Hausa

By Uzair Adam

Saudi Arabian authorities have approved Hausa and Yoruba among 35 international languages selected for the live translation of the 2026 Arafah sermon during Hajj, a move aimed at widening global access to one of Islam’s most important annual sermons.

The initiative, coordinated by the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, is part of ongoing efforts to utilise digital technology and media platforms to reach millions of Muslims worldwide in languages they understand.

The selected languages include English, French, Urdu, Indonesian, Turkish, Persian, Chinese, Russian, Hindi and Swahili, alongside Hausa and Yoruba, which are widely spoken in Nigeria and parts of West Africa.

Saudi authorities said the project was designed to ensure that the spiritual teachings, guidance and messages contained in the Arafah sermon are accessible to Muslims across different linguistic backgrounds without barriers.

Speaking on the initiative, Abdulrahman Al-Sudais described the translation programme as one of the major projects developed through years of experience in serving pilgrims and promoting Islamic teachings globally.

He noted that the live translations would help non-Arabic-speaking Muslims better understand the sermon’s messages of faith, morality, compassion and spirituality while also conveying Islam’s message of peace and coexistence to the wider international community.

The Arafah sermon, delivered annually at Mount Arafat during the Hajj pilgrimage, is regarded as one of the most significant sermons in Islam and attracts millions of listeners and viewers across the world each year.

Saudi authorities also urged participating countries to continue educating pilgrims on compliance with Hajj rules and regulations to ensure a safe and successful pilgrimage exercise.

Meanwhile, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) said it was aligning its operations with evolving digital standards, noting that its information technology department was developing comprehensive technological systems to improve Hajj operations in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reforms.

Observers of Hajj affairs described the inclusion of Hausa and Yoruba among the official translation languages as a major recognition of Nigeria’s large Muslim population, noting that it would enable millions of speakers of both languages to follow the sermon more directly and benefit from its teachings.

By Ibrahim Aliyu

Over the past few decades, Kannywood has grown into one of the most influential cultural industries in Northern Nigeria. Rooted in the Hausa language, Islamic values, and local traditions, it has shaped entertainment, storytelling, and public discourse across millions of homes. For many families, Kannywood was never merely cinema; it became a reflection of identity, morality, family structure, and social values.

Yet despite its cultural importance, Kannywood continues to attract criticism from various sections of society. Some believe the industry has drifted from the moral and religious principles it once claimed to uphold. Others argue that society itself has become increasingly harsh, suspicious, and contradictory in its judgments of public morality.

Perhaps the deeper issue is not merely “bad behaviour” in the industry, but the growing tension among public morality, private intentions, and shifting social perceptions.

In Islam, unnecessary physical intimacy between non-Mahram men and women is generally discouraged, and Hausa society has historically taken such boundaries seriously and with respect. However, there was also a period in Northern Nigeria when families could sit together and watch classic Kannywood comedy scenes featuring actors such as Ibro and Tsigai without automatically interpreting every interaction through a sexual lens.

Parents watched alongside their children. Grandparents watched with their grandchildren. Communities laughed together. At the time, many viewers saw those scenes primarily as comedy, storytelling, and harmless entertainment within a familiar cultural context.

This raises an important question: What changed?

Part of the answer may lie in how modern society increasingly interprets many human interactions through suspicion and moral anxiety. The rapid expansion of social media, unrestricted internet access, celebrity culture, and exposure to explicit online content have reshaped how people perceive entertainment, gender interactions, and morality itself.

As a result, public discussions about morality sometimes become less about intentions, discipline, and character, and more about appearances and public performance. In such an environment, accusations of immorality can spread quickly, even when the cultural context or the intention is more complex.

Hausa society contains longstanding cultural traditions that show how social interaction has historically been understood within context and boundaries. Practices such as “wasan kanin miji” and “wasan kaka da jika” reflect playful social interactions that coexisted with strong family values and respect for marriage institutions. These interactions were not automatically deemed immoral because society recognised the importance of trust, intention, and communal understanding.

