Saleh Fatima Alkali did not forge her result. She did not boast about it. She did not even publish it, She also did not compare herself to others. And did not gloat. She just scored perhaps the highest mark in the JAMB UTME Examination, and remained humble and modest. It was others who exposed her and praised her.
Apart from Fatima, at least 12 other Northerners also scored above 300. However, they did not make noise after making news. They simply praised God for His benevolence and went about their daily Jihad of self-conquest and self-development.
We can all learn something about Northern Arewa culture from Fatima.
Northerners, especially the Hausas, were literate, clothed and on horses five hundred years ago. They have also been going to Mecca on pilgrimage for the last 800 years.
And they were seasoned naval aviators thousands of years ago. The Dufuna canoe, excavated in Yobe State (incidentally, Fatima is from Yobe) is 8,500 years old, and is the second oldest canoe ever discovered on Earth.
That they do not boast about money does not mean Northerners are poor. The wealthiest man in Nigeria is a Hausa man, Aliko Dangote. His great-grandfather, Alhassan Dantata, was the wealthiest person, not just in Nigeria, but in West Africa.
Since the creation of Nigeria in 1914, there has NEVER been a time when the richest Nigerian was not a Northerner.
Yet, no Northerner has ever declared himself king of money in Hausa or any other language!
That they do not boast about inventiveness does not mean they are not inventive. Alhassan Dantata was not only the wealthiest man in West Africa in his day, but he was also the inventor of the famous groundnut pyramids a hundred years ago.
Jelani Aliyu, a Fulani, is the only person of Nigerian origin to have achieved international prowess in designing cutting-edge electric vehicles, including the Chevrolet Volt and the Pontiac G6.
In terms of Western education, especially the medical profession, they produced one of the world’s best cardiologists, in the person of Jibril Aminu, a professor of cardiology.
And in terms of beauty, their women surpass any other in Nigeria.
Unlike empty barrels, who are so boastful, arrogant, without any sense of moderation and exultant in hubris to the extent that they look down on others when they are intoxicated by an achievement, mutanen Arewa tend to be modest even in the height of their accomplishments. Which is why God has seen it fit to entrust power to them.
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”-James 4:6.
May God bless Arewa
May God bless Nigeria
Reno Omokri
Gospeller. Deep Thinker. #TableShaker. Ruffler of the Feathers of Obidents. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years. Globetrotter. Hollywood Magazine Humanitarian of the Year, 2019. Business Insider Influencer of the Year 2022.
