HADIZA PART 2

It is whispered in the streets of Sisawa that it is her
beauty that will destroy her, “look at that girl, she is
very proud, she is too beautiful, someone should marry
her off before these kafiris come and corrupt her”,
men would say as she walked past them on her way to
draw water from the village stream. Hadiza is a bit too
tall for her age, she is light complexioned with an
aquiline nose, her body is curvy and although her hijab
covers her face, one can catch a glimpse every now
and then of the gorgeous face with white smiling eyes.
Hadiza is a brilliant young girl, who has just finished her
secondary school education in Government secondary
school Sisawa, Sokoto. Many young men have fallen
under her spell and have approached her for marriage.
They all say they are in love with her and would see
her father to seek for his consent. Hadiza always
laughs them off. She is an unconventional Hausa girl.
She is in love with the western culture and wants to
live in the western world. She is not cut out for life in
the village. If only she could get a scholarship to the
university in Zaria….
Baba Ahmed her father is a farmer. He grows
tomatoes and watermelons in his farm. He also has five
cows in his herd. The cows are herded and looked after
by Kabiru his 23 years old son.
Hadiza wants to be a non conformist and activist like
Mustapha Kaori a young man who came to her school
at the beginning of the Ss3 first term for the girl
child education and enlightenment campaign for
secondary school students. Mustapha had spoken
passionately on the need for the girls to be educated
to the highest level. He had told them about Malala, a
Palestinian teenager like them who was making global
impact. He had showed them her pictures and her
projects. They had all been awed.
Hadiza resolve to go to university was further
strengthened by Mustapha’s speech. When he left her
school after the speech, she felt like going away with
him. If only she could slip away to Lagos and meet
him….
At the beginning of his speech, he had told them that
he lived in Lagos and risen from grass to grace. He had
run away from the life of being a cattle herder. Now
he was a powerful man where everything he said was
reported in the news.
Mustapha had given her a newspaper as a gift for
being the only one to ask him a question during question
time after his speech. She had seen the name of the
newspaper; THE DAILY TIMES.
She had read the newspaper later in the evening after
washing the dishes and assisting Kabiru in fetching
water for the cattle to drink. At the back of the
newspaper was Mustapha’s picture, he was a columnist
for the newspaper. As she read she realized that
Mustapha is a follower of Mai Gaskiya, a staunch
Buhari loyalist. He was writing good things about
General Buhari and was asking the people to vote for
Buhari in the presidential election.
Hadiza wondered if Mustapha will reply her if she sent
him a letter, she wondered if he liked her…he was
very handsome and young, far younger than mallam
Sanni the mathematics teacher. She wondered if he will
be shocked if she tells him that she loves him….maybe
he will yell at her and call her a bad girl…maybe she
was a bad girl afterall to be thinking of such things…
maybe Shaitan has entered into her…she would have to
pray to Allah to deliver her from the evil jinn.
But if she could see Mustapha in Lagos, she would talk
to him and tell him how much she like the way he uses
the big words to write. Maybe he would be pleased
with her…maybe he would be happy to hear her tell
him that she loves him….maybe he might even marry
her. She would be a great scientist while he would be a
great activist.
But she had no means of going to Lagos and definitely
had no inkling where Mustapha lives in Lagos….
With the approval given by baba to Danladi, her
marriage to him was certain. Hadiza was worried
because knew little about Dandali. Aside from the fact
that he is a native of sisawa village who gre up in
Kano city, she knew next to nothing about him. Mama
said that Dandali’s father was an old-time friend of
baba and that he had told his son about her.
“Ameenah, I am scared, I don’t want to marry yet. I
am too young” Hadiza confided in her friend as they
sat in the house. Ameenah was her classmate and best
friend.
“But this man has money. He lives in Kano and will
take good care of you. If I were you, I will be very
happy” Ameenah said.
“I want to go to university. I have a feeling that
when i enter that man’s house he will not allow me to
go to school anymore”
“Hadiza, you know our tradition, women should not go
to school or else they will become disobedient and start
fighting with their husband. Too much education makes
a woman mad” Ameenah cautioned.
“I will run away to Lagos walahi!” Hadiza proclaimed.
“Run away to do what in Lagos? Oh, I know, you still
have a crush on that Mustapha man? Hadiza, that man
is far ahead of your level and you know it. You are
just a small girl. Stop these silly dreams and obey your
parents. Have you ever been to Kano before?”
Ameenah inquired.
“No, I hear it is a fine place”
“I went to Kano five years ago with my uncle for
Sallah. Kano is a big and fine city! There are so many
people living there and if you throw a seed of millet up
in the sky, it will not find place to land wallahi! There
are very tall houses that reach the sky, it is just like
London! The roads are long and very fine with flashy
cars driving on them. If old Farouk was to be in Kano,
he won’t be able to cross any of the road!” The two
girls giggled at the joke at the expense of baba Farouk,
an old man in the village reputed for sluggishness.
Ameenah continued, “I saw people there from all parts
of Nigeria, wearing all kinds of fine clothes that made
me jealous. Kai!”
“Kano sounds like a good place. I need to be there! Did
you visit the market?”
“Yes of course! The market is three times bigger than
the size of our village!
“Wow, you don’t mean it!”
“Yes, you can easily lose your way in that market,
there are so many shops filled with goods and items,
you must have lots of money because things there are
expensive. I didn’t stay long in the market because we
had to attend the Sallah Dubar in the afternoon. I
saw the Emir of Kano riding on his horse! Sometimes I
wonder if our Sultan in Sokoto is bigger in position
than the Emir”
“I can’t wait to visit Kano!” Hadiza exclaimed.
“And you have the golden opportunity now. Marry
Danladi”
Hadiza leaned against the wall and sighed.
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Hadiza stood before Baba and waited for him to finish
praying. Baba sat cross legged on his prayer mat. He
held the Misbaba in his hand. He had running his
hands along the beads as he recited the 99 names of
Allah. A Quran lay on the mat beside him.
“Allahu Arbar!” he said as he finished praying and
turned towards Hadiza.
“Danladi and his people will be coming next week for
the Sarana . I thought I should inform you”
“Alright baba”
“Hadiza my daughter, you know I want the best for
you, you will marry him kwuo?”
“Yes baba” Hadiza replied.
“Al-hamdulilah” he said with a smile and a look of relief
on his wrinkled face.
“Is your mother aware of your decision?”
“Yes baba, I have informed her”
“Alright you can go” he waved her off.
Hadiza left the room. She had decided to go along with
her father’s wish. She had decided to marry Danladi.