were also imparted and pupils were expected to

learn certain crafts such as knitting and performance of domestic chores.

They were expected to be of good behaviour, as accepted then by the

society, and to imbibe morals as enunciated by lslam.

Her close associates and classmates at the primary school included

the first daughter of Baba Ahmed, presently in Libya. There is Uwani who

resides presently in Zaria and one Saude. These four were always together.

For, besides the fact that they enjoyed each other’s company, Gambo was

looked upon as a protector of her friends. Her other friends were, Mallam

Bako Abubakar, now deceased and Group Captain Lawal Dangaji.

However, three years into the primary school programme Gambo

46

The Gambo Sawaba Storyhad to withdraw. This was due to factors well beyond her control. First, in

1943, her father, who had worked in Kano, Sokoto and Zaria at different

times died. He had died in Kano while prospecting for gold for the Abdullah

Company - whose services had taken him to Gusau and other places.

While in Kano, he died not quite long after he complained of headache.

The responsibility of taking care of the children, their feeding and school

fees fell on Fatima, their mother. When her father died, Gambo had only

begun her educational career. Three years after, Fatima, too was cut down

by chicken pox and was confined to her room. Not long after, she too

died. Then, Gambo withdrew from school. This effectively ended her for-

mal educational career.

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Well, what is behind this but oppression? because if the Emir dies or

is deposed it is the Europeans who appoint him. Does a man who has a

guest ask his wife if she will agree to the guest being given food? What is

behind this but oppression?

8. From today, if any member of N.E.P.U. sees a collection of

people working and asks “Who told you to do this work?” and is told the

“Emir” and if he hears they have not been paid he must tell them to leave

the job. And if anybody asks him why he did it let him say, that I, Mallam

Aminu Kano, told him to.

The meeting took place at the Moonshine Hotel between 5,30

and 6 p.m. The audience numbered about 100. They said that there would

be further meetings in the Sabon Gari but that they would be held on the

roads only.

(Sgd.) Sgt. Makama Yandoka

(Sgd) CpI. Usman Zango

Sgd.) L/Cpl. Adamu Doro

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Rima Shawulu Kwewum,was born to EvangelistShawulu Kwewum and MrsHanatu Gasuwa Kwewumin 1961 inLupwe inpresent dayUssa LocalGovernmentArea ofTaraba State in Nigeria.He obtained a bachelors of science degree inInternational Studies from the Ahmadu Bello UniversityZaria in 19884 and proceeded to work with saveralnewspapers and magazines.He was news editor of the Nigeria StatndardNewspaper, editor free Nation magazine and associateeditor Viva magazine. Kwewum was also editor in chiefof the Northern Nigeria in Perspectives (NNIP) andfootsteps a christian magazine. He also reported for theAfrican Service of the British BroadcatsingCorpoaration (BBC)Mr. Kwewum who was a special adviser to theSpeaker House of Representatives Nigeria (2000-2003) is a prolific writer. He is the author of saveralbooks including The story of Gambo Sawaba (1990)and Nothing More to Sacrifice (2004). He is also awebdeveloper.and Internet Consultant.

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