The pre_Colonial system of Government among the Hausa/Fulani.

The Hausa/Fulani states which were hitherto scattered and disjointed, were brought together under a centralized Fulani administration through the 'holy war' fought By Uthman Dan fodio in 1804. The traditional political system was based on the Emirate system. The whole of the Fulani empire was divided into Emirates. The central administration was actually divided into two parts: the eastern zone with its headquarters at Sokoto and the western zone with its headquarters at Gwandu. The Emirs of Sokoto and Gwandu were the Senior Emirs who appointed other Emirs for the Emirates under their jurisdiction. An Emir was appointed as both the political and spiritual head of each Emirate. These other Emirs acknowledged the overlordship of the Emirs of Sokoto and Gwandu and they paid allegiance and annual tributes to them.At the Emirate level an Emir could make some appointments but such appointments would have to be approved by the senior Emirs.

THE ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE.

At the head of the Hausa/Fulani political system was the Sultan of sokoto. He however delegated his powers to the emirs who headed various emirates. With the arrangement, an emir was both the political and religious head of each emirates.

Within an emirate, the emir resided in the capital city. He appointed officials who were in charge of the affairs of the capital city. The rest of the emirates were further divided into districts. Each district was headed by an official known as Hakimi. Each district consisted of a number of villages, while each village was administered by a village head appointed by the Hakimi. The duties of the Hakimi included maintaining law and order, settlement of minor dispute and collection of taxes. Some of the taxes collected were Jangali: a tax levy on cattle owners, jizyah, levy on slaves and subjects, and Zakat, which was a tax imposed on property to help the poor and needy. Note that all this forms of taxation was based on Islamic principles.

THE EXECUTIVE ORGAN AND FUNCTIONS.

At the head of the political system was the emir. He was an absolute and autocratic ruler. He was also the spiritual head of the emirate. In his state, he administered the emirate strictly according to Islamic laws and culture. The executive duties of the emir included maintaining law and order, regulation of the peoples economic and religious life, levying taxes and rates, and defending the territory from both internal and external attacks .

In carrying out this executive functions, the emir was assisted by a council of officials. This council of officials were accountable to the emir. They were given specific duties. Their appointments were based on trust,hard work and expertise.

The members of the council of minister included:

1: Galadima; He was charged with various administrative duties. He was responsible for the administration of the capital city in the absence of the emir.

2: Madawki: He was the commander_in_chief of the cavalry (army). He was responsible for the military function of the state, that is defending it against attacks.

3: Waziri: He was the emirs chief official. A kind of prime minister.All administrative matters of the emirate were coordinated by him.

4: Maaji: He was the finance minister

5: Sarkin fada: He was the head of palace officials.

6: Dogari: He was the chief of the police. He was responsible for the maintenance of law and order.

The emir also appointed other person's who have distinguished themselves in various professions. Such titles included sarkin ruwa and sarkin pawa, who were both best in fishing and butcher. The title holders acted as heads of their professional groups. The emir was expected to consult his senior office holders before making important decisions that will affect the government, however he was not compelled to take their advice but it was necessary for the emir to maintain a good relationship with his officials especially the ruling family.

THE LEGISLATIVE ORGAN AND FUNCTION.

The legislative function in the Hausa/Fulani system was largely taken care of by the Qur'an. However where the Qur'an was silent or inadequate, the emir as the chief legislator makes laws but these laws were not in anyway to conflict with Islamic laws. Under this arrangement, the Qur'an, the emir and the his council officials constituted the legislature. The emir was regarded as the chief interpreter of Islamic laws and therefore had the power to set aside any local law made by the district head.

THE JUDICIAL ORGAN AND FUNCTIONS.

They emir was the head of the judiciary in the emirate. The emirs court was the highest court.It dealt with all serious criminal cases and major land disputes.The emir was also the controller of lands in the emirate. Islamic law provided that all dead sentences should be pronounced by the emir. There wewere also another set of court called the Alkali courts.Each of this courts was headed by an official called (alkali) who was trained in Islamic laws and culture.An emirate could have more than one court. The alkali dealt with serious matters such as marriage, divorce,inheritance,debt,children custody, slander, and manner of dressing. District and village heads were also allowed to settle minor disputes.