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Claim: A Facebook user shared a clip wherein they stated that no Hausa person has ever ruled Nigeria and that the Fulani have dominated leadership in the North.
Verdict: Mostly True. DUBAWA’s findings confirm that no Hausa tribesman has ruled Nigeria. Although not all northern leaders were Fulani, some were from other ethnic groups. Experts also note that claims like this can oversimplify Nigeria’s complex political landscape and may be aimed at stirring division or spreading other misleading narratives online.
Full Text
In Nigeria, political discussions frequently revolve around the question of representation. The country’s cultural and ethnic diversity has created a belief among Nigerians that the person at the top should come from their region or share their cultural identity, be it from the North, South, East, or West. This sentiment has, in turn, shaped the course of elections where voting patterns exhibit ethnic loyalty more than policy preference. Campaigns are then made to appeal to tribal identity, and alliances are formed on both party lines and perceived cultural belonging.
A Facebook user, @MC Dave Comedian, shared an eight-minute video with the caption: “Deepest secret about Nigeria, Hausa and Fulani exposed.”
In the video, a visibly agitated man is heard saying: “Plenty of secrets are in this country that you and I don’t know about. Do you know that since the beginning of this country called Nigeria, a Hausa man has never ruled Nigeria before? Do you know that the people controlling Nigeria are Fulani people?”
He pauses and attributes the discovery of this information to a woman, whom he describes as a Hausa lady sharing the “real details.”
To back up his claims, he inserts a clip of the said woman, who is also heard saying: “I am here to address some issues going on in the Northern part of Nigeria between the Hausa and the Fulani. I don’t know why the Fulani people are killing us.”
She goes on to allege that most northern governors have been of Fulani origin, including the Emir of Kano, whom she claims has taken over and remained silent about the killings of Hausa people. She further asserts that all political leaders from the North, including ministers, are of Fulani origin.
As of July 8, 2025, the video had garnered over one million views, 50,000 likes, and 5,600 comments.
Reacting to this, @Chidexnwadi Calibest replied, “This is not news. I have known this for many years now via Biafra radio.”
@Francis Belle also wrote: “For your own good, avoid this type of post so these people won’t come for you. Post other things. I know it is educational, but for your own safety, try as much as you can to leave this government matter talk and do another thing.”
@Solomon kin, with a more elaborate perspective, commented: “You’re the one who doesn’t know the truth about this. I’ve been following Nnamdi Kanu’s broadcasts, so I’m aware of everything. In most of my online comments about Nigeria, I always say that it was the Fulani who destroyed the country. The truth is that the Fulani are not originally from Nigeria. They used the Hausa people and their land to gain influence and eventually dominated the Hausa tribe.” (interpreted from Pidgin, as initially written by the user).
Do facts support these claims about Hausa exclusion and Fulani dominance in Nigeria’s leadership? DUBAWA decided to take a closer look.
Verification
To verify the claim that no Hausa tribesman has ever ruled Nigeria, we examined the backgrounds of Nigeria’s past and present leaders, especially those from the Northern region.
Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has had 16 leaders, both military and civilian, many of whom came from the North. While several came from Hausa-speaking areas or were closely associated with Hausa culture, not all were ethnically Hausa.
| Name | State of Origin | Ethnic Group | Years in power |
| Shehu Shagari | Sokoto | Fulani | 1979-1983 |
| Muhammadu Buhari | Katsina | Fulani | 1983- 1985 & 2015-2023 |
| Umaru Musa Yar’Adua | Katsina | Fulani | 2007-2010 |
| Murtala Mohammed | Kano | Fulani | 1975-1976 |
| Ibrahim Babangida | Niger | Gwari (Gbagyi) | 1985 – 1993 |
| Abdulsalami Abubakar | Niger | Gwari (Gbagyi) | 1998 – 1999 |
| Yakubu Gowon | Plateau | Ngas | 1966 – 1975 |
| Sani Abacha | Kano | Kanuri | 1993 – 1998 |
As shown in the table, Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar are from Niger State and are generally known to be Gwari (Gbagyi). However, some sources suggest that their immediate ancestors may have migrated from Kano and were originally of Hausa origin. Still, ethnic classification in Nigeria typically follows patrilineal lineage and cultural identity, which, in their case, is more commonly associated with the Gwari people.
Experts Input
To clarify the claim, DUBAWA spoke to Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Bayero University Kano and spokesperson for the Arewa Consultative Forum.
Prof. Abubakar explained that the dynamics of Northern Nigerian politics are often misunderstood, especially regarding ethnic identity.
“There is nothing like Hausa and Fulani, it is Hausa-Fulani, because these people are hardly differentiated; they are one. Yes, most of the leaders from the North were Fulani, but that is not because of dominance or preference. It’s not as if the Fulani deliberately separated themselves or planned to seek power to suppress the Hausa people. They are simply one people, ” he said.
He added that northern political support is typically collective and cuts across ethnic identities. “For any Fulani man to serve in a position of power, votes also come from Hausas, Fulanis, and other groups alike. Therefore, separating the two and attempting to create the illusion of a division is misleading. It suggests that some social media users might be trying to plant alien ideas that do not exist,” he said.
According to Prof. Abubakar, the bond between the Hausa and Fulani extends beyond politics or culture, and the emergence of multiple Fulani leaders is coincidental, not the result of exclusion or ethnic preference.
“The Hausa and Fulani are connected through religion, which has grounded them for generations. Intermarriage has also made them two sides of the same coin. If a Hausa man decides to pursue leadership, he will be supported just as a Fulani man would. They are united regardless of their cradle.”
Lastly, he noted that specific individuals are using social media to disseminate a wide range of information and foster ideologies that could jeopardise peace and tranquillity, when Nigeria has far more pressing issues to address and focus on.
Silas Jonathan, the Digital Investigations Manager at the Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development, also gave insight regarding the nature of the claim and the deeper motive behind it.
“When narratives are heavily laden with intense ethnic stereotypes, they inevitably aggravate already strained situations. This isn’t a matter of “Fulani Hegemony” or the agenda of an entire ethnic group. Rather, it’s about the deplorable actions of malicious individuals who derive pleasure from killing and destroying lives. To oversimplify this complex issue by attributing it to ethnic motivations is not only inaccurate but also incredibly dangerous, diverting attention from the true perpetrators and the underlying factors that enable such violence. It is, at its core, a matter of criminal behaviour that demands accountability, devoid of any additional, misleading interpretations,” he explained.
Conclusion
While it is true that no ethnically Hausa individual has led Nigeria as head of state, the broader claim of Fulani dominance is misleading. Several northern leaders have been Fulani, and others hail from distinct ethnic groups.
