The History of Fati Nijar (Hajiya Binta Labaran)

Extracted from:

FASIHIYA BINTA LABARAN
Fati Nijar Da Waƙoƙinta

By

Abu-Ubaida Sani
Halima Daura Kabir
Abdullahi Bashir

Reference

Sani, A-U., Kabir, H.D., & Bashir, A. (2024). Fasihiya Binta Labaran (Fati Nijar Da Waƙoƙinta). SAS Publishers. ISBN: 978-978-795-635-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19513195

1.0 Introduction

Compiling the songs of a prominent singer like Fati Nijar cannot be fully accomplished without including her life history. Schools and numerous scholars would be interested in learning about the lives of people like her. Furthermore, her biography will serve as a source of learning for readers. Readers may encounter information or lifestyles that they can emulate at some point in their quest for personal development.

The history of Fati Nijar can be examined from two perspectives. This concerns her life before she began singing on one hand, and her life as a singer on the other. The primary source of data upon which this research is based is "Songs from the mouth of the owner." The researchers spent several months conducting repeated interviews with the subject of this biography. After that, various works presented on the singer at different academic levels were analyzed. These include degree theses, articles, and various books. Here, we will follow academic standards of analytical study to ensure the quality of the information gathered.

1.1 The Lineage of Hajiya Fati Nijar

The Hausa people say, "If you hear about someone, it is not without reason." Indeed, this saying holds true. The prominence of Hajiya Fati Nijar is something whose roots can be traced through her family history. This begins right from her ancestors. The history of Fati's ancestors is filled with lives of scholarship, artistry, determination, and hard work. It is well known that "A gazelle does not run while its offspring crawls." In short, like mother, like daughter. We will trace the history of Fati's ancestors from two sides: the maternal side and the paternal side.

Fati is more familiar with the history of her ancestors on her mother's side. The reason is that she lived with her mother, which gave her the opportunity to learn many stories about her ancestors from this lineage. On the other hand, she does not know her paternal ancestors very well, although she knows them by name.

1.1.2 Fati Nijar's Paternal Ancestors

As stated above (under 1.1), Fati has more information about her maternal ancestors. However, she primarily knows the names of her paternal ancestors. The name of Fati Nijar's paternal grandfather is Muhammad. His father's name is Ibrahim. Her own father's name is Abdurrahman. So Muhammad fathered Ibrahim, Ibrahim fathered Abdurrahman, Fati's father. Here is how it is:

Diagram 1.1 Fati Nijar's Paternal Ancestors

Source: Interview with Hajiya Fati Nijar (data verified).

On her father's side, Fati Nijar's descendants are originally from Borno State in northeastern Nigeria. However, a quick point to note is that history does not clarify whether Fati's paternal grandfather was originally from Borno or whether they came from somewhere else. So on this side, the lineage of Fati's history stops at Borno.

"My father told us that he knew his grandfather Muhammad. He said he was very fair-skinned. This has left us with a question mark, wondering whether they are truly indigenous to Borno or came from somewhere else" (Fati Abdurrahman, 2021).

Malam Muhammad left Borno for Niger in search of Islamic knowledge. In Niger, he established a new lineage. There he fathered Malam Ibrahim, and Malam Ibrahim fathered Fati's father, Malam Abdurrahman (Labaran). Fati's paternal ancestors were scholars. Indeed, it was the pursuit of knowledge that made her great-grandfather leave Borno for Niger.

1.1.2.2 Malam Muhammad (Fati Nijar's Great-Grandfather)

Here, not much information was obtained regarding the life of Malam Muhammad. This is due to the passage of time and the lack of documented information about his life. The important things to remember about Malam Muhammad are:

1. He was fair-skinned
2. He traveled from Borno to Niger in search of knowledge
3. He was a scholar
4. He was the father of Malam Ibrahim (Fati Nijar's grandfather)

1.1.2.3 Malam Ibrahim (Fati Nijar's Grandfather)

Not much information was obtained about Malam Ibrahim's life either. It is confirmed that Malam Ibrahim was a farmer. Farming was his livelihood through which he supported himself and his family. His wife's name was Aljima.

1.1.2.4 Hajiya Fati Nijar's Parents

Fati Nijar's mother's name is A'ishatu, but she is better known as Amma. Her mother's father's name is Hassan, and her grandfather's name is Tanko.

On the other hand, Fati's father is Malam Abdurrahman. He is better known by the name Labaran. This nickname of his had such a significant impact that his original name was overshadowed. This is why she is called Fatima Binta Labaran. Not everyone knows her father's real name.

Fati Nijar's parents lived in the town of Madawa. This is a town in Tawa State in the Republic of Niger. Her father was a trader. His business involved traveling to buy and sell at both large and small markets, both near and far. These included markets in towns and villages. In addition to markets within Niger, he would also travel to neighboring countries such as Nigeria, Chad, and others.

1.1.2.5 The Birth of Hajiya Fati

Fati Nijar was born in the city of Maradi in the Republic of Niger. This city is the second largest in the entire country. She was born on Tuesday, January 26, 1988. Fati has five siblings as follows:

i. Saudatu
ii. Usman
iii. Ibrahim
iv. Isah
v. Musa

In summary, the history of Fati Nijar can be viewed in the family tree diagram below:

[Diagram]

1.1.2.6 Her Name and Nickname

Fati Nijar's real name is Fatima. She is nicknamed Binta Labaran due to her father's nickname, Labaran. This means she is called "Daughter of Labaran" in Hausa.

On the other hand, her famous nickname is Fati Nijar. It is worth noting that this nickname is not from her childhood. It did not come about until she came to Nigeria and began interacting with people. This is the nickname by which she is best known, and it is the name that has spread across social media and the internet as a whole. Two major factors gave rise to this nickname:

1. Fati is from Niger. She came to Nigeria from the Republic of Niger. Therefore, it is not surprising when someone is associated with their country of origin.
2. Fati Nijar has explained that when she started interacting with those in the film and music industry in Nigeria, she was not the only one named Fati. For differentiation, she was given the nickname Fati Nijar. This nickname originated when friends, colleagues, and coworkers associated her with her country of origin to distinguish her name from others.

Fati herself mentioned her name and nickname in one of her songs titled "So Yanayi" (Love is Natural). She said:

"Ehhh Binta Labaran, that is my nickname and my name,
Fati Nijar is what some people call me,
I bow to you all, my beloved ones,
I greet you Abubakar Sani and my brother ALA."

1.1.2.7 Her Upbringing

As Fati told Bashir and others (2010 p. 5), she spent her early childhood in the city of Maradi in the Republic of Niger. After some time, they moved to the village of Wurno to settle. It was in this village that she grew up and came of age.

During her childhood, she was fond of playing with clay. This was not unrelated to the fact that they lived near a stream. At that time, she displayed artistic talent with her hands. She could even make various household items using clay. These included:

a. Calabashes
b. Stoves
c. Clay pots
d. Water pots

Beyond these, she could also mold clay to create toy figures of wild animals. These included:

a. Goats
b. Elephants
c. