Overview
- Lesson Title: Politics and Insecurity in Nigeria-This is an excerpt from an August 2014 radio interview with a northern Nigerian elder, Alhaji Shehu Ashaka, on the causes of insecurity in the north. WinXP users should install Arial Unicode font.
- Language: Hausa
- Topic: Defense/Security
- ILR Level: 2+/3
- ACTFL Proficiency: Superior, Advanced-High; This ACTFL rating is an approximation based on the ILR level
- Modality: Listening
- Learning Objective: Maintenance & Improvement
- Subject Area: Language
- Material Type: LLO
- Publication Year: 2015
- ObjectID: c14lhau05
Transcript
| Original | Translation |
|---|---|
|
ABUBAKAR ISA DANDAGU: To, Alhaji Shehu za mu so mu ji yaya kake kallon halin da yanayin Arewacin Nijeriya yake ciki? Ga abubuwa suna ta faruwa. Amma ana iya cewa, kamar masu ido da kwalli na yankin Arewa ko a jikinsu. Me kake gani ya kawo haka? ALHAJI SHEHU ASHAKA: To, abinda ya kawo haka, mu, muka tashi, muna da amana, muna da kunya, muna da addini, muna da sanin ya kamata, da bai kamata ba. Wannan dalili ya sa muka shiga muna da tsoron Allah. Yanzu aka zubar da amana aka zubar da tunanin dai-dai, aka zubar da tunanin sanin ba dai-dai ba, aka sanya tunanin in ka mallaki kuɗi shi ne zaka iya mallakar kowa. Saboda haka, muka zo muka tsinci kanmu a cikin wannan matsala ta yau da muke a ciki. ABUBAKAR ISA DANDAGU: To amma, ana ganin kamar akwai mu da manyan da ya dace a ce suna sa baki don kome ya daidaita a Arewa. Amma kuma shiru kake ji. ALHAJI SHEHU ASHAKA: To, ai manyan, abinda ya kawo nake gaya maka kenan. Ai, manya da muke da su na da, waɗanda su, abinda suka ɗauka, sun yi shugabanci, amma shugabancin na mutane sun yarda, mutane sun basu amana da kansu. Saboda haka, suka tsare amana, suka kuma zauna da mutunci, suka mutu cikin sutura. Waɗanda muke da su na yanzu, abinda yake gabansu, kai ka turasu, ka basu amana, amma ba su dauki amanar taka ba. Abinda suke buƙata kawai, ina zasu samu kuɗi? Su zama masu kuɗi, ba waɗanda suke kulawa da kai amana kanka da ka basu ba. Kuma Allah ya san wannan. ABUBAKAR ISA DANDAGU: To, Alhaji Shehu, ga shi yankin Arewacin Nijeriya kullum ana iya cewa kamar sai cewa ake yi gara jiya da yau. Tashe- tashen hankula da kai hare-haren nan da ake ta yi a ko ina da ina. Ina mafita a matsayinku na dattawa? ALHAJI SHEHU ASHAKA: Aa’a, ai yanzu, halinda muke ciki, ina ƙara tabbatar maka shugabanninmu na Arewa, waɗanda suka kafa Arewan, suka yi wa arewan bauta, aka zama ana gode masu, ana yi masu addu’a ta alkhairi, har jikokinsu, har ‘ya’yansu, har jikan- jikansu, wannan addu’a tana binsu. Wallahi, shugabaninmu na Arewa yanzu, tsawon shekarun da aka yi ana yi wa waɗancan addu’a ta alheri, sai wannan shekarun sun wuce ana tsine wa waɗanda ke shugabanci yanzu, domin sun saka Arewan a cikin masifa. Saboda bukatar kansu ce kadai a gabansu, ba bukatar mutanen arewa ba ce a gabansu. ABUBAKAR ISA DANDAGU: Za fa mu iya cewa muna fa da manyan da tsaffin sojoji da suka shugabanci Najeriya a arewan nan tamu. Kamar a iya cewa ba a jin katabus dinsu a wannan yanayi balle ma su faɗi hanyar da za’a iya magance, kamo bakin-zaren. ALHAJI SHEHU ASHAKA: To su kadai zaka faɗa? Mutum nawa ne tsohon shugaban ‘Yan sandan Najeriya a Arewa? Mutum nawa ne tsofaffin shugabannin sojoji a Arewa? Mutum nawa ne tsofaffin shugabannin SSS a Arewa? Mutum nawa ne tsofaffin shugabannin ƙasar nan a Arewa waɗanda suna nan a raye, amma basu da amfani, kansu kaɗai suke amfanawa? Wallahi duk wannan masifar shugabanninmu suka samu a ciki, kuma, Allah zai yi mana sakayya. Sai mutum ya gama tara kuɗin, Allah Ya jefa masa bala’in da ba zai iya cin kuɗin ba. Yana kallon kuɗin, abincin da zai riƙa ci a gidansa, ko karen gidansa ba zai riƙa ci ba. Amma sun kasa gane wannan masifar. Ka ɗauki Al’Ƙura’ani, ka yi rantsuwa, kai za ka yi