This is Birnin Kebbi

Almost a decade ago, on January 22, 1996 to be precise, I had set out to explore some parts of Kebbi State. Since the towns of Argungu and Birnin Kebbi, capital of Kebbi State, were already well-known, I deliberately added relatively obscure settlements like Koko, Yauri, Bunza, Kamba, Dole Kaina and Kaoje to my destinations.

Coming via Kontagora in Niger State, I could have spared myself much stress by easily travelling to Koko through Yauri. But who says even stress can’t be fun, when you’re out adventure-hunting. The fare, travelling directly to Koko was N160, those days. But, if you hopped to Yauri from Kontagora at N80 and moved on to Koko from Yauri at N60, the total fare came to N140.

Why go through so much trouble just to save N20? Well, it wasn’t so much about the money as going out to really know your country. The more settlements I touched, the better I’d feel, I had thought. And so it turned out to be. Nonetheless, N20 was also a lot of money ten years ago. For example, a 25 cl volume of Coca-cola cost N12 in Yelwa-Yauri in January 1996. Moreover, N20 paid for tummy-filling lunch at Sherifatu’s buka inside the Yelwa motor park, those days. Who could forget Sherifatu?
Her fluency in the Hausa language almost misled me into taking the Yoruba woman for a Malami. But this is not the only reason I could not forget Aunty Sheri: Her large balls of pounded yam cost a paltry N5 each. And even if you hadn’t eaten for days, you couldn’t finish four. I settled for two, and still couldn’t "clear" N10 worth of Sherifatu’s iyan. My lunch came to N20 because I also bought a huge chunk of mutton for N10. Truly, those were better days in Nigeria!
I wasn’t really surprised at how cheap meat was in Kebbi, for in Koko and many other settlements across this state, sheep, goats, cattle and even beasts of burden like donkeys, camels and so on, virtually contest the right of way with humans inside the motorpark. Aside the plenitude of animals, the garage grounds were also littered with sugar cane peels and other refuse.
All around, I could see many people pushing wheelbarrows in different directions. Many of these carts were overladen with large bags of detergents and sundry wares. Some of the wheelbarrows were being rolled in the direction of buses bound for the Nigeria-Niger frontier town of Kamba. I also saw many young girls hawking loaves of bread as well as dozens of men perched precariously atop a lorry bearing the inscription, Goods only.

Able to see clearly now, after lunch, I looked around Koko garage and noticed that blocks of shops bordered all four sides of its rectangular confines. A block housing auto spares’ shops stood between the garage’s entrance and outlet. From some of these stores, I could hear my Igbo brothers speaking their lingo. To the left, on entering this motor park, I had sighted a row of ile-onje (bukas) run by my Yoruba sisters. In fact, it was the spicy aroma rising from the simmering pots of obe-ata (stew/sauce) in the surrounding outdoor kitchens that drew my attention to Sheri’s buka, in the first place. On my way to the motor park’s exit, I stopped by the stall of a mai-goro, and had to cough out N10 for a small-size kolanut: Food might be cheap across Kebbi, but goro sure seems like a luxury here, I mused.

Soon, I was out of the motor park and sauntering through adjacent streets soaking in the ambience before going to secure a place to pass the night. That done, I hit town for photography.
Skirting over Kebbi in January 1996, we once came upon a long line of fallen electricity cables bordering the road between Suru and Dondi local government areas. Further down this avenue, we hit a maraba (junction), where the driver turned left; taking us to Kamba. Almost ten years ago, when we went out to savour the allurements of Kebbi, the trip took us as far as Majia, where then Nigerian government and their Benin Republic counterpart had set up a special committee to look into border issues concerning this cotton-rich frontier area. To get to Majia, we had travelled to Dole Kaina, Lolo and Maje. There had been a boat ride along the way, but I can’t exactly recall where we crossed a river, now. However, my logbook reveals I paid N60 to get to Dole Kaina from Kamba. From the latter, I had spent another N30 to reach Ka’oje, where I was lucky to meet Shehu Ka’oje, a former press secretary to Nigeria’s late Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Alhaji Kaoje also served as Chief Press Secretary to the late Governor of old Sokoto State, Alhaji Shehu Kangiwa. After a brief stop at the residence of Shehu Kaoje, I had moved on to Gbagudo, at a fare of N30, before returning to Koko.

