Daga MAHDI MUSA MUHAMMAD
Maiduguri, babban birnin Jihar Borno, na daga cikin biranen da ke da muhimmiyar tarihi a Arewacin Nijeriya. Birnin ya samu asali ne sakamakon sauye-sauyen siyasa, yaƙe-yaƙe da kuma mulkin mallaka da suka shafi tsohuwar Daular Kanem-Borno. Kafuwarsa a matsayin sabon babban birnin Borno a shekarar 1907 ta biyo bayan raunana Kukawa, wadda ta daɗe tana zama cibiyar mulki da kasuwanci a yankin.
Tarihin Kukawa kafin kafuwar Maiduguri:
Kukawa ta kasance ɗaya daga cikin manyan biranen Daular Kanem-Borno a ƙarni na 19. An kafa ta a shekarar 1814 ta hannun Shehu Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi, wanda aka fi sani da Shehu El-Kanemi.
A lokacin, Kukawa ta zama cibiyar siyasa, tattalin arziki da gudanar da harkokin mulkin daular. Birnin ya shahara wajen kasuwanci, musamman saboda kasancewarsa mahadar hanyoyin fatauci tsakanin yankin Tafkin Chadi, Arewacin Afirka da sauran sassan yankin Sahel.
Kukawa ta kasance birni mai yawan jama’a, kuma tana da manyan gine-gine, fadar Shehu da masallatai. ‘Yan kasuwa da matafiya daga wurare daban-daban na Afirka sun kasance suna zuwa cikinta domin kasuwanci da sauran hulɗoɗin zamantakewa.
Yaƙin Rabih da lalacewar Kukawa:
Babban abin da ya sauya tarihin Kukawa shi ne yaƙin da wani mayaƙi daga Sudan mai suna Rabih az-Zubayr, wanda aka fi sani da Rabah Zubayr, ya kawo wa Daular Borno a shekarar 1893.
Rabih ya jagoranci rundunarsa wajen mamaye Borno, inda ya yi nasarar fatattakar sojojin daular. A sakamakon wannan yaƙi, Kukawa ta faɗa hannunsa, ta kuma fuskanci mummunar ɓarna da lalacewa.
Shehu Ashimi da wasu daga cikin masu mulkin Borno sun tsere daga birnin domin tsira da rayukansu. Daga bisani, Rabih ya zaɓi Dikwa a matsayin cibiyar mulkinsa, maimakon ci gaba da amfani da Kukawa.
Wannan mamaya ta raunana Daular Borno matuƙa, ta kuma kawo ƙarshen matsayin Kukawa a matsayin cibiyar mulkin daular kamar yadda ta kasance a baya.
Dawowar mulkin Shehu da ƙoƙarin farfaɗo da Kukawa:
A shekarar 1900, sojojin Faransa sun kashe Rabih, lamarin da ya buɗe sabon babi a tarihin Borno. Bayan rasuwarsa, turawan mulkin mallaka na Birtaniya, Faransa da Jamus sun shiga fafatawa kan iko da yankunan tsohuwar Daular Borno.
A shekarar 1902, Birtaniya ta ƙara ƙarfafa matsayinta a yankin, tare da taimakawa wajen dawo da gidan sarautar Borno. Shehu Abubakar Garbai ya zama jagoran Borno a ƙarƙashin sabon tsarin mulkin da ya biyo baya.
An sake gina wasu sassan Kukawa bayan lalacewar da ta fuskanta, amma birnin bai sake dawo da martabar da ya taɓa samu a matsayin cibiyar mulkin Borno ba. A shekarar 1904, an mayar da cibiyar mulkin Shehu zuwa Kukawa bayan an yi amfani da Monguno a matsayin wata cibiyar wucin gadi. Sai dai wannan ba ta daɗe ba, domin a shekarar 1907 aka sake sauya babban birnin zuwa Yerwa, wanda daga baya ya zama sananne da Maiduguri.
Yadda aka kafa Maiduguri a shekarar 1907:
A shekarar 1907, Shehu Abubakar Garbai ya kafa sabon babban birnin masarautar Borno a wani yanki da ake kira Kalwa, kusa da wani tsohon ƙauye mai suna Maiduguri.
An sanya wa sabon matsugunin sunan Yerwa. A nan ne Shehu ya gina fadarsa, tare da wasu muhimman cibiyoyin gudanar da harkokin masarautar. Masarautar Borno ta koma wannan sabon matsuguni tare da fadawa da sauran masu gudanar da harkokin mulki.
