“The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate of our great grandfather Uthman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We use the minorities in the North as willing tools and the South as a conquered territory and never allow them to rule over us and never allow them to have control over their future”- Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Saurdana of the Sokoto Caliphate and Premier of Northern Nigeria, Parrot Newspaper, 12th October, 1960, recalled by Tribune, 13th November, 2002.
These are interesting words from the most reverred, prominent and powerful Fulani leader in the history of modern Nigeria. The Saurdana's world-view, vision and intentions are well-encapsulated here and they are self-evident. They need no further explanation or analysis.
To add to the Saurdana's contribution and to butress his point, in August 2001 President Muhammadu Buhari, a proud and ascetic Fulani man whose mass appeal, popularity and following has reached cult-like proportions amongst the working class Fulani population in Nigeria said the following: "God-willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of sharia throughout the federation".
