BATURIYA BIRDS SANCTUARY, HADEJIA WETLAND GAME RESERVE..

HADEJIA A YAU!

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HADEJIA WETLAND GAME RESERVE, JIGAWA STATE.

INTRODUCTION OF THE GAME RESERVE

Baturiya Birds sanctuary, sometimes referred to broadly as Hadejia Wetland game reserve is a natural wetlands, located within the Sudan Sahelian region. Its stretches in a general west to east direction of Hadejia River Valley touching portion of three Local Government Areas Auyo, Kirikasamma and Guri Local Government areas in Jigawa State.The reserve was taken as Parts of Birds area of Hadejia/Nguru wetland and also as wetland of international importance (RAMSAR) 20  recently it was proposed to upgrade to a state of a national park by Nigerian national parks service (NPS).

The area of the reserve includes; the buffer zone is about 350km2 reserve support great variety of wildlife resources particulariy water game birds that are of both migratory and resident origins especially for resting activities.

HISTORY OF THE GAME RESERVE

The game reserve derived its name from the neighboring community of meaning a lady from Europe or white lady this was originated some centuary back when Baturiya community was not established, the area was just a variety of wildlife resources and Europeans used to visit and camp at. History have indicated that in early 70's the bush around Baturiya terms of variety of wildlife species and there were a lot of pond and were rich in terms of fish, crocodiles, monitor lizard and others aquatic animals.

for this purpose the then emir of Hadejia decided to organize a festival, where fishing and swimming competitions were performed and take place during the period of a festival, the then governor of defunct Kano state (Alhaji Audu Bako) was at the occasion and he became fascinated and attracted with the biodiversity resources of the area.

 For this in 1975 he directed the forestry department, to establish the game reserve in the area. The first survey of the area was carried out in the same year 1975 are surveyed in 1980 and officially gathered as a game reserve in 1985, becoming of game reserve to ascertain the boundary was carried out in the year, 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2016.

PHYSICAL CONDITIONS REGARDS TO FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE GAME RESERVE

Hadejia wetlands game reserve embodies diverse of flora and fauna both of the sahel and sudan savannah type that comprises predominantly of the following species.. 

Acacia nilotica Gabaruwa, Acacia sayel dusa, tamarindus indica tsamiya, mitrigyna inermis Giyayya, Diospyros mespilifornmis Kanya, hypaenia thebaica Goruba, Balanites egyptiaca Aduwa, Acacia albilda Gawo, Acacia seiberiania fararkaya/Bauji, Azadirachta indica Maina/darbejiya, Vitex doniana Dinya, Parkia Biglobosa Dorawa, Zizaphus Maturiania Magarya, Anogesus Leacarpus Marke, Piliostigma reticulatum Kargo, Prosopis Africana Kirya, Acacia Senegal Kayar dakwara, Acacia gurmensis Kama mu raba sterculia stangera Kukkuki, Afzelia Africana Kawo, Afzelia Chavaleri Katsari, Adonsinia Digitata Kuka, Annona Senegalensis Gwandar Daji, Ficus Cycamorus Baure, Gardenia Aqualle Katambiri/Gaude, Khaya Senegalensis Madachi, Mangifera Indica Mango, Sieberiana Runfu, Ficus Eteolphylla Shirinya, Ficus Thonningi Cediya, gulera Senegalensis Sabara, Stereospermum Kunthiamum Samsami, Acacia Tazancantha Sarkakiya, Borassus Aethiopum Giginya, Calotropis Procera Tunfafiya, Bauhinia Rufescana Matsagi/Matsantsagi, Ceiba Pentandra Rimi, Celtis Intergrifolla Zuwo/Dukki Pterocarpus Erinaceus Kattakara/Madobiya Terminelia Evicennioidea Baushe/Kwandari, Ficus Platyphylla Ganji.

The physiognomy of the vegetation within the game reserve also varies, with regards to wild life animals that are commonly spotted in the area includes; redpatas monkey, Baboon spotted Hyena Grims duiker, wathog common Jackal and many species of snakes including rockpython among others.

The abundance of the variety of birth such as game birds and waters birds species with high population which are commonly sighted in the game reserve and includes; GAME BIRDS….. 

THE FOUR RULING GROUP OF ZAZZAU.

HADEJIA A YAU!

Four ruling groups of Zazzau Emirate. 

The Province of Zaria was formed in 1902, and during this year Kwassau was deposed for intriguing with the Emir of Kano, who was at that time still hostile to the British. Aliu dan Sidi, of the original Mallawa dynasty, was appointed Emir in 1903. He reigned for twenty years. Victor N. Low. 

In 1902 the three Emirates of Keffi, Nasarawa, and Jemaa, which had previously been tributary to Zaria, were removed from the suzerainty of the Emir of Zaria and made independent.

This was a humiliation for the murder of Captain Moloney at Keffi by the Magajin Keffi, an accredited agent of the Emir Kwassau, who was sheltered first by the Emir of Zaria and then by the Emirs of Kano and Sokoto. They all had bitter cause to regret it.

The Zaria ruling group consisted of four lineages..The Barebari, the Katsinawa, the Mallawa and the Sullubawa, around which local power struggles within the N.A. revolved. These royal lineages were also the only source of candidature for the oflice of emirship, and thus they and their supporters controlled the N.A. in 1950, but the Emir's lineage was always the dominant group.

In 1950 the Emir of Zaria was Malam Ja'afaru, who remained in office until his death in 1959; he belonged to the Barebari lineage. Before his appointment as Emir in 1937, he had served as district head of Zangon Katab for 22 years. In his earlier years as Emir he was said to be more advanced in his outlook than the majority of his contemporaries.

But with the advance of years he found it difticult to adjust to the political changes in the country in the 1950s. Politically, he remained deeply committed to the maintenance of the status quo based on the principles of indirect rule.

Accordingly he did not subscribe to opinion in the Region critical of an N.A. system based on indirect rule. He openly expressed his alarm at the rate of political change in the Region and feared this could undermine the existing administrative framework. In Emir Ja'afaru's view the N.A., as then organized, had done a great deal for the welfare of the people and had protected the common man from the exploitation of 'dishonest officials'. 

In 1959 Ja'afaru was succceded by Muhammadu Aminu, who was a member of the Katsinawa lineage and had served the N.A. first as head of the health departnent, and later was appointed the lya with resporsibility for the Sabon Gari district. 

In this office he had a reputation for openmindedness which enabled him to maintain order in this most cosmopolitan and urbanised sector of the Emirate. Unlike Ja'afaru, Aminu was a contemporary of the leaders of the Northern Peoples Congress, his close personal friendship with the Regional Premier, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto, was believed by many to have been the reason for the Premier giving him the Emirship. 

When Aminu took office in 1959 the N.A. was dominated by the Barebari and thus, during the first 2 years of his appointment he found difficulty in establishing his control.

Reference….. 

The native authority system in northern Nigeria, 1950-70: A study in political relations with particular reference to the Zaria native authority by Yahaya, A. D. Publication date 1980. 

Muhammadan Emirates In Northern Nigeria by Victor N. Low.