Will and Ariel Durant
opined that the laws of biology are the fundamental lessons of history. We are
subject to the processes and trials of evolution, to the struggle for existence
and the survival of the fittest to survive.
The aim of
this article is not to reproduce the past, on the contrary, is to avoid
reproducing the past. "History
said R. G. Collingwood,
is for human self-knowledge ... the only clue to what man can do is what man
has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches us what man has done
and thus what man is." This piece is for posterity, it will lay bare
the realities about zing Mumuye chiefdom, its aims at educating the younger
generation of Mumuyes especially that of zing chiefdom the history and
independence of their chiefdom because "Those who cannot learn from history are
doomed to repeat it." (George Santayana). "The value of history said Carl
Becker, 1873-1945, U.S. historian, is indeed, not scientific but moral:
by liberalizing the mind, by deepening the sympathies, by fortifying the will,
it enables us to control, not society, but ourselves -- a much more important
thing; it prepares us to live more humanely in the present and to meet rather
than to foretell the future." I enjoin Youths, elders and all sons of
Mumuyes to join hand with me let pen down contributions regarding zing chiefdom
so that future generations will have something for references.
UNDERSTANDING
MURI EMIRATES AND ITS ORIGIN
Let start by
defining what is an emirate, an emirate according to my article published
online by eagle online on 3 Nov. 2015 titled (zing
chiefdom controversy Kpanti or emir) is a country, state ruled by an Emir,
while An Emir is a prince, commander or
other leader or ruler in an Islamic nation (Emirate). Muri is a town in the
north-western Taraba State of Nigeria, approximately between 9 and 11 40 E. and
7 10 and 9 40 N. Muri was founded in 1817 as a Fulbe jihad state and In 1892 -
1893 it was a de facto French protectorate, under Governor Louis Mizon (b. 1853
- d. 1899). In 1901 it became a 25,800 m². Province of the British protectorate
of Northern Nigeria bordered S. By Southern Nigeria, SE, by German Cameroon, E.
by the province of Yola, N. by Bauchi, W. by Nasarawa and Bassa with an
estimated population of about 828,000.
one of the leaders of the jihad in the east had
been Buba Yero, who had made himself master of the area enclosed in the
bend of the Gongola River, previously tributary to Bornu, and had created out
of it the new Emirate of Gombe. Muri Emirate has it origin from Buba Yero, who
also conquered some groups in the vicinity of the Muri Mountains, for example
the Yungur, already before Uthman dan Fodio’s jihad
in 1804. On his return from defeating the Fali at
Bulmi, he marched through the country of the Wurkun (Hogben, Kirk-Greene 1966:
447). After receiving a flag he went to Gombe (i.e. old Gombe or Gombe Aba) and
waged war in the region, assisted by his younger brother Hamman Ruwa. Hamman
Ruwa focused his actions on the western edge of Wurkun territory. By 1817 Hamman Ruwa had overrun most of the
area of Muri and was appointed governor of that region. However, he was murdered
by Buba Yero in 1833 on the pretext that he may be scheming for secession. Muri
Emirate extended mainly downstream along the Benue River, including Wukari,
Donga, Ibi, and Bantaji. Muhammadu Nya, a grandson of Hamman Ruwa, invaded Tiv
country as far as Katsina Ala and fought against the Kona Jukun. The latter he
could only conquer with the help of the cannons of the French adventurer Mizon.
Before his death in 1896, Muhammadu Nya made Jalingo, a war camp used to launch
raids against the Mumuye, the new headquarters of Muri Emirate (Hogben 1967:
239-243). Bauchi Emirate was founded by Yakubu, who had already received a flag
from Uthman dan Fodio before 1804. In 1809, Bauchi town was founded and in the following
years a vast area, including the Wurkun hills in the western Muri Mountains,
down to the rivers Benue and Gongola, was conquered. He pitched a war camp on
Bambur Hill (Fremantle 1972: 27) and it is said that he destroyed Kode and Gomu
and received slaves as a sign of submission, but no regular tribute was paid.
