International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus. Vol. 3. (Issue: 1); May, 2020 AUTHORITY CONFLICTS AND THE DECLINING INFLUENCE OF TRADITIONAL RULERS IN NORTH-WESTERN NIGERIA Philip Afaha, PhD Department of History and Diplomatic Studies University Of Abuja
[email protected] 08035330806, 08091821821 Abstract From their Olympian heights, the traditional institution in Nigeria is gradually being consigned to the fringes of mainstream governance and decision making in the society, where once, they held sway as lords. In the Northwest of Nigeria, the Fulani hegemony, aided by Islam, has thrived having successfully supplanted the traditional Hausa feudal system. Its main protagonist, Uthman Dan Fodio, reformed the traditional Hausa feudal system to reflect Sharia tenets consolidating his tight grip on power by divine injunction. Whether by design or fortune, this reform opened the doors for others to follow. For on the heels of Islamic civilisation, which itself followed Arabic civilisation, came Western civilisation through British colonialism. While the previous two served to strengthen the grip on power of the traditional rulers, British colonialism clashed with it. This was not the first but the most formidable. Thus, followed the onslaught – from colonialism, democracy and military rule – on the traditional institution, not just in North West but in fact all over Nigeria. This by no means is limited to Nigeria for in many societies all over the world, traditional rulers are increasingly becoming mere ceremonial and decorative historical symbols under the relentless, demanding and pervasive march of civilisation. So intense has been the onslaught, that many monarchies such as in India, Japan, and Spain have simply dissolved.