The Maitatsine Revolution in Nigeria

Abstract

The Maitatsine ‘Revolution’ in Nigeria The spate of disturbances which had the appearance of Islamic fundamentalism in Nigeria in the early eighties can be viewed as a passing phase of underdevelopment. This symbolizes the realities of the Third World countries especially the African continent, where subsequent inefficient administrations have created a people at odds with itself, hampered by the underdevelopment of its economy, and socio-political lives, large turn-over of regimes and governments, all of which are engaged in governmental mismanagement, military autocracies, and democratic dictatorship. Such disturbances, if not promptly nipped in the bud, can lead to a more serious disturbance reminiscent of the war in Chad and Ogaden desert or the revolts in Shaba. Of interest here is the series of riots which took place in some states of Northern Nigeria spanning specifically from Kano (1980), Bulumkutu (1982) and Jimeta Yola (1984). There were scares in 1982 of the same riots in major towns in the North including Bauchi, Jos, Zaria and Sokoto. There were also clashes with the police in Kaduna, the headquarters of the former Northern Region, where an Assistant Police Commissioner was captured by the rioters and killed! Since then, there has been an avalanche of comments by the general public, many of them trying to find the cause(s) of the unrest. These various comments assumed such a divergent outlook that it is not easy to group them neatly under any general heading(s). They range from the trivial and grotesque to the most serious; from the possible and plausible to the absurd. While some dubbed the riots as sheer religious fantacism, others thought that it was politically motivated; and yet athers believe that the disturbances were caused by faceless illegal aliens; while there are also those who think they were caused by outside interests like Mossad or Al-Mafisa ...