Touchdown; Sokoto, Sokoto state.
Sunday afternoon 3:30pm.
For years, I’ve always heard of the proverb, "What you are looking for in Sokoto is in your ṣókótó, loosely translated means ‘what you are looking for far away is close to you’. So Sokoto in my mind was like the end of the world, it seemed so far away and so distant.
Arriving Sokoto, from aerial view, it was a desert sort of with sparse but neat and compact vegetation.
Because of the short time, I could only have a feel of the town as we passed through the major roads. I saw the State university, Specialist hospital, stadium and so many other beautiful structures.
I was able to visit the palace of the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar (III). It is a must visit for every newcomer. The palace is a beauty to behold. It is the seat of the Islamic caliphate of Nigeria and contains not only the royal lodge but offices of the staff of the Sultanate.
Let us go down memory lane a bit. The Caliphate was founded by Usman Dan Fodio following the 1804 jihad. All Emirs reported and still report to the Sultan as he is the 'sarkin musulmi’ (leader of the Muslim faithfuls). Sokoto Caliphate fell to the British forces in 1903 which led to the formation of the Northern Protectorate and afterwards the Northern Nigeria of today. The British ruled with the indirect system of rule leaving the monarchial system intact. So you see how pivotal the place is in history!
It was rainy season when I visited and I observed the rainfall was short but torrential. I also learnt that you cannot cut a tree in front of your house without permission from the state. Trees serve as wind breakers and are very important to the environment.
My personal take home is that democracy is not compatible with the ruling structure in the North as they have their own system of government running and it works very well for them.
All in all, Sokoto is a beautiful place, unique in it’s own way.