Day Dambazawa clan remembered their dynasty in Kano

As a form of reverence to Shiekh Yunusa Dabon Dambazau, founder of the famous Dambazawa dynasty in Kano, members of the clan recently gathered to honour the legend posthumously at a book launch in his name. BASHIR MOHAMMED reports.

For those who can trace the ancestry of Dambazawa dynasty under its progenitor, Shiekh Yunusa Dabon Dambazau, one can attest that the clan had a deep historical root which made Kano a bastion of pride in all spheres of life, especially leadership and scholarship.

Yunusa Dabon Dambazau, according to historical facts, traversed turbulent waters and weathered the storm in bringing his clan to limelight, after persistent struggles to rub shoulders with the powerful forces that had wielded considerable influence in the ancient city of Kano.

Those with little knowledge about the ancient city often get confused as they cannot differentiate between the renowned Emir of Kano, Ibrahim Dabo, the second monarch in the ruling Fulani dynasty who took the reign of power after Emir Suleiman and Dabon Dambazau, considering the similarity in their names.

Influence of the clan

Members of the clan had appreciably risen to stardom as a result of fully accepting and embracing the ideals and much cherished values of their founding fathers who as a result of his potent struggle made uncountable number of them to attain greatness.

In the area of leadership and scholarship in Kano, members of the clan had remarkably stamped their imprint with the tittle of Sarkin Bai eliciting the attention of everyone, knowing that with their disposition and unrivalled human persona, they can never be despised by anyone. 

However, their supremacy in leadership and scholarship was at its ebb at the time Yunusa Dabon Dambazau inculcated in their sons, daughters and even great grandchildren the virtue of personal sacrifice and ability to see things beyond their noses at the time those opposing his dominance wanted to pull him down.

Gathering to honour the late sage

Knowing the importance of cherishing one’s ancestry in order not to discard its ideals, some prominent members of the clan recently convened a high profile book launch with the aim of giving a post-humus recognition to the man who founded the dynasty, an event that had in attendance notable, eminent personalities from all walks of life.

Notable scholars of reputable academic standing mounted the podium to pay glowing tributes to the late Yunusa Dabon Dambazau, using historical analogies in portraying the status of the founder of the dynasty with the renowned historian in the person of Professor Tijjani Mohammed Naniya taking the gauntlet.

In a no-holds- barred lecture he delivered, Naniya presented a gruelling exposition about how the late Dambazau rose and played a spectacular role in making members of his clan relevant and worthy of reverence as far as  portraying the treasures of the ancient city of Kano is concerned.

Eulogies

According to Prof Naniya, “The famous Dambazawa clan in Kano had been a formidable symbol of leadership and scholarship that would never be forgotten in the history of the ancient city.”

Naniya said the revered Shiekh created the leeway for the famous clan to have a clear sense of belonging with its relevance taken into cognizance, adding that historians had compiled incontrovertible evidences to prove the claim of the clan’s supremacy.

According to him, the book is a compendium of the excruciating battle fought by Shiekh Yunusa to maintain a stronghold of influence and high authority in the field of leadership and scholarship leading to the birth of the revered status of Sarkin Ban Kano, a dynasty that still remains vibrant and formidable. He posited that the influence of Dambazawa clan had made its prominent sons and daughters to wield authority at the top echelon of leadership and scholarship.

He said the history of Kano can never be complete without recalling the immense contributions of the clan in every sphere of human endeavour and that the Jihad stoutly waged and sustained by the late Shehu Usman Danfodio had been complimented by the spectacular role played by the Shiekh with such a struggle coming to reach fruition over the years.

“What you are celebrating today is a great historical epoch worth celebrating. You are really ordained by the divine will to wax stronger. Dambazawa clan had undoubtedly proven its mettle in making the ancient city of Kano a bastion of pride. None of you would ever forget the pivotal role played by your progenitor in exposing to the world what Dambazawa clan is all about.

“History is replete with facts and figures for everyone to discern what had transpired. I strongly believed that the clan has produced myriad of geniuses in almost all spheres of human endeavour. You people have what it takes to be proud of. No historian could ever dispute what was being said about the popularity and overwhelming influence of the Dabon Dambazau dynasty,” he added.

Speaking in the same vein, a renowned Islamic scholar, Shiekh Ibrahim Khalil also described the founder of Dambazawa clan as a formidable symbol of authority who strove to create an enviable image for the clan to move forward, adding that in the parlance of leadership and scholarship, the clan had left an indelible mark.

In his remarks, an elder of the clan who is also a renowned economist and journalist, Malam Abba Dabo said the book was purposely written to serve as a clear reminder to all sons and daughters of Dambazau dynasty to acknowledge the fact that they are indispensable in the journey of adding colour to Kano.

With the historic launch of the book praised to high heavens by those who were made to know much about the rise of the famous dynasty, opinions had undoubtedly added considerable tonic to eulogies showered on the late Shiekh.

From a veteran journalists point of view

Speaking to Blueprint on this memorable day, a former managing director of Triumph Publishing Company, Malam Mahmoud Adnan Audi, described the conception of the book as commendable and timely, coming at a time when members of the famous clan are supposed to remember their root as founded by the late Shiekh.

According to the veteran journalist, the Dambazawa clan is an indispensable entity that made Kano a great pride along with those who positively joined the fray in spearheading the struggle for influence and supremacy.

“What we are celebrating today is to all members of the Dambazawa clan a great historical epoch. Our people are here to honour the man who was responsible for what they are today. He deserves a post-humus award and he was really awarded in a grand fashion by the man who had written a book in his name.

“We have every reason to shower myriads of commendations on the late Dambazau for what he had done to humanity and the entire Dambazawa family. I am short of words to express my joy and happiness knowing that we have chosen to remember our esteemed progenitor at the most appropriate time,” he remarked. 

“We have in our fold remarkable and credible eminent personalities whom we are proud of today cutting across different strata ranging from the academia to other professional fields. They strove to make us proud and bold enough to tell everyone that the Dambazawa clan is solid, cohesive and united,” he stressed.

Clan member speaks

Speaking in the same vein, a member of the clan, Malam Shehu Dambatta told Blueprint that he was most grateful and utterly fulfilled in the fact that an iconic figure was honoured  even in his grave, considering the spectacular role he played in promoting leadership and scholarship. He said without bringing such stunning accomplishments to limelight, younger generations would know nothing about him.

He however stated that gone are the days when such heroes of high calibre should be forgotten affirming that the book launch has opened the floodgate for others to emulate such a spectacular feat, positing that without the contribution of prominent elders of the clan like Malam Abba Dabo and Alhaji Aminu Dabo, the event would not have been a huge success.

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