The Biography of Shehu Usman Dan Fodio

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In writing the foreword to this booklet The Biography of Shehu Usman Dan Fodio one cannot escape from the nagging consciousness that no matter how copiously one pays a deserving tribute to the memory of this great scholar and religious reformer one errs inadvertently on the side of fair play. In this modern age, what tribute could be more deserving than an attempt by an individual, at presenting to Nigeria in particular and the world in general, the vicissitudes of life as experienced by Shehu Usman (May the blessingbof Allah be upon him) during his span of life. He was abstemious,humble and pious. But in spite of these qualities and many other virtues associated with his name, his detractors (among whom were British administrators) left no stone unturned to cast a slur upon his character with the sole aim of belittling his achievements. In recent years the need has been felt for a comprehensive biography of Shehu Usman Dan Fodio whose name has become legendary not only in Nigeria but also on the West Coast of Africa. I hope an achievement has now been made in satisfying that need by writing the biography of this noble character through whose instrumentality the Fulani hegemony over the Hausaland was established more than a century ago.

I have no doubt in my mind that there is nothing more appropriate than to dedicate the biography of this revered cleric to the memory of his great grandson, the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and the Vice President of the World Muslim League, who spent most of his life promoting the cause of Islam.The Sardauna, like many other prominent leaders, paid the highest price of leadership and succumbed to the bullets of the assassin. He was brutally murdered in cold blood together with his wife, Hajja Hafsatu, the daughter of Waziri Macido of Sokoto in the early hours of January 15, 1966 (25th Ramadan, 1385 A.H.) in a military uprising. It is hoped that he died for a cause which he strongly believed was the right one. Indeed, whatever opinion one may have against the Sardauna’s shortcomings, one thing is certain he was the greatest protagonist of the Northernisation Policy’,being the initiator of the philosophy. Posterity will decide fairly whether or not the Sardauna was killed for his policy of Northernisation, which he strongly believed to be the best for promoting the solidarity, prosperity and happiness of Nigeria.But it is rather surprising enough that just within a year of the Sardauna’s death, those people who criticised his policy of Northernisation as feudalistic and reactionary suddenly turned over a new leaf and started to extol to the sky the principle of this very policy of North for the Northerners, East for the Easterners, etc. which they had hitherto condemned.