A lokaci guda kuma, Birtaniya tana da sansanin gudanar da ayyukanta a yankin Mafoni. A shekarar 1908, ta zaɓi tsohon ƙauyen Maiduguri a matsayin hedikwatar sojojinta, maimakon Mafoni. Daga nan ne aka fara samun kusancin matsugunan Yerwa, tsohon ƙauyen Maiduguri da kuma sansanin mulkin mallaka, har suka haɗu suka zama babban birnin da aka fi sani da Maiduguri a yau.
Me ya sa aka bar Kukawa aka koma Yerwa?
Akwai muhimman dalilai da suka sa aka mayar da babban birnin Borno daga Kukawa zuwa Yerwa:
1. Lalacewar Kukawa sakamakon yaƙi: Mamayar Rabih a shekarar 1893 ta janyo babbar ɓarna a Kukawa, tare da raunana matsayinta na cibiyar mulki.
2. Sauyin tsarin siyasa: Bayan dawowar mulkin Shehu da shigar Birtaniya, tsarin gudanar da Borno ya sauya. Birtaniya ta fara taka muhimmiyar rawa wajen tsara inda za a gudanar da harkokin mulki.
3. Sauƙin hulɗa da hukumomin Birtaniya: Kukawa tana da nisa daga sansanin Birtaniya da ke Mafoni. A cewar wani bincike kan tarihin yankin, jami’an Birtaniya sun nuna wa Shehu cewa gudanar da hulɗar mulki daga Kukawa, mai nisan kusan kilomita 130 daga Mafoni, yana da wahala.
4. Matsalar samar da ruwa: ɗaya daga cikin dalilan da aka ambata shi ne ƙarancin wadataccen ruwan sha a Kukawa, wanda ya sa sabon matsugunin ya fi dacewa da buƙatun gudanar da mulki.
5. Muhimmancin kasuwanci da sabon matsuguni: Rahoton gwamnatin mulkin mallaka na shekarar 1906–1907 ya nuna cewa ƙaruwar muhimmancin Maiduguri ta fuskar kasuwanci ce ta sa aka yanke shawarar mayar da babban birnin can.
Ta yaya Maiduguri ta zama babban birni?
Bayan kafa Yerwa a shekarar 1907, birnin ya ci gaba da bunƙasa a matsayin cibiyar mulkin gargajiya da ta mulkin mallaka. A hankali, ‘yan kasuwa, malamai, ma’aikatan gwamnati da sauran jama’a suka riƙa ƙaura zuwa yankin.
A shekarar 1957, an fara amfani da sunan Yerwa a hukumance wajen ayyana babban birnin, yayin da sunan Maiduguri ya ci gaba da zama sananne ga yankin da ke kewaye da shi. Daga baya, sunan Maiduguri ya mamaye amfani da sunan Yerwa wajen kiran babban birnin Jihar Borno.
A shekarar 1964, zuwan layin dogo zuwa Maiduguri ya ƙara bunƙasa kasuwanci da zirga-zirgar jama’a, wanda ya taimaka wajen faɗaɗa birnin da kuma ƙara masa muhimmanci a yankin Arewa maso Gabashin Nijeriya.
A taƙaice, Maiduguri ba birni ne da aka kafa kawai saboda sauya wurin zama ba. Kafuwarsa ta samo asali ne daga jerin sauye-sauyen tarihi da suka haɗa da yaƙin Rabih da Daular Borno, lalacewar Kukawa, dawowar mulkin Shehu, da kuma shigar Birtaniya cikin harkokin gudanar da yankin.
Saboda haka, tarihin Maiduguri yana da alaƙa kai tsaye da tarihin Kukawa. Kukawa ta kasance tsohuwar cibiyar daular, yayin da Maiduguri ta zama sabuwar cibiyar mulki da kasuwanci da ta taso bayan sauye-sauyen da suka faru a ƙarshen ƙarni na 19 da farkon ƙarni na 20.
Madogaran bayanai:
1. Robert Porter (1985), Observations on the Early History of Maiduguri, mujallar Annals of Borno.
2. W. Seidensticker (1983), Notes on the History of Yerwa (Maiduguri), mujallar Annals of Borno.
3. Rahoton gwamnatin mulkin mallakar Birtaniya na 1906–1907, Annual Report of the Colonies, Northern Nigeria.