amana, zaka riƙe hakkin mutane, zaka tsare mutuncinsu, daga inda ya ajiye Al’Ƙura’anin ya ajiye wannan rantsuwar, kuma Allah ba a yi masa wasa. Kuma Allah sai Ya yi wa mutane sakayya. Alhaji aa ma arewan nan ta zama fa yanzu bata da gata, bata da kowa, ba mai tsare mutuncinta. Dukkansu nan, ba sa tsare mutuncin kowa sai na kansu. Kuma wallahi tallahi Allah ba zai barsu ba, Allah zai yi wa mutanen Arewa sakayya. Da kudin Arewan aka karantar da su, da su suka je makaranta, da su suka shiga soja, da su suke duk abunda suka kai, suka kai matsayin da suka kai. Suka zo sun ci amanarmu, mu mutanen Arewa. |
ABUBAKAR ISA DANDAGU: So, Alhaji Shehu, we want to hear your observations about the conditions and the situation in northern Nigeria. Things are happening. But it can be said that it seems like the influential people of the northern region do not care. What do you think is responsible for this? ALHAJI SHEHU ASHAKA: Well, what is responsible for this is that we, we rose up, we have trust, we are modest, we have faith, we have knowledge of what should be and what should not be. This is the reason why we are here and we fear God. Now we have thrown our trust away, we have thrown away our proper way of thinking, we have thrown away the knowledge of what is not right, and we have replaced it with the idea that if you possess money then you own everyone. For this reason, we find ourselves in this situation today. ABUBAKAR ISA DANDAGU: But now people are thinking that there are powerful people in the north who can intervene so everything will go smoothly there. But they are silent. ALHAJI SHEHU ASHAKA: Well, regarding the powerful people, that is what I am telling you. You see, the powerful people we had in the past, they took responsibility, they were leaders, but leaders that the people accepted and trusted. For this reason, they protected this trust, lived with dignity, and died honorably. Those we have now, their focus is that you elected and sent them, you put your trust in them, but in return they do not deserve that trust. They are only looking for where they will get money from and become wealthy, and they do not care about the trust you gave to them. And God knows this. ABUBAKAR ISA DANDAGU: Well, Alhaji Shehu, regarding northern Nigeria it is often said that it was better yesterday than it is today. Social unrest and attacks are being carried out here and there. As one of the elders, what do you say the solution is? ALHAJI SHEHU ASHAKA: No, right now, in the situation we are in is that, I assure you that our leaders of the north, those who established the north and served the north, the ones that we are grateful for and saying good prayers for, praying for their descendants, their children, and grandchildren, and these prayers continue to bless them. But honestly, the same number of years we spent saying good prayers for our past leaders will be spent cursing our present leaders because they have dragged the north into trouble. This is so because they are only concerned about their own needs and not the needs of the northern people. ABUBAKAR ISA DANDAGU: We can boast and say that the powerful people and the old soldiers who had ruled Nigeria are from this north of ours. We can say that it seems we are not feeling their energy in this period, let alone them telling us how to resolve this, to get to the bottom of the problem. ALHAJI SHEHU ASHAKA: Are you going to talk only about them? How many people from the north have been former police chiefs in Nigeria? How many people from the north have been former heads of the military? How many people from the north have been former heads of the SSS ? How many people from the north have been presidents of this country and are still alive but are not useful and are only benefiting themselves? By