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 ...