I am North
I run from the far Sahara
through the Sahelian Kano
to the fertile lands of Benue

I am North
A spring of wisdom
I fed the brave Sardauna
And the eloquent Tafawa

I am North
A home to the Hausas
The Fulanis and Kanuris
Beroms, Tivs and Idomas

I am North
A generous mother
For I betrothed The Niger
To a beautiful bride—-The Benue

In me are a people
From diverse places
Adamawa speaks beauty
In Kaduna, it rains intellect

Sokoto narrates legends
Of Shehu Usmanu Danfodiyo
And his conquest of Argungu
Down to the villages of Ilorin

In me were blacksmiths
From the ancient town of Bidda
Tell me about the town of Hadejia
And fishes in its mysterious River

Plateau harbours minerals
And abundance dwell in Kano
Maiduguri was a home for all
In the days of Ajami scripting

My youths are not Islamists
I am the groudnut pyramids
I am Yakubu Gowon and Abacha
I am Mamman Shuwa and Murtala

When the sun rises
My markets get saturated
With hardworking merchants
And traders from beyond me

I am North
The stout Maina
The arid land of Gashua
I am vast farming and Pottery

I am North
A cave that echoes
All sounds of Dan Kwairo
I am the strings of Dan Maraya

I am North
Arewan Sarki Dikko
I am Mamman Durugu
I am architectural prowess

I am North
I am the wealthy Dangote
I am Okene and Ajaokuta
I am Damaturu, Jos and Lafia

There’s more to me
Than the stories you hear
I had noble Queens and Kings
Towns within me, far and near

I am North
Of various faiths
Muslims and Christians
Of churches and mosques

Do not try to slander me
False tales don’t define me
My offsprings are not terrorists
For I am North, I am hospitality

In me are age-long festivals
And some colourful durbars
My Yankari is a sight to behold
Come! Do not wait till you are told

Mambilla touches the skies
“Awara” is sweeter when fried
I heard Gurara has tasty waters
In me are brothers without borders
Bauchi devours Maasa
Fura is an anthem in Gombe
There are morsels of Tuwo in Daura
Hadejia is well known for Miyan Kuka

All hail Mamman Shata
Who rose from ancient Funtua
Our Queen Amina was a heroine
She fought wars for old Zazzau

I am North
I am Bayajidda
I am Atta and Bayero
I am Ladi Kwali and Sawaba

I am North
The seat of The Caliphate
The Birnin Kudu paintings
I am culture and heritage

I am North
I am milk and meat
I am cows and camels
I am grains and bounty harvests

I am North
An abode of the Gwaris
The Jukuns and the Zurus
The Ebiras and the Igalas

These rains will go
This blood will wash away
These cries will fade slowly
For I am North, Arewan Ali Makaho

I am North
A place of love
For myriad centuries
Where peace had found shelter

They call me North
My children call me Arewa
But then, to me, I am a home
For men, women, young and old.

Shehu Mubarak Sulaiman is a Kano-based poet

This OP is one of the educated Fulani's who open accounts here on nairaland as Igbo or as yoruba. They even go as far as using biafran or oduduwan flag to make them look real. They are first to insult other southern tribes, making it look like Igbo's and Yoruba's and even the Niger deltans hate each other.

Please, stop adding Benue to the North. Benue is middle belt made of Igbo, igede, idoma, tiv.

Beautiful poem but the content focuses more on historicals but has little or nothing on the future, which is the issue. THE FUTURE. What historicals would another poet harp on in the next fifty years about the NORTH.

This future of the NORTH is becoming a lot hazy because of cultural conservatism. This pervading sense of laid-back conservatism selfishly promoted by the Traditional rulers, clerics and elites inhibits the young people of the NORTH from being ACTIVELY FORWARD-ACTING. Time has changed. Time is changing. Time keeps changing. But, in the face of change, the NORTH remains static while even Saudi Arabia - the citadel of Islam - is adapting fast, wisely and nicely. Culture affects mindset. Adaptation goes beyong young people flocking to Instagram or Twitter to burn data and enrich digital entrepreneurs. It is about opening up the mind to enhance its fertility and creativity in order to unleash the fullness of individual potentials.

The NORTH by its sheer size and population and through its cultural stagnation is holding Nigerian BACK and DOWN. The NORTH seems like a sleeping giant that enjoys sleeping pills. The giant needs to wake up for the sake of its hapless and helpless children.

valenu:
Please, stop adding Benue to the North. Benue is middle belt made of Igbo, igede, idoma, tiv. Thanks

By conquest Benue is north just like Kwara

jimyjames:

By conquest Benue is north just like Kwara

Conquest my foot! Who dash una?

valenu:
Conquest my foot! Who dash una?

There is nothing like middle belt my friend, Benue is north central

jimyjames:

By conquest Benue is north just like Kwara

How is your new hobby of kidnapping going.You will soon destroy yourselves with your criminality.