Allah, it is our leaders who have brought all these problems upon us, and Allah will recompense us. Let it be that after someone has amassed money, Allah will throw him into disaster such that he will not be able to spend that money. He will be looking at the money, the food that he will eat, but even his dog at home will not be able to eat it. But they fail to understand this tragedy. Imagine taking the Koran, swearing by it that you will make the pledge, that you will uphold the rights of the people, that you will protect their integrity, but as soon as they drop the Koran, they also drop the oath. Surely we cannot mock God. And Allah will definitely recompense the people. Alhaji, the north presently has deteriorated into not having any privileges, and no one protects its dignity. All these people, they are not protecting anybody’s dignity except their own. And most assuredly Allah will not let them go free; Allah will recompense the northern people. It is with the north’s money that they studied, they were sent to school, joined the military, and with it they became all that they are today and reached the levels they are at. They in turn betrayed our trust, the people of the north. |
Glossary
| Hausa | Hausa Meaning |
|---|---|
|
masu ido da kwalli |
influential people |
|
ko a jikinsu |
do not care |
| muna da kunya | we are modest |
| mallaki | possess |
| mallakar | own |
| mutunci | dignity |
| gara | better |
| hare-haren | attacks |
| dattawa | elders |
| katabus | energy |
| sakayya | recompense |
| wallahi tallahi | (lit: I swear by God) most assuredly |
Notes
The Notes provide cultural and linguistic information helpful for comprehending the text. Boko Haram Boko Haram is an Islamic political group based in Nigeria. Founded in 2002 by a group of Islamic clerics in the Nigerian state of Borno, its first leader was Mohammed Yusuf. Boko Haram has sought to impose Sharia law throughout all of Nigeria. The group was non-violent until 2009, when it refused to comply with a law that required motorcyclists to wear helmets. More than 800 people were killed in the ensuing riot between Boko Haram and the police (Ford 2014). Since then, Boko Haram has become increasingly violent, and it was designated a terrorist group by the United States in 2013 (Abubakar 2014). In April 2014, members of Boko Haram kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls in Chibok, prompting an international outcry. As of early 2015, Boko Haram controls territory in the northeastern Nigerian states of Yobe, Adamawa, and Borno, particularly in the area surrounding Maiduguri, the capital of Borno and the city in which Boko Haram was founded (Ashkenas et al. 2014). Abubakar, Abdullahi Tasiu. May 9, 2014. "Nigeria's Boko Haram Leader Abubakar Shekau in Profile." BBC. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-18020349. Ashkenas, Jeremy, Derek Watkins, and Archie Tse. December 11, 2014. "Boko Haram: The Other Islamic State." New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/12/11/world/africa/boko-haram-nigeria-maps.html. Ford, John. June 6, 2014. "The Origins of Boko Haram." The National Interest. http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-origins-boko-haram-10609. Imam Abubakar Shekau As of 2014, Abubakar Shekau is the leader of Boko Haram, having assumed this role following the death of Mohammed Yusuf in 2009. Shekau has not been seen in public since 2009, but since then has released a series of videos and still images online to make his presence known (Abubakar 2014). Since Shekau's ascension, Boko Haram's actions have become increasingly violent (Abubakar 2014). Abubakar, Abdullah Tasiu. May 9, 2014. "Nigeria's Boko Haram Leader Abubakar Shekau in Profile." BBC. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-18020349.