This does not mean boundaries should disappear, nor does it suggest that moral principles are unimportant. Rather, it highlights the need for balance, sincerity, and self-awareness when discussing morality in public life.

The danger arises when society becomes more concerned with appearing morally superior than with cultivating genuine ethical discipline. Excessive suspicion, constant public outrage, and the tendency to sexualise ordinary human behaviour can deepen social tension rather than achieve genuine moral reform.

In this sense, Kannywood is more than a film industry. It has become a mirror reflecting the wider struggles within Northern society — the struggle between tradition and modernity, religious values and entertainment culture, public expectations and private realities.

The debate surrounding Kannywood is therefore not only about actors, actresses, or films. It is also about how society defines morality, how communities respond to cultural change, and whether public conversations about ethics are guided by wisdom, balance, and sincerity rather than by fear, projection, or moral performance.

As Northern Nigeria continues to evolve socially and culturally, perhaps the challenge is not to destroy cultural institutions out of anxiety, but to engage them thoughtfully, critically, and honestly — while preserving the values that truly strengthen society.

Ibrahim Aliyu wrote via khalilnuradeen@gmail.com.

By Grey Akans 

In the lush, undulating hills and valleys of Southern Kaduna, a quiet crisis is unfolding. It is not the kind that makes headlines with sudden violence, but one that works its way silently through generations, eroding the very bedrock of our identity. Our languages, the ancient vessels of our wisdom, history, and worldview, are gradually going extinct.

Each of the dozens of languages spoken here—Gbagyi, Bajju, Atyap, Kataf, Jaba, Fantswam, and many more—is a unique universe. They are not mere collections of words but intricate systems of knowledge. Our languages carry the names of medicinal plants known only to our ancestors, the proverbs that distilled centuries of wisdom, and the folktales told under the moonlight that taught us morality and courage. They hold the specific terms for the textures of soil, the phases of the moon for farming, and the subtle behaviours of animals. When a language dies, it is not just words that are lost; it is an entire library of human experience and ecological understanding that burns down, leaving no ashes behind.

The forces behind this silent extinction are complex and powerful. The dominance of Hausa as the lingua franca of commerce, administration, and social interaction in Northern Nigeria is a primary factor. For our children to thrive in markets and schools outside our communities, fluency in Hausa becomes a necessity, often at the expense of their mother tongue. Adding to this is the overwhelming influence of English, the official language of education and modernity. From nursery school to university, success is measured in one’s command of English. Our native tongues are increasingly confined to the homesteads, and even there, their territory is shrinking.

Perhaps the most painful agent of this loss is our own shift in attitude. A dangerous narrative has taken root, subtly branding our languages as “local” or “vernacular”—synonyms for backwardness in the minds of many. Parents, with the best intentions for their children’s future, now speak to them only in Hausa or English, believing they are giving them a head start in life. Unwittingly, they are severing the deepest root connecting their children to their heritage. The younger generation, fluent in the languages of the wider world, now stumbles over the proverbs of their grandparents. The rich, melodic tones of our ancestors are becoming unfamiliar, replaced by the utilitarian cadence of global tongues.

The consequences are profound. When a people lose their language, they experience a form of cultural amnesia. The unique songs sung during harvest, the playful riddles that sharpened our wits—all these fade into silence. We risk becoming a people without a past, adrift in a homogenised global culture, our distinct identity diluted into a vague, generic label.

But the whisper is not yet silent. There is still time to act. The fight for linguistic survival must begin at home. We must consciously choose to speak our languages to our children, making them the language of love, play, and storytelling. Our community leaders and cultural associations must take the lead by documenting these languages, producing written literature, and organising festivals that celebrate them. We can lobby for the inclusion of our native tongues in the early school curriculum, not to replace English or Hausa, but to stand proudly beside them.