Latest tour
Recently, I decided to retrace my steps, though not every kilometer of the way, to Kebbi. Unlike the route of my 1996 trip, when I travelled from Lagos through Ibadan, Ilorin, Jebba and Kontagora to the Kebbi lands, I rerouted my itinerary, this time, to take me from Lagos into the Benin Republic economic centre of Cotonou and then travelled all the way inside Benin to one of the northernmost tips of that neighbouring country and then re-entered Nigeria via the Niger Republic town of Gaya. It was from the Beninese town of Malanville that I later made my way to Kamba in Nigeria’s Land of Equity. Travelling from Malanville to Kamba took less than an hour. A substantial part of that journey was across the bumpy, non-asphalted Sabo Birnin to Tusun Djado Road, which seemed to worsen as we got nearer to Kamba in Nigeria. At Kamba, we met the frontier post almost unchanged after a decade. A quick look-in at the offices of the various security agencies yielded no information as each person we spoke to referred us to the zonal office, either in Sokoto or Birnin Kebbi. Since Sokoto lies almost four hours away, we settled on going to Birnin Kebbi, first.

Inside Birnin Kebbi
Welcome to Birnin Kebbi. This is a loaded city, and you can glean this from the town’s multiple roles. Presently, Birnin Kebbi town is not only Capital of Kebbi State; the ancient city also doubles as headquarters of Birnin Kebbi Local Government Council, aside serving as headquarters of Gwandu Emirate or seat of the local Emir. Birnin Kebbi LGA is one of the 21 local government units that make up Kebbi State. Thus far, our visits to Kebbi have taken us to over ten LGAs, including Birnin Kebbi. The other LGAs that we’ve toured are Aliero, Argungu, Bunza, Gwandu, Jega, Kalgo and Koko/Besse.
Historical sources say Birnin Kebbi was founded, many centuries ago by members of the Kabawa ethnic group. Over some centuries, the settlement evolved into a major commercial centre. Later, Birnin Kebbi was adopted as the administrative headquarters of the Kabawa dynasty, a status it maintained, until the 18th century Fulani Jihad, led by Shehu Usman Dan Fodio.
The Jihadists’ capture of Birnin Kebbi forced the Kabawa to flee northeast to the present location of Argungu, which consequently became the Kabawa’s new capital. Interestingly, it was from Gwandu, another Kebbi town, that the Jihadist operated and subsequently subdued other western territories. Later, the Jihadist relocated their seat of government from Gwandu to Ambursa, a new settlement some kilometres from Birnin Kebbi. However, Birnin Kebbi was to stage a resurgence, when it was restored as the administrative headquarters of the Gwandu Emirate, following the creation of Emirates after the arrival of the British colonial authorities.
Birnin Kebbi comprises three distinct units: The Old Town, Nassarawa and the Government Reservation Area (GRA). Birnin Kebbi’s Old Town consists of smaller, though densely populated, units such as Tudun Wada, Takalafiya, Yar-yara Gama-gira, Kofar-Kola Dandi, Illela Yari, Makera Gandu and Baiti. Notable sights in these areas include Ubandoma’s residence, two Jumu'at mosques, the Birnin Kebbi Prison Yard, Local Government Secretariat and Kebbi Urban Development Authority (KUDA) offices.
Nassarawa, which holds principally, Kofar Fada, Junju, Unguwar Zabarmawa, Rafin Atiku and Badariya, is a latter-day settlement. This is implicit in this quarter’s other epithet, Sabon Gari (New Town). Abdullahi Fodio’s Palace, a hospital, government offices and a number of other important landmarks dot Nassarawa, which also boasts a main market.
Birnin Kebbi’s GRA is where colonial-era whites lived in this part of Kebbi State. This is why the GRA was established in the first place. To date, the State Government House, Government Lodge and residential quarters of top brass civil servants and private industry fat cats all stand in Birnin Kebbi’s GRA.
Aside these three old parts of town, Birnin Kebbi features a sprawling private property called Gesse Estate, a new development with over 300 housing units. Gesse Estate, which holds the Legislators' Quarters and the local Ministry of Women Affairs, was probably inspired by the biting scarcity of accommodation after Kebbi was created in 1991. The Kebbi State capital also includes an estate called D-Gs Quarters as well as Gwadangaji Quarters, apparently rehabilitated from the ruins of an abandoned estate comprising 110 housing units. The foundations of Gwandangaji Quarters were laid between 1979 and 1983, during the Alhaji Shehu Shagari Presidency. The project, like many of its type across the country, was left uncompleted for decades until the Kebbi government modified its plans and finished the buildings for its civil servants’ accommodation.