Babalegba:
How is your new hobby of kidnapping going.You will soon destroy yourselves with your criminality.

Don't derail this thread my friend

jimyjames:

By conquest Benue is north just like Kwara

north is just a cardinal direction, not a tribe,kwara and Benue being not does not means they are Hausa or Fulani

Ideadoctor:
north is just a cardinal direction, not a tribe,kwara and Benue being not does not means they are Hausa or Fulani

Read the poem again and look at the bold words you will understand

jimyjames:


Read the poem again and look at the bold words you will understand

okay,just stop trying to claim what your ancestors were unable to claim

Lalasticala please front page

Ideadoctor:
okay,just stop trying to claim what your ancestors were unable to claim

Will you stop arguing over what your ancestors never argured about

jimyjames:

By conquest Benue is north just like Kwara

Na only una sabi conquer? Una dey craze

valenu:
Na only una sabi conquer? Una dey craze

Who else has conquered?

jimyjames:


Will you stop arguing over what your ancestors never argured about

wonder why I am even arguing with a sourceless person like you,come Ilorin and let see how far you conquer, bloody idiot!

jimyjames:

There is nothing like middle belt my friend, Benue is north central

By the time wey middle belt and South's go break away from ur failed Nigeria, u go rewrite that your poem.

Ideadoctor:
wonder why I am even arguing with a sourceless person like you,come Ilorin and let see how far you conquer, bloody idiot!

OMG so you don't even know the history of Ilorin/Fulani/afonja ? Research about it, Ilorin belongs to Fulani

What he\she fails to add is:

I am North
today's rain, milk and meat
because airheads in the South sold their birth right
Goons from South fought against their brother to give North the happy feelings

I am North
And will always look at certain southerners as goofy heads.

I am North
thankful to deluded South

jimyjames:

Who else has conquered?

No body. Just you conquering yourself already. The south has waken up. Soon, politicians will have no say and I will see who your Fulani will use against the people.

jimyjames:


OMG so you don't even know the history of Ilorin/Fulani/afonja ? Research about it, Ilorin belongs to Fulani

here comes an average illiterate Northerner, you should educate me on how Fulani conquered Ilorin, I am listening.

valenu:
By the time wey middle belt and South's go break away from ur failed Nigeria, u go rewrite that your poem.

60% of the northern soldier's that fought the Nigerian biafran war were tiv and the minority tribes in plateau back then Benue and plateau were merged into one state called Benueplateau state, middle belt is never South but north central

Coming from someone with a Biafra picture on his DP.

jimyjames:


60% of the northern soldier's that fought the Nigerian biafran war were tiv and the minority tribes in plateau back then Benue and plateau were merged into one state called Benueplateau state, middle belt is never South but north central

By the time wey middle belt and South's go break away from ur failed Nigeria, u go rewrite that your poem.

valenu:
No body. Just you conquering yourself already. The south has waken up. Soon, politicians will have no say and I will see who your Fulani will use against the people.

Who are the South? Has the South ever United the archives anything since the creation of Nigeria?

Ideadoctor:
here comes an average illiterate Northerner, you should educate me on how Fulani conquered Ilorin, I am listening.

You see? You don't even know the history of your people

Arkmanbuddy:
Coming from someone with a Biafra picture on his DP.

Please, stop being deceived by those northern Fulani who open account as Igbo and Yoruba. They are the first to go tribal insulting and causing disunity among Igbo's and Yoruba. They are Fulani pretending to be Igbo's/Yoruba's. They will use Igbo names, Yoruba names and even use biarfan or oduduwa flags. Anything to make them look genuine. They are first to insult Yoruba or Igbo. Their divide and conquer thing. Lol! They are many of them here on Nairaland

valenu:
By the time wey middle belt and South's go break away from ur failed Nigeria, u go rewrite that your poem.

North Central is north keep dreaming, can they pay for the 3 million people their son Gowon from plateau killed in the east during biafran war? So you believe Gowon is a Southerner?

jimyjames:


North Central is north keep dreaming, can they pay for the 3 million people their son Gowon from plateau killed in the east during biafran war? So you believe Gowon is a Southerner?

By the time wey middle belt and South's go break away from ur failed Nigeria, u go rewrite that your poem.

valenu:
By the time wey middle belt and South's go break away from ur failed Nigeria, u go rewrite that your poem.

I want to hear Gowon say that, not you, you are a nobody and whatever you say doesn't count, thank God Gowon is still alive

jimyjames:

You see? You don't even know the history of your people

I don't have time to type stories for a northern illiterate like you, it like teaching sanity to a madman or teaching arithmetic to a goat,you would never comprehend my ideas, your place is with your cows in the Bush, now get out of this forum and go take car of cows,we ain't in the same level

The core northern Nigeria is NW and NE.The NC is an heterogeneous entity consisting of many northern Christian minority ethnic groups.It is only politics that makes the feudal lords to claim monolithic north for political advantage.