REJOINDER TO SHEHU SHAGARI UNIVERSITY (SSUES): “We Are Not Removing Hausa, We Only Placed It in the Second Phase While Fulfulde Comes First”
Response by the Concerned Hausa Ethnic Stakeholders Forum (HESFO)
TO THE STATEMENT ISSUED BY SHEHU SHAGARI UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, SOKOTO (SSUES)
Our attention has been drawn to the press release issued by the Management of Shehu Shagari University of Education, Sokoto (SSUES), attempting to clarify its academic phasing structure regarding the Hausa and Fulfulde languages. While the University seeks to calm nerves, the response has raised more fundamental questions than it answered.
First and foremost, we find it alarming and completely unacceptable that Hausa the predominant language of Sokoto State and indeed the lingua franca of Northern Nigeria would be relegated to a second phase of academic implementation, while Fulfulde is prioritized as a first-choice programme.
For the records, Hausa is spoken by virtually 100% of the population in Sokoto State. Fulfulde, though important, is spoken by fewer than 15%. Even demographically, Hausa people constitute over 80% of the state’s ethnic composition, with Fulani forming a minority. On what grounds, then, does it make sense for a public University in Sokoto funded by taxpayers to assign greater importance to Fulfulde than Hausa in its academic development structure?
This is not just an innocent “phasing plan.” It is a clear case of ethnic bias and deliberate marginalization of Hausa identity and scholarship. One cannot downplay the dangerous precedent being set when the majority’s language is treated as secondary while the minority’s is elevated.
We reject the subtle narrative that Hausa is not being “removed,” but only “delayed.” In practice, delay is denial, especially when Hausa is already experiencing declining fortunes in other Nigerian universities. This move further weakens Hausa’s institutional position, while systematically strengthening Fulfulde a language whose advocates have consistently sought to impose it beyond its demographic relevance.
Our prognosis is clear: If Hausa elites and stakeholders remain passive, Hausa scholarship in higher education will continue to decline. Therefore, we strongly call upon well-to-do Hausa individuals, traditional institutions, and political leaders to:
- Establish foundations to sponsor Hausa students and programmes.
- Demand immediate review of the SSUES Academic Brief to prioritize Hausa studies in the first phase of academic development.
- Insist that public institutions in Sokoto reflect the linguistic reality of the state rather than the ambitions of a small ethnic minority.
Finally, let it be known that HESFO will not stand idly by while Hausa identity is reduced under the guise of “NUC phasing.” The deliberate consignment of Hausa to the second phase is not an accident it is a calculated policy that undermines the heritage, culture, and majority status of the Hausa people in Sokoto and the wider North.
We urge SSUES management to urgently correct this anomaly in the interest of peace, fairness, and educational justice.
Concerned Hausa Ethnic Stakeholders Forum (HESFO)
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