Our languages are more than just a means of communication; they are the soul of Southern Kaduna. They are the breath of our ancestors and the birthright of our children. To let them die is to surrender a part of ourselves we can never recover. We must listen to the fading whisper and raise our voices to sing our songs, tell our stories, and speak our names once more, loudly and proudly, before they are lost to the wind forever.

Grey Akans can be contacted via his Facebook account: Grey Akans.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese and Chancellor of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Anambra State, Most Rev. Dr Matthew Kukah, has called on Nigerians to stop describing him as a Hausa man.

Kukah clarified that although he is often labelled that way, his identity does not align with such a description. He made the statement during the 16th convocation ceremony of the university, held at its auditorium on Saturday.

He urged graduating students to maintain good character in their dealings with their parents, the university community, Anambra State, the South-East, and Nigeria at large.

He also commended the Anambra State Government for its investment in education, noting that the state continues to perform strongly in the sector when compared with other parts of the country.

Kukah said:

“I am a typical Nigerian from Anchuna, Ikulu Chiefdom in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State, but not a Hausa man by origin. Nigerians should stop addressing me as a Hausa person.

“As the new Chancellor of this institution, we will not only strive to achieve the university’s goals, but surpass them.”

He expressed appreciation to Governor Chukwuma Soludo for his appointment as Chancellor of the institution. The governor formally installed him during the ceremony.

Governor Soludo, in his remarks, expressed satisfaction while decorating Kukah as Chancellor. He said he believed the cleric’s experience and moral standing would strengthen the university.

Soludo said:

“It was a great honour to be present at the 16th Convocation Ceremony of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University as a visitor to this great institution.

“The ceremony was a celebration of excellence, hard work, and the power of quality education. It was also a reminder of the critical role universities play in training skilled manpower, shaping character, advancing knowledge, and preparing young people to contribute meaningfully to society.

“I was particularly delighted to decorate the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, as the new Chancellor of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University.

“I am confident that his wisdom, experience, and moral leadership will further strengthen the vision and standing of the university.

“In recognition of exceptional academic achievement, I announced a ₦4 million cash gift to Somtochukwu Augustus Ume of the Economics Department, who emerged as the overall best graduating student at COOU’s 16th Convocation with an outstanding CGPA of 4.85 out of 5.0.

“I also offered scholarships to 37 first-class graduates of the university’s 16th Convocation to support their postgraduate studies up to the highest level at any public university of their choice.”

He further charged the institution to focus on producing solution-driven graduates rather than mere certificate holders.

“Our institutions of higher learning must go beyond awarding certificates; they must raise innovative, solution-driven, and globally competitive graduates who can respond to the challenges of our time.

“To the graduands, I urged them to seize the moment and emerge as beacons of hope, disruptive thinkers, and agents of change in society. The future belongs to those who are prepared to lead with courage, creativity, and purpose,” he added.

By Khalid Imam 

Arguably, in Kano and beyond, if one is searching for one of the most consistent and dominant pioneering female Hausa Muslim broadcasters—whose eloquent voice has shaped and continues to shape generations through a myriad of captivating radio and TV programs—there is no doubt that such a singular, towering presence belongs to the revered and tireless Hajiya Mariya Galadanchi. She is an iconic, multi-talented veteran journalist who is retired but not tired. Hajiya Galadanchi, who spent six decades as a powerful influence and household name synonymous with Radio Kano, a station popularly known as Gidan Bello Dandago, is a popular figure known for her uncommon courage and unshakable faith in God.

An all-round journalist whose foray spans both print and broadcast media, the legendary Hajiya Mariya Galadanchi, popularly known as an anchor of Filin Zaɓi Son Ka, among other programs, began her career as a health worker. Out of a deep passion for the media, she metamorphosed into one of the most dedicated and accomplished radio and television personalities. A skilled radio dramatist, she began her journey into journalism by writing life-transformative articles, mostly addressing issues related to women and children, over half a dozen decades now in the pages of Gaskiya Ta Fi Kwabo. Hajiya Galadanchi ventured into public service in 1964 as a health worker at Marmara Hospital and was later posted to several other hospitals within the old Kano City, where she served with remarkable zeal and dedication.