Kebbi’s inhabitants
Being an ancient metropolis, Birnin Kebbi’s population attracted its share of non-aborigines a long time ago. Following its adoption as Kebbi State capital, it was only to be expected that Birnin Kebbi would further blossom as a melting pot of diverse ethnic groups. Apart from members of all the ethnic groups found in Kebbi State, such as Dankarkari from Zuru area, Gungawa and Kambari from Yauri, Dandawa from Illo area, Fulani from Ka'oje, Dakin Gari and Bunza areas and Kabawa, Zabarmawa from Gwandu and Argungu Emirates, among others, Birnin Kebbi is also home to countless Nigerians from other states.
Walking along many parts of Birnin Kebbi, we heard people speaking Yoruba and Igbo. Although some Hausa-Fulani are members of this city’s ruling class, many of the Hausa-speaking inhabitants of Birnin Kebbi are actually Nupe, Kanuri or from many parts of the old Northern Region. Fortunately, the charitable and mature stance of Kebbi’s natural and political leaders, has fostered peaceful co-existence among the state’s heterogeneous inhabitants.

The climate
Outside the rainy season, which starts around May/June and lasts till the end of October every year, Birnin Kebbi could pose a challenge for the visitor from cooler climes. A government source admits that "The remaining months are generally hot and dry" and "Owing to its geographical location, Birnin Kebbi enjoys tropical-type climatic conditions characterized by very hot weather…" The town’s temperature is often in excess of 32 degrees Celsius.
Moreover, during "the months of November and December (sometimes extending up to January ending), the area comes under the influence of the North-East trade winds, generally referred to as the Harmattan. The winds are dry and extremely cold, dust-laden with heavy fog", according to Kebbi State Government sources.

Road network
Apart from the poor state of road coming from the border town of Kamba, which stands on the fringes of Niger Republic, Birnin Kebbi and other major towns in Kebbi State have some of Nigeria’s smoothest road networks. This has come at a huge cost. For example, as at 2002, Kebbi State Government had spent a total of roughly N14, 7 million on the provision of streetlight along various roads in the state capital, alone.
Furthermore, the state’s technical hands have also been profitably engaged as direct labour in the construction and maintenance of urban roads. From the state of this town’s avenues, it is easy to agree that relevant local agencies have been carrying out maintenance work on township roads.
Moreover, to maintain a clean environment and to enhance the sanitary condition of the town, Kebbi Urban Development Authority (KUDA) three years ago procured 25 mini-trucks for street sweeping and 20 skip metal tanks, aside building an additional 40 refuse bunkers and the repair of 59 old refuse dumps.

