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“Fifty-four years on, The Sokoto Caliphate is the acknowledged classic text on the ‘Fulani Empire’.”
PREMIUM TIMES Books on Monday presented to the public, The Sokoto Caliphate, a book authored by Murray Last, as part of events commemorating the 15th anniversary of the installation of the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Sa’ad.
The book was first published in 1967.
“Except for the title, it was the sum of Mr Last’s 1964 PhD thesis, word for word. It was the first PhD thesis approved by the University of Ibadan.
“The book is the only West African edition and has been printed for circulation by Premium Times Books,” Musikilu Mojeed, the Chief Operating Officer of the PREMIUM TIMES Group, said in a statement.
The formal presentation of the book was held at the International Conference Centre, Kasarawa, Sokoto State.
The book was reviewed by Mukhtar Umar-Bunza, a professor who is also the Commissioner for Higher Education in Kebbi State.
The session was chaired by a former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako
“The event will also have in attendance the Sultan of Sokoto and the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal,” said, in the statement issued ahead of the event.
About the Book
The author, Mr Last, was a graduate student at the prestigious Yale University, when he first heard about the ‘Fulani Empire’ in northern Nigeria.
He subsequently travelled widely within the borders of the defunct ‘Fulani Empire’, visiting more than 50 towns on the Nigerian side and 12 towns that are now part of Niger Republic while he was conducting his research.
“That is the first of many records it broke. It was also the first book that documented the ‘Fulani Empire’ from the inside, utilising books, records and letters written by its African leaders and officials in the Arabic original as primary source material, not, as non-UCI scholars did, accounts of European explorers like Clapperton or translations of Arabic texts by colonial administrators.
“It was lauded as a landmark in the historiography of northern Nigeria and the then newly minted Dr Murray Last was hailed as the first scholar to focus minutely on the structure and administration of the ‘Fulani Empire’.
“Fifty-four years on, The Sokoto Caliphate is the acknowledged classic text on the ‘Fulani Empire’. It has gone through several editions, including the Hausa edition, Daular Sakkwato, published in 2009, but has never had an all-Nigeria edition.
“In late 2019, PREMIUM TIMES Books began discussions with Professor Murray Last about publishing the Nigerian edition of The Sokoto Caliphate, which he graciously agreed to.
“Publishing The Sokoto Caliphate is in keeping with Premium Times Books’ mission statement of bringing books about Nigerians home to Nigeria.
“At its zenith, the Sokoto Caliphate’s east-west boundary stretched from modern Cameroon to Burkina Faso and, north-south, from Agadez in Niger Republic to Ilorin. Its legacy in Nigeria reverberates through present-day debates about constitutional reform, restructuring and regional autonomy.
“We at PREMIUM TIMES Books, think the book, The Sokoto Caliphate, is, at the very least, a great resource material for ongoing debates,” Mr Mojeed said.
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