After joining Radio Kano at the age of 35, initially not as a full-time staff member, she handled women’s programs on Thursdays and children’s programs on Fridays as her first assignments. Thereafter, she went on to anchor and contribute to several notable programs, including Ruguntsumin Salla. Through Zaɓen Sada Zumunci, she mentored many female broadcasters, including Mariya Ummakati. Hajiya Mariya Galadanchi is undoubtedly one of the pioneering Hausa Muslim female broadcasters and can rightly be described as a glass-ceiling breaker, having opened the floodgates for the rise and dominance of women in radio and TV broadcasting in Kano today, many of whom now occupy enviable positions as directors within the public and private media ecosystem in Kano and beyond.

No doubt, her persistent voice is a testimony to a living era, one well-defined by knowledge, brilliance, advocacy, and deep love for culture and the uniqueness of Kano’s traditional ways of life. She mentors the womenfolk on the complexities of managing the home: living with a husband and his relatives, navigating life with co-wives, and raising a successful family. She constantly discusses topics such as pregnancy, childcare, and parenting, while teaching women, especially the young, the best of Hausa traditional cookery, including dishes served during festive seasons and ceremonies.

Acknowledged for her honesty, courage, faith, patience, loyalty, dedication, and respect for time, she was also famously known as one of the first women to ride a bicycle and drive a car in Kano City, being among the few female pioneers to be educated in Western schools in the old Kano City. Hajiya Mariya was born at Kankarofi Ward 97 years ago, in Kano Municipal LGA.

Among the dignitaries who graced the special celebration of the life and times of Hajiya Mariya Galadanchi were the Honourable Commissioner of Information, Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya; Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu, former Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria; Prof. Abdulrashid Garba, Vice-Chancellor of Khalifa Isyaku Rabi’u University, Kano (KHAIRUN); and Malam Ibrahim Khalil, among other seasoned and distinguished media practitioners too numerous to mention.

During the event professionally curated by an erudite academic, seasoned broadcaster and popular columnist, Malam Bala Muhammad as a Master of the Ceremony, there was a special appeal to the Kano State Government to name the road between Diso and the junction of Hasiya Bayero—or any other notable monument in Kano—after the veteran broadcaster, Hajiya Mariya. Again, Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu also called on the organisers to establish a fellowship in her name to promote young female journalists in Kano.

Alhaji Dr Aminu Ladan Abubakar (Alan Waƙa), Sarkin Adabin Harshen Hausa; Mudassir Ƙassim; and Hajiya Fati Nijer thrilled the audience with scintillating songs. Hajiya Rabi Tanko Yakasai, a close associate of the celebrant, also spoke on Hajiya Mariya Galadanchi’s political activism through Jam’iyyar Matan Arewa, urging young females from the North to emulate her.

The Commissioner of Information, Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, described Hajiya Mariya Galadanchi as a shining example of a female journalist of great substance and announced the Kano State Government’s donation of ₦10 million as a take-off fund for the proposed Hajiya Mariya Galadanchi Young Female Journalist Fellowship Fund.

The Kano community celebration of Hajiya Mariya Galadanchi at 97, which was attended in large numbers by media practitioners, academics, the ulama, the celebrant’s family and friends, and people from all walks of life, could best be described as a huge success. Dozens of goodwill messages were received, especially from notable female broadcasters in Kano, who expressed deep appreciation for the pioneering mentorship role Hajiya Mariya Galadanchi has tirelessly played.

Some of the major highlights among the series of fascinating activities that made the event memorably captivating were the keynote speech presented by Hajiya A’isha Sule; two separate audio and audiovisual documentaries were presented to the patient audience on the life and times of Hajiya Mariya Galadanchi; and special tributes from both senior and young female broadcasters by Hajiya Hafsah Iliyasu and Hajiya Zainab Sherif, respectively. 

