Gidado dan Laima (1817–1842) also known as Waziri Gidado was the first known

Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

of the

Sokoto Caliphate The Sokoto Caliphate (, literally: Caliphate in the Lands of Sudan), also known as the Sultanate of Sokoto, was a Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim caliphate in West Africa. It was founded by Usman dan Fodio in 1804 during the Fula jihads, Fulani jihads ...

, he was vizier of

Sokoto Sokoto (Hausa language, Hausa: ; Fulfulde, Fula: , ''Leydi Sokoto'') is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the extreme northwest of the country. It is bounded by Niger, Republic of the Niger to the north and west for 363 km (226 m ...

during the sultanship of

Muhammed Bello Muhammadu Bello (; ; 3 November 1781 – 25 October 1837) was the second Caliph of Sokoto and reigned from 1817 until 1837. He was also an active writer of history, poetry, and Islamic studies. He was the son and primary aide to Usman dan Fodio ...

. He was the founder of the popular line of viziers known as the Gidado line; some of his descendants include Waziri Junaid and Abd al-Qadir (Sokoto), and in extension, Gidado Idris who was once Nigeria’s Secretary to the Government. Gidado was succeeded by Abd al-Qadir (Sokoto) (1842–1859) in 1842. During

Hugh Clapperton Bain Hugh Clapperton (18 May 1788 – 13 April 1827) was a British naval officer and explorer of West and Central Africa. Early career Clapperton was born in Annan, Dumfriesshire, where his father, George Clapperton, was a surgeon. He gained so ...

's stay in Sokoto, he was under the care of his family.

Life

Gidado was born Uthman (Gidado) b. Abu Bakr (Sambo Laima) b. Umar (Gabinda) b. Ahmad to a

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, ...

family around the year 1776. His ancestry can be traced to a group of

Torodbe The Torodbe; singular Torodo (also called Turudiyya, Banu Toro, Takrur, Toronkawa) were Muslim Toucouleur people, Toucouleur clerics and theocratic monarchs who preached and reigned in Futa Toro, a region located in the north of present-day Senega ...

from Konni. Prior to the

Fulani jihad The Jihad of Usman dan Fodio was a religio-military conflict in present-day Nigeria and Cameroon. The war began when Usman dan Fodio, a prominent Islamic scholar and teacher, was exiled from Gobir by King Yunfa, one of his former students. Us ...

, Gidado, his father and uncle were with

Uthman Dan Fodio Shehu Usman dan Fodio (; full name; 15 December 1754 – 20 April 1817). (Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Uthman ibn Saalih ibn Haarun ibn Muhammad Ghurdu ibn Muhammad Jubba ibn Muhammad Sambo ibn Maysiran ibn Ayyub ibn Buba Baba ibn Musa Jokolli ibn ...

Degel Degel is a town in northern Nigeria. Once a part of the Hausa city-state of Gobir, Degel is particularly noted for being the home of Fulani Islamic reformer Usman dan Fodio from 1774 to 1804. Dan Fodio built a large following in the area until, ...

. He was close to the Dan Fodio clan, especially Muhammed Bello and shortly after the

jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

, he married Asma, a daughter of dan Fodio. He was not a leader of a particular group during the jihad but sometimes acted as a messenger or special envoy. One of his crucial tasks was to collect the caliph's share of booty from Birnin Gazargamu in 1808.Last. p. 151 In his journey, he met all the Fulani leaders and his knowledge of Bornu later made him a good choice to negotiate a truce with El Kanemi.

Vizier

Following Bello's election as

Amir al-mu'minin () or Commander of the Faithful is a Muslims, Muslim title designating the supreme leader of an Ummah, Islamic community. Name Although etymology, etymologically () is equivalent to English "commander", the wide variety of its historical an ...

, Gidado was appointed the vizier. He continued to maintain his work as emissary and assistant of Bello but he had more freedom of judgement. On his own initiative, he retired Ishaq, the Emir of

Daura Daura is a town and local government area in Katsina State, northern Nigeria. It is the spiritual home of the Hausa people. The emirate is referred to as one of the "seven true Hausa states" ( Hausa Bakwai) because it was(along with Biram, K ...

and appointed, Ishaq's son in his father's stead. He was also asked to command of a joint army when El Kanemi was threatening eastern Kano. During expeditions, he was known to be by the side of Bello, however, he was less involved in writing the Sultan's correspondence as future viziers became known. When Bello died, Gidado gradually retired because relations between him and

Abu Bakr Atiku Abu Bakr Atiku (; 1782–1842) was the third Sultan of the Sokoto Caliphate, reigning from October 1837 until November 1842. Early years Abu Bakr Atiku dan Shehu was born to the second wife of Usman dan Fodio in 1782. He was involved, as were al ...

, the new Sultan were not in good terms. His son Abd al-Qadir then sometimes acted as vizier.

References

Sokoto Caliphate 1817 births 1842 deaths 19th-century Nigerian historians Grand viziers of Sokoto {{Sokoto-politician-stub