Hotels/Lodges in Kebbi
Although the local hotels’ quality and standard depend on the urban level of each settlement, Kebbi State generally boasts several hotels and inns in its major towns. As a result, visitors to this northwestern state are assured of availability of paid accommodation most times. Birnin Kebbi’s leading hotels include Shagalinku Hotel, Modiyawa Guest Inn, Safari Guest Inn, Catering Rest House, Channel One Hotel and Gesse in the Rafin Atiku part of town. I spent my four days in Birnin Kebbi in two hotels. The first two nights cost me N7, 200 at N3, 600 per day in a standard room at Shagalinku, while I spent a night in a room at Gesse at N2, 800. For those that prefer up-scale lodges, Shagalinku boasts double and executive suites as well as a royal suite, which comes at the suggestive price of N13, 800, according to Mr. Aminu Yusuf Yebo, an accountant at this outfit which was launched in 1999.
In the fishing festival town of Argungu, the traveller could start the search for accommodation at Grand Fishing Hotel or Fishing Village Resort; while Catering Rest House, Madonna Hotel and Annex, Hilltop Hotel and Tourist Lodge should do in Yauri. If you’re heading in the direction of Zuru, then try Dam Site Hotel, Catering Rest House or Uhola Guest Inn.

Other attractions
Argungu festival might be the leading tourist attraction in Kebbi State but it is certainly not the only one worth savouring. Other festivals in Kebbi State include Uhola, a harvest season observance by the Dakarkari people. Kebbi also offers a number of tour sites, such as the Tomb of the late Sheikh Abdulahi of Gwandu. Sheikh Abdulahi was a famous scholar and brother of the Jihadist Usman Dan Fodio. Another site is the Girmace Shrine in Gwandu, a battlefield of the Jihad wars.

Kebbi briefly
Kebbi is one of the northern states, where the Islamic penal code, Sharia, was more or less reintroduced after Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999. Thus, local hotels do not serve alcoholic beverages. It is difficult to say whether or not this has had an adverse impact on the local tourism industry. However, across Kebbi State, the population appears scanty, in spite of improving state of amenities. Although cybercafesare commonplace in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital still needs a few things. For example, there’s only one newsstand in this town, and during our latest visit in August this year, MTN was like a king of the little-explored GSM world here. To worsen matters, Kamba is virtually cut off from the world in a manner of speaking. Workers in this frontier town frequently have to cross into neighbouring Niger Republic just to make a phone call. We gathered that the telephone tarrif of Niger Republic’s GSM network, called Celtel, is very exorbitant. In Kamba, I looked around for a member of the national youth service, but was told this was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Corpers avoid some parts of Kebbi because local landlords would not quarter a bachelor or spinster. Now, you see why some workers deployed to Kamba see such posting as punitive. Furthermore, Birnin Kebbi has no NTA station, we were told. Albeit, Kebbi State throws up some vernal sides, too; this is one state capital, where the tourist won’t suffer any frustration arising from traffic jams.

Kebbi was one of the nine states created in August 1991. Ever since, the ancient town of Birnin (City of) Kebbi, which was chosen as the capital city of the new state, has not been the same. The previously under-developed Birnin Kebbi that groaned under the shadow of Sokoto, capital of the state of that same name from which Kebbi was carved, assumed new role of the state capital.
In those early days, however, there was really little to show, in terms of infrastructure that Birnin Kebbi was the administrative seat of the state government. But this began to change with the influx of people, especially civil servants, redeployed from the old Sokoto State, to Birnin Kebbi. This population surge meant that demands grew for goods and services, bringing about an urgent need to expand existing facilities and infrastructure.

In terms of space, inadequacies were seriously experienced in the areas of office and residential accommodations. Suddenly, water and electricity supplies proved acutely inadequate. As if these were not enough, the old narrow roads that criss-crossed Birnin Kebbi became a serious problem for the rapid surge in the volume of traffic.

The enormity of Birnin Kebbi’s infrastructural inadequacies called for an urgent up-grading. Fortunately, successive Kebbi governments have been rising to the occasion. The establishment of Kebbi’s Urban Development Authority, a body saddled with the responsibility for the provision of basic utilities, and services in the three principal towns of Argungu, Yauri and Zuru, vide Edict No.2 of 1991 is a veritable pointer to the desire of Kebbi’s rulers to transform the state. And through the years, the Governor Muhammadu Aliero-led administration appears to have been living up to expectation. Whatever her warts, Kebbi is a most-inviting destination because it is almost crime-free.

Article written by: MAURICE ARCHIBONG

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