There was also a stimulating panel discussion featuring Maryam Babayaro, Dr Fatima Damagun, A’isha Bello Mahmud, A’isha Sule, and A’isha Usman, moderated by Hajiya Mariya Bakori from Katsina State. To allow feedback from the massive audience, there was a Q&A session, the presentation of awards, and a plaque to the celebrant, led by Malam Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil and Malam Abubakar Darma. The event ended with an exhibition of Hajiya Mariya Galadanchi’s memorabilia, which included her photos, sound bites, broadcast archives, and merit awards.

Khalid Imam is a Kano-based writer, educator and President of Kano Literary Space. He can be reached via email: khalidimam2002@gmail.com.

By Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu 

On Saturday, March 14, 2026, Dr Muhsin Ibrahim shared a newspaper report with me announcing the passing of Jürgen Habermas. The German philosopher died at the age of ninety-six in Starnberg, an affluent town in Upper Bavaria. Muhsin was well aware of how deeply I had drawn on Habermas’s theory of the structural transformation of the public sphere in my research on Muslim Hausa media cultures. 

His passing marks the end of an era in critical social theory. Habermas’s work on communication, rationality, and society made him one of the most influential philosophers of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, as well as a major intellectual figure in postwar Germany.

Many Africanists did not initially read Habermas directly. Rather, they encountered his ideas through mediated theoretical engagements in the writings of scholars such as Brian Larkin. I myself first became aware of the public–private sphere debate as part of the broader Frankfurt School theoretical repertoire in Larkin’s studies of media culture in northern Nigeria. His work contributed significantly to later “post-public sphere” discussions by demonstrating how Habermasian insights could be adapted to different social, cultural, and technological environments.

Of Habermas’s many publications, the one that proved most decisive for me was The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society. Originally published in German in 1962 and translated into English by Thomas Burger (with the assistance of Frederick Lawrence) in 1989, it is an extraordinarily dense text. One often needs the guidance of someone already conversant with its arguments to appreciate its analytical elegance. 

I was fortunate to own a copy—purchased for me in the pre-digital era by Gillian Belben, then Director of the British Council in Kano. I read it several times before fully grasping how powerfully it provided a framework for understanding public reactions to Hausa films and the emergence of censorship debates.

Habermas’s study retraces the historical emergence of the bourgeois public sphere as a communicative domain distinct from the state, in which private individuals could assemble to discuss matters of common concern. By analysing the transformations of this sphere, he recovered a concept of enduring importance for social and political theory. In simplified terms, the argument draws attention to differentiated social spaces—those of the home and those of the wider public—and to the ways in which each structures particular forms of discussion and social interaction.

I relied heavily on this analytical distinction when I presented my first international seminar at the Institut für Afrikanistik, University of Cologne, on November 15, 2004. Titled “Enter the Dragon: Shari’a, Popular Culture and Film Censorship in Northern Nigeria,” the seminar explored how Hausa films often rendered visible aspects of domestic life traditionally regarded as private, thereby provoking moral anxieties and regulatory responses. By destabilising the boundary between the two spheres, Hausa cinema helped produce new forms of mediated public debate. A dramatic illustration of this dynamic emerged in the widely discussed Hiyana scandal of 2007, in which a private act became publicly circulated, with far-reaching cultural consequences.

The communicative arena that Habermas conceptualised as the bourgeois public sphere appears today in a historically transformed guise within the networked environments of social media. In Muslim societies such as those of northern Nigeria, digital platforms have intensified the long-standing negotiation between domestic moral order and public cultural expression. 