Below are the name some emirs of Muri emirate
Ø 1817 - 1833
Hamman Ruwa dan `Usman Subande (d. 1833)
Ø 1833 - 1836
Ibrahim dan Hamman Ruwa (1st time)
Ø 1836 Hamman
dan Hamman Ruwa (1st time)
Ø 1836 - 1848
Ibrahim dan Hamman Ruwa (2nd time)
Ø 1848 - 1861
Hamman dan Hamman Ruwa (2nd time)
Ø 1861 - 1869
Hamadu dan Bose (d. 1869)
Ø 1869 - 1873
Burba dan Hamman (d. 1892)
Ø 1873 - 1874
Abu Bakar dan Hamman Ruwa (d. 1874)
Ø 1874 - 1897
Muhammadu Nya dan Abi Bakar (d. 1897)
Ø 1897 - 1903
Hasan dan Muhammadu Nya (d. 1903)
Ø 1903 - 1953
Muhammadu Mafindi dan Muhammadu Nya (b. 1868 - d.1953)
Ø 1953 - 1966
Muhamman Tukur dan Muhammadu Nya (b. 1883 - d. 19)
Ø 1966 - 12
August 1986 `Umaru Abba Tukur
Ø 1988 - 20.
Abbas Tafida
ZING CHIEFDOM ENSLAVEMENT UNDER MURI EMIRATE
FROMKURU
KPANTI TO KPANTI BATURE TO EMIRATE COUNCIL
Before the colonial administration and the placing of zing under
Muri emirate, zing chiefdom was independent, kuru kpanti type of chieftaincy
was practiced, under this system, leadership or Kpanti was rotational and membership was voluntary,
Mumuye of zing chiefdom were independent. Enslavement of zing chiefdom started
with the introduction of what is called kpanti Bature. This system was called
so because the system was introduced by the British colonial masters during
indirect rule. Oral tradition has it that it was during the reign of Kpanti
bature that zing chiefdom kpanti (king) was first called Ardo zinna in the
person of Ardo Nawati, some of the Ardo or emirs under kpanti bature are
Nyaboshoba, Sambo, Zainvoro, Konburanko, Ibrahim Sambo, Mohamed Bello
Konburanko (under his reign the emirate council upgraded our chiefdom to second
class statutes in 1983 to give our chiefdom more recognition under muri
emirate),other ardo or emir are Mohammed
Mairiga Ibrahim and Abbas Ibrahim Sambo, who during his reign Zing chiefdom got its independence.
JOLLY NYAME OUR HERO
Jolly Tavoro
Nyame who hails from Zing Local Government Area of Taraba State, was the
Governor of Taraba State of Nigeria from May 29, 1999 to May
29, 2007, under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. Before Nigeria
returned to full democracy in 1999, JOLLY served as governor of Taraba state
from January 1992 to November 1993, It was during the reign of Abbas Ibrahim
Sambo that this true son of Mumeye,
Daban yorro, Jolly Nyame gave back our chiefdom her independence by upgrading
Zing chiefdom to first class statutes, the upgrading of this chiefdom remove
zing from being under Muri emirate and made zing chiefdom independent,
unfortunate the reigning kpanti then wanted or I can say structurally took zing
back to that enslavement of being under emirate, that is why our chiefdom was
addressed as zing emirate council and the Kpanti was addressed as Emir, this of
course angered Mumuyes and its also led to the uproar witnessed in 2015 after
his dead because people objected to any person that may take zing back to
enslavement like him
SOURCES
Retrieved
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muri,_Nigeria
Peter
Marubitoba et al, The Mumuye contemporary history and culture, Nigeria bible
translation trust, Jos
Jörg Adelberger, Offenbach, The
colonial subjugation of the peoples of the Muri Mountains and adjacent regions
in Northern Nigeria
The author FELIX PETER VOGAREMPI may reached
on
meetvogarempi@yahoo.com
