History Of Kolanut Trade In Sokoto City : 1900-2014

History Of Kolanut Trade In Sokoto City : 1900-2014

Chapter One

General Introduction

Preface

Despite the profitable revolutions which hit Nigerian vegetable products following the arrival of Europeans occupation, the kolanut remains the only produce the value of which still seems to exceed the plutocrat paid for it.1

There are people in Hausaland who are addicted to kola if they do n’t eat it they feel like puking the Hausa people are so fond of kola( goro) that it’ll buy anything a man can give it as payment and it’ll be accepted.2

Kola, a member of the family sterculiaceae, is a nut that comprises a large quantum of caffeine and other substances like kolatin, kolanin, glucose, bounce, adipose matter, tennins, catechins, bataine and protein that act as instigations which may also be like coffee as it cumulative.3 There are two major species of kola- cola nitida and cola acuminate. For nitida, the specie was firstly set up along the western seacoast of Africa from Sierra Leone to the Republic of Benin with the loftiest frequence and variability in the timber areas of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. These areas have been accepted as the centers of origin of Colanitida.The areas remained for long the most prominent source of kolanuts( Gwanja kolanuts) to the West African trading routes. In the early twentieth century, kola trees were infrequently planted, the nuts used for trade and original consumption being attained from robotic trees.4

Cola acuminata, the alternate important marketable species of kola, has its original area of distribution stretching from Nigeria to Gabon. The Cola acuminata could be spontaneously in mountains areas of Angola, Zaire and Cameroun, while it has

1O. Nzekwu, “ kolanut ”, ed. In Nigeria Magazine

2P.E. Lovejoy, Caravans of kola the Hausa kola Trade 1700- 1900 ABU Press 1980,p. 1

3L.K. Opeke, Tropical Commodity tree crops Diapason books limited Ibadan 1987,p. 1.

4 Ibid, p,.2

long been in civilization on the islets of Principe and Sao Tome. still, in Nigeria, the areas of Idanre and Ijare all in Ondo state are presently regarded as the place where Cola acuminate began.5 Meanwhile, kolanut has a long history in Sokoto megacity and the use of kolanuts among the people of Sokoto featured prominently in their religious, social and conventional conditioning. Kolanut is used during observances relating to marriage, naming form, as well as coronations.

The merits of the kolanut were known to Sokoto people in Nigeria about three hundred times agone . therefore, the involvement of Sokoto kola merchandisers in long distance trade had been eased by the actuality of interchangeable goods for trade( similar as swab, nitron, hide and skin, onion, grains etc). These interchangeable particulars served as the indigenous natural coffers for trading and mortal use.6 The kolanut trade with other corridor of West Africa by people of Hausaland according to history had been in actuality indeed before the Sokoto jihad. Although, numerous products were traded between Sokoto and Asante( Gwanja) in present Ghana and Kurmi in the southwestern part of the country, but kola has generally been singled out as the commodity of utmost interest by Sokoto people.7

therefore after the Jihad of 1804, the spread of Islam had a particular advantage on the demand for kola. The nuts were the only readily available goad which Islam doesn’t condemn; therefore, as further people in Sokoto megacity honored this trade in kola

5 According to Lovejoy, there are further than forty kinds of kola, and these four – cola nitada, Cola acuminate,Cola.verticillata and cola anomalan are important in the commerce of West Africa. therefore, Cola nitada was by the many the most important in terms of trade between timber and champaign. See also,P.E.

Lovejoy, “ Kola in the History of West Africa ”, Cuhiend etudes africaines, 77- 78 Vol XX 1980p. 98.

6M. Adamu, The Hausa Factor in West Africa History, ABU Press, 1976,p. 36.

7M. Adamu, Ibid. According to him, historically, it’s veritably delicate to say with certainty when trade in kolanut started, but he believed that the preface of kola into Hausaland anteceded the entire event before the Jihad of 1804. The more importantly by the morning of the 14th century some Hausa dealers had formerly reached the main source of kolanut in Volta Region which was regarded as precious commodity.

increased.8 The Sokoto kolanut trade along the Volta receptacle was one part of the larger West African trade in kola, and commercially, it was one of the most important sections. Each time in the nineteenth century thousands of people traveled over 900 kilometers from Sokoto caliphate to the requests of Asante to vend their products and buy the commodity( kola).9 By the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the Ashante set the political conditions on product and trade designed to cover its kola assiduity form being dominated by the nonnatives and Islamic priests also, to insure that government officers served from the trade over other sectors of society.

This period is previous to the time when Yoruba of southwestern Nigerian product of Cola nitida came significant.10 thus, this policy introduced by Asante accompanied with the restriction within the megacity of Salaga( a exurb of Asante regions) where the caravan settled) as well as extravagant tariff assessed on kolanut by Asante government shifted the attention of the Sokoto caravan to the Kurmi trading and transacted trading to Gwanja.

In the present period, the southwest of Nigeria appears to be the leading producing areas of kolanut in Nigeria and the bulk of their products are being taken to northern Nigeria including Sokoto megacity at least, since the morning of the 20th century by both Hausa and Yoruba dealers. This internal sale has paved way for further economic Kola business engagement among the dealers also that of laborious long distance Gwanja trading.