Conversations once confined to living rooms, mosque courtyards, or informal viewing gatherings now unfold in algorithmically structured yet widely accessible communicative spaces. These interactions do not reproduce Habermas’s ideal of rational-critical debate in any straightforward manner. Rather, they reveal plural, affective, and technologically mediated publics in which questions of religious legitimacy, gendered visibility, and cultural authority are continually contested. Social media, therefore, represent not the revival of the bourgeois public sphere but a new phase in its structural transformation — what might tentatively be described as a “third space.”

The world of critical social theory will undoubtedly feel the loss of Jürgen Habermas. Yet his conceptualisation of the public–private divide will continue to shape scholarly reflections on media, communication, and cultural change for years to come.

Readers interested in further discussions of the public–private debate in Islamic contexts may consult:

Kadivar, Mohsen. 2003. An Introduction to the Public and Private Debate in Islam. Social Research 70 (3): 659–680.

To Kannywood audiences, the TV series Gidan Badamasi needs no introduction. It is arguably the most successful comedy series since the industry’s migration to YouTube/TV series production. There have been other popular comedy series, such as Zafin Nema and Jikokin Maigari. However, none has matched the reach and longevity of Gidan Badamasi.

After six successful seasons, Gidan Badamasi now returned with Season 7. Only two episodes have been released so far, yet the new season already shows the potential to surpass its predecessors. This is due to its thematic preoccupation, which tackles the issue of insecurity in Northern Nigeria and the problematic framing of the Fulani ethnic group as terrorists without distinction. The new season rightly reinforces a crucial truth: that terrorism has no religion or ethnicity.

The first episode opens with Alhaji Badamasi (Magaji Mijinyawa) and his aide, Taska (Falalu Dorayi), being abducted by kidnappers. The kidnappers’ kingpin, Dan Tsito, is portrayed as Fulani.  However, the narrative shows that Dan Tsito’s criminal path begins within his own community (Rugga), before extending into the forest, where he operates alongside criminals from other ethnic groups. 

The series obviously avoids ethnic reductionism and offers a more balanced portrayal of terrorists and terrorism in Nigeria. It also dismantles the notion of selective victimhood by presenting Alhaji Badamasi, a Hausa Muslim, and his aide as victims. This challenges how the international community often wrongly assumes that terrorism in Nigeria targets only Christians, and how films like The Herd (2025) subtly reinforce that misleading narrative.

The director, Falalu Dorayi and the creative team deserve commendation for addressing this sensitive issue with courage and clarity. This is the kind of storytelling Northern filmmakers must prioritise – telling their own stories truthfully rather than allowing outsiders to define their realities.

The series is also technically solid. Both picture quality and sound design are commendable. However, based on the two episodes released so far, the makers need to be more restrained with unnecessary comic scenes. A more disciplined approach would allow the series to do full justice to the seriousness of its subject matter.

In conclusion, Gidan Badamasi Season 7 shows strong promise. It remains as entertaining as previous seasons while effectively blending important social issues into its narrative. I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by

In 2025, the Hausa film industry, popularly known as Kannywood, witnessed a clear shift, with series films completely overshadowing feature-length productions. Apart from Mansura Isa’s Faliha and Falisha, no major Kannywood movie was released in cinemas throughout the year. This is, of course, troubling, as series films alone do not define the strength and global reach of any serious film industry.

However, series films attract more audience commitment, offering extended runtimes, deeper character development, and closer engagement with social realities. They also give filmmakers and actors the room to explore complexity in ways feature-length films often cannot.

After following several Kannywood series throughout the year, six clearly stood out for viewership, audience engagement, and the level of conversation they generated. They are as follows:

1. Labarina (Season 14), 
2. Wata Shida, 
3. Garwashi, 
4. Jamilun Jidda, 
5. Zabi Biyu, and 
6. Taskar Kannywood (Da Na Sani)

The above series were considered for the year’s best performances. Nominees were first identified within each series, after which an overall winner was selected for each category based on consistency, depth of performance, narrative impact, and contribution to the series as a whole.

