{"id":23595,"date":"2025-07-15T10:13:34","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T09:13:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/?p=23595"},"modified":"2025-07-15T10:13:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T09:13:37","slug":"alleged-fulani-hegemony-is-it-true-hausas-have-never-ruled-nigeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/alleged-fulani-hegemony-is-it-true-hausas-have-never-ruled-nigeria\/","title":{"rendered":"Alleged Fulani Hegemony: Is it true Hausas have never ruled Nigeria?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Claim: A Facebook user shared<\/a> a clip wherein they stated that no Hausa person has ever ruled Nigeria and that the Fulani have dominated leadership in the North.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Verdict:<\/strong> Mostly True. DUBAWA\u2019s 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\u2019s complex political landscape and may be aimed at stirring division or spreading other misleading narratives online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Text<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Nigeria, political discussions frequently revolve around the question of representation. The country\u2019s cultural and ethnic diversity has created a belief among Nigerians that the person at the top should come from their region<\/a> or share their cultural identity<\/a>, 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Facebook user, @MC Dave Comedian<\/a>, shared an eight-minute video<\/a> with the caption: \u201cDeepest secret about Nigeria, Hausa and Fulani exposed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the video, a visibly agitated man is heard saying: \u201cPlenty of secrets are in this country that you and I don\u2019t 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?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pauses and attributes the discovery of this information to a woman, whom he describes as a Hausa lady sharing the “real details.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To back up his claims, he inserts a clip of the said woman, who is also heard saying: \u201cI am here to address some issues going on in the Northern part of Nigeria between the Hausa and the Fulani. I don\u2019t know why the Fulani people are killing us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of July 8, 2025, the video had garnered over one million views, 50,000 likes, and 5,600 comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reacting to this,  @Chidexnwadi Calibest<\/a> replied, \u201cThis is not news. I have known this for many years now via Biafra radio.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

@Francis Belle<\/a> also wrote: \u201cFor your own good, avoid this type of post so these people won\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

@Solomon kin<\/a>, with a more elaborate perspective, commented: \u201cYou\u2019re the one who doesn\u2019t know the truth about this. I\u2019ve been following Nnamdi Kanu\u2019s broadcasts, so I\u2019m 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.\u201d (<\/em>interpreted from Pidgin, as initially written by the user).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do facts support these claims about Hausa exclusion and Fulani dominance in Nigeria\u2019s leadership? DUBAWA decided to take a closer look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verification<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To verify the claim that no Hausa tribesman has ever ruled Nigeria, we examined the backgrounds of Nigeria\u2019s past and present leaders, especially those from the Northern region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has had 16 leaders<\/a>, 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Name<\/strong><\/td>State of Origin<\/strong><\/td>Ethnic Group<\/strong><\/td>Years in power<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Shehu Shagari<\/a> <\/td>Sokoto <\/td>Fulani<\/td>1979-1983<\/td><\/tr>
Muhammadu Buhari<\/a><\/td>Katsina <\/td>Fulani<\/td>1983- 1985 & 2015-2023<\/td><\/tr>
Umaru Musa Yar\u2019Adua<\/a><\/td>Katsina<\/td>Fulani<\/td>2007-2010<\/td><\/tr>
Murtala Mohammed<\/a> <\/td>Kano <\/td>Fulani<\/td>1975-1976<\/td><\/tr>
Ibrahim Babangida<\/a>  <\/td>Niger <\/td>Gwari (Gbagyi) <\/td>1985 \u2013 1993<\/td><\/tr>
Abdulsalami Abubakar<\/a><\/td>Niger<\/td>Gwari (Gbagyi)   <\/td>1998 \u2013 1999 <\/td><\/tr>
Yakubu Gowon<\/a>   <\/td>Plateau<\/td>Ngas <\/td>1966 \u2013 1975 <\/td><\/tr>
Sani Abacha<\/a>  <\/td>Kano<\/td>Kanuri<\/td>1993 \u2013 1998<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
This table shows the ethnic identities of Nigeria\u2019s past leaders, specifically those from the North.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Experts Input<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prof. Abubakar explained that the dynamics of Northern Nigerian politics are often misunderstood, especially regarding ethnic identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere 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\u2019s not as if the Fulani deliberately separated themselves or planned to seek power to suppress the Hausa people. They are simply one people, \u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that northern political support is typically collective and cuts across ethnic identities. \u201cFor 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen 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,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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: \u201cDeepest secret about Nigeria, Hausa and Fulani exposed.\u201d In the video, a visibly agitated man is heard saying: \u201cPlenty of secrets are in this country that you and I don\u2019t 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?\u201d 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: \u201cI am here to address some issues going on in the Northern part of Nigeria between the Hausa and the Fulani. I don\u2019t know why the Fulani people are killing us.\u201d 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, \u201cThis is not news. I have known this for many years now via Biafra radio.\u201d @Francis Belle also wrote: \u201cFor your own good, avoid this type of post so these people won\u2019t 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.\u201d @Solomon kin, with a more elaborate perspective, commented: \u201cYou\u2019re the one who doesn\u2019t know the truth about this. I\u2019ve been following Nnamdi Kanu\u2019s broadcasts, so I\u2019m 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.\u201d (interpreted from Pidgin, as initially written by the user). Do facts support these claims about Hausa exclusion and Fulani dominance in Nigeria\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019Adua Katsina Fulani 2007-2010 Murtala Mohammed  Kano  Fulani 1975-1976 Ibrahim Babangida   Niger  Gwari (Gbagyi)  1985 \u2013 1993 Abdulsalami Abubakar Niger Gwari (Gbagyi)    1998 \u2013 1999  Yakubu Gowon    Plateau Ngas  1966 \u2013 1975  Sani Abacha   Kano Kanuri 1993 \u2013 1998 This table shows the ethnic identities of Nigeria\u2019s past leaders, specifically those from the North. 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. \u201cThere 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\u2019s not as if the Fulani deliberately separated themselves or planned to seek power to suppress the Hausa people. They are simply one people, \u201d he said. He added that northern political support is typically collective and cuts across ethnic identities. \u201cFor 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,\u201d 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. \u201cThe Hausa and Fulani are connected through religion, which<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1571,3812,3815,123],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[4069],"class_list":["post-23595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fact-check","category-headline","category-homepage","category-mainstream"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-68z","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":4069,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"rejoice-taddy","display_name":"Rejoice Taddy","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Map-of-Nigeria.jpg?fit=594%2C512&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23595"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23597,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23595\/revisions\/23597"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23595"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=23595"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=23595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}