8P.E. Lovejoy, The Caravans of kola,op.cit. p131.

9P.E. Lovejoy, Caravan of Kola,op.cit.p. 5

10 Accordint to Agiri, the policy introduced by the social masters in the upgrading the kola seedling had started yielding a massive affair in the product of Cola nitida in the southwestern part of Nigeria in this time. This Cola nitida have further universal recognition and acceptance in terms of rates and physical appearance in the transnational requests. further explanations will be given in the posterior chapters patterning to Asante policy that led to the end of Sokoto caravans movement to Gwanja which paved way to Kurmi trading

Statement of the Research Problem

So numerous studies on long distance trade have been carried out on colorful papers of trade in different corridor of Nigeria. These include( but not limited to) beast, 11grains12, groundnut13, Salt14Palm oil painting, fruits and vegetables. still, there’s no detailed study on kolanut trade in Sokoto megacity considering it significant part in the socio- profitable and artistic life of the people. Although there are a number of literatures that emphasized on the nature ofpre-colonial exchange and movement of people within the ecological zones of West African region similar movements led to the conformation of numerous agreements and socio-artistic religious prolixity over a period of time.15

thus, this exploration studies the origin, nature, development and impact of the kolanut trade in Sokoto megacity from 1900- 2000. More importantly the part of the kola nut merchandisers in the metamorphosis and integration of people in Nigeria through exchange of goods. Meanwhile, the offer give fresh donation to being studies. This we hope will punctuate the significant position of this trade to the frugality of the area.

Significance and defense of the Study

The work derives its defense and applicability form several arguments. Kolanut trade has been one of the foremost long distance commodity trade that was in the megacity of Sokoto, but Scholars and experimenters have over looked the significance of this trade to the socio- profitable development of the megacity indeed though, it was considerably traded and consumed in the area right from the pre- social time to the period of this study. This

11M.M Inuwa, “ The History of Cattle in Birnin Sokoto 1903- 1989 ”M.A History, Department of History, UDUS, Sokoto, 1989.

12P. Clough, “ The Social Relations of Grains Marketing in Northern Nigeria ” In Review of African Political Economic Volt Roape, Publications Limited, 1985.

13M.O. Odey, Origin and Development of Groundnut Production and Trade in Benue Province, 1900-

1930 ”. in The Development of Cash Crops Frugality in Nigeria lower Benue Province, 1910- 1960.

14A.S. Alhaji, “ A History of Salt Mining in Hoga Vally in 15th, 19th and 20th Century ”,M.A ThesisU.D.U

Sokoto, 2003.

15M. Kwaire Op cit

study will really contribute immensely to the general profitable history of Sokoto area of Nigeria.

Secondly, the work is to give an analysis of the dynamic nature of the kolanut trade, immigration and agreement of the kolanut dealers in the area which handed the most feasible medium of integrating the people of Nigeria more also any other civil institutionalized programmers. therefore, this is what makes the study on kolanut trade in Sokoto necessary as it provides a detailed study on the origin and nature of the trade in the area which has not been duly proved. The out come of the exploration will be useful to both government and individualities in designing programs and assaying the part of goods and trade generally in the area.

Aim And Objects.

The main end of this exploration work is to study kolanut trade in Sokoto megacity from 1900 – 2014. thus, the study aims at achieving the following objects;

to bandy the literal origin of kolanut trade in Sokoto megacity;

to examine the general trends in the association of kolanut trade, transportation, distribution and consumption pattern;

to bandy the impact of profitable programs espoused on kolanut trade;

to examine the influence of indigenous groups in kolanut trading conditioning in Sokoto megacity;

Analyse some of the problems involved in kolanut trade and marketing in Sokoto megacity; and

To assess the part of kolanut trade in particular, kolanut merchandisers and mediators among the Yoruba directors and Hausa dealers in the profitable development of Sokoto megacity.

Compass And Limitations

The primary end of this offer is to examine the kolanut trade in Sokoto megacity. The profound areas for the trade of kolanut like Shagon goro, Kara request, Kofar Rini, Kofar Atiku and Kanwuri area, Hungumawa, Gobirawa, Kalhu, Unguwar fatake each in Sokoto megacity shall be examined.

The study covers a period of 20th Century.( 1900 to 2014) It begins from the termination of lovejoys work named Caravans of Kola the Hausa kola trade1700- 1900. The work examines entrepreneurship in the Kola importing business in the central Sudan which concentrates on the conditioning of major groups of dealers i.e. Agalawa, Tokarawa, and Kambarin Barebari. These people benefactions to the trade and the nature of their long distance trip to Gwanja( Ghana) will be observed and explained in details.. also, the period( 1900) witnessed a paradigm shift of special specie of nitida kolanut in areas of Yoruba land more particularly in Ota, Agege, Abeokuta, Ikorodu, and Ijebu- Remo that was in high demand by Hausa kolanut dealers. Eventually it has been conceded as a land mark for the Hausa emigrants ’ agreement in Yoruba land not only for trade but for the civilization of nitida specie in the area16.