1. Best Actor of the Year 

Top Nominees:

1. Adam Garba (Abba Galadima in Labarina [season 14], and Sameer/Dahiru in Wata Shida)
2. Abubakar Waziri [Bado] (Malam Sani in Garwashi)
3. Ali Nuhu (Professor Nuri in Jamilun Jidda)
4. Yakubu Muhammad (Mudan in Garwashi)

Winner: Adam Garba (Abba Galadima in Labarina [S14], and Sameer/Dahiru in Wata Shida)

Adam Garba’s contributions to two of the top series clearly set him apart from other nominees. In Labarina (season 14), he delivers a calm, grounded performance as Prince Abba Galadima. However, his portrayal of Sameer/Dahiru in Wata Shida demands duality and emotional balance, all of which he handles with impressive control.

• Best Actress of the Year 

Top Nominees:

1. Fatima Abdulahi Washa (Sumayya in Labarina [Season 14])
2. Fatima Hussaini (Zahrah in Wata Shida, and Ruth/Fatima in Jamilun Jidda)
3. Fiddausi Yahaya (Ma’u in Garwashi, and Jidda in Jamilun Jidda)

Winner: Fatima Hussaini (Zahrah in Wata Shida, and Ruth/Fatima in Jamilun Jidda)

Although Fiddausi Yahaya left a strong impression as Ma’u in Garwashi and the title character in Jamilun Jidda, Fatima Hussaini maintains a stronger performance quality across different projects. The confidence she showed as Zahrah in Wata Shida, and her dual role in Jamilun Jidda prove her versatility, as she navigates contrasting identities effectively.

• Best Supporting Actor 

Top Nominees:

1. Rabi’u Rikadawa (Baba Dan Audu in Labarina [Season 14])
2. Kabiru Sani (Gaddafi in Garwashi)
3. Isah Feroz Khan (Kasim in Garwashi)

Winner: Kabiru Sani (Gaddafi in Garwashi)

Each of these actors delivered memorable supporting performances, but Kabiru Sani, alias International, stands out for the complexity and freshness he brought to the role of Gaddafi in Garwashi. The character is a blend of thuggery and humour. This combination could easily have messed up in less capable hands. However, Kabiru International plays it naturally. His performance felt confident and fully formed.

• Best Supporting Actress

Top Nominees:

1. Faiza Abdullahi (Lawisa in Garwashi)
2. Bikisu Safana (Shatty in Wata Shida)
3. Aisha Humaira (Samira in Garwashi)

Winner: Faiza Abdullahi (Lawisa in Garwashi)

The reason why Fa’iza Abdullahi wins is the way she adjusted her physicality, voice, and mannerisms to fit in the thuggish character of Lawisa in Garwashi. Her performance reminds you of Alia Bhatt’s finest performance in Gangubai Kathiawadi, which earned her the prestigious Indian National Film Award.

• Best Villain of the Year

Top Nominees:

1. Hauwa Farar Lema (Kilishi, Labarina [Season 14]) 
2. Balaraba Abdullahi (Baba Lami, Garwashi)
3. Magaji Mijinyawa (Kawu Nakowa, Wata Shida)

Winner: Hauwa Farar Lema (Kilishi, Labarina [S14])

Hauwa Farar Lema’s portrayal of Kilishi in Labarina (Season 14) stands out for her deep understanding of the character’s motivations and emotions. Her performance feels realistic. She looks fearsome and conveys the essence of her malicious character through threatening glances and expressions.

• Star of the Year

Winner: Fiddausi Yahaya (Ma’u in Garwashi and Jidda in Jamilun Jidda)

While some critics question her acting prowess, Fiddausi Yahaya is undoubtedly the star of the year. As a relatively new actress, she suddenly became a household name, gained a massive fan following, trended widely on social media, and began appearing in multiple big-budget projects such as Garwashi and Jamilun Jidda, among others. She is a subtle performer and has shown steady improvement in acting quality with every new role.

• Best Breakthrough Performance of the year

Winner: Amina Shehu [Lulu] (Samira in Da Na Sani)

A breakthrough performance is a role that elevates an actor’s visibility and reputation. This happens to Amina Shehu after delivering an intense and emotionally layered role of Samira, nicknamed Kwaila, in “Da Na Sani”, the seventh film from Taskar Kannywood collection. Da Na Sani became the most-reviewed film, and her performance in it was probably the most widely acclaimed of the year. 

• Most Promising Actor of the Year

Winner: Murtala Yahaya Musa Sarauta (Bello in Zabi Biyu)

Judging by how convincingly he handled the role of Bello in Zabi Biyu, only a few roles would truly challenge him. He may appear too mature and lack the conventional swagger of Kannywood heroes, but his acting skills are too solid to be overlooked. With the right story that suits his personality, Murtala is really an actor to watch.

• Most Promising Actress of the year

Winner: Hassana Ibrahim (Safiyya, Zabi Biyu)

The debutante Hassana Ibrahim demonstrates exceptional potential in her powerful lead performance in Zabi Biyu. She portrays emotional depth and control, particularly in scenes that require vulnerability and internal struggle. She has a commanding screen presence, delivers her dialogue effectively, and complements it with appropriate gestures

1.  Best Comic Performance

Winner: Isiyaka Jalingo (Zabi Biyu,and Garwashi)

Isiyaka Jalingo is not merely funny; he generates humour through behaviour and mannerisms while still serving the story. His roles are not designed solely for comic relief; instead, the humour emerges organically from the way he speaks and acts in every scene he features. His roles in Garwashi and Zabi Biyu, though small, leave a huge impact.

Written By

Habibu Maaruf Abdu

habibumaaruf11@gmail.com

By Muhammad Sulaiman

Tensions erupted at the Bariki Market in Enugu State when a group of Igbo butchers reportedly confronted and attacked their Hausa counterparts over a disagreement tied to meat prices.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident began when Hausa butchers allegedly sold their meat at lower prices, a move that some Igbo traders viewed as undercutting the market. The disagreement escalated into a physical altercation, resulting in injuries and disruption of business activities in the area.

Observers have noted that Igbo traders operate freely across markets in Kano and other parts of northern Nigeria, with no reports of similar incidents. Some commentators expressed concern that the Enugu clash had not received widespread media attention, suggesting that the coverage might have been more prominent had the situation been reversed. However, a video clip of the clashes has been widely shared on social media in Northern Nigeria.

There are also concerns that, in other contexts, such disputes risk being misrepresented as ethnic or communal violence, further heightening tensions.

Market authorities and local security agencies are yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

By Muhammad Sulaiman

The Arewa Community Germany has formally disassociated itself from a video circulating online about a so-called “Hausa International Protest” organised by Hausa Tsantsa Development Association, staged in Berlin.

In a letter addressed to Nigeria’s Consul General in Frankfurt, Ambassador Yakubu A. Dadu, the group said it had no role in organising or endorsing the demonstration and warned that the protest’s message conflicts with its core values.

The association, represented by Alhaji Tijani Garba, Dr. Ummah Aliyu Musa and Buhari Abubakar, stressed that it was founded on the principle of unity among all northern Nigerian peoples. It noted that Hausa, Fulani, Kanuri, Tiv, Nupe and other groups share a common heritage, adding that the organisation “does not draw lines” between northerners and will not support any activity that promotes ethnic profiling or elevates one group above another.

According to the statement, the Berlin protest risks fueling division and misunderstanding among Arewa communities in the diaspora, where the group says cohesion is especially important. The association reaffirmed its focus on cooperation, peaceful engagement and presenting a positive image of Northerners living in Germany.

The Arewa Community Germany also cautioned the public against linking its name to the protest, emphasising that any event involving the association will be announced through its official channels.

The group concluded by reaffirming its stance on harmony, mutual respect and a united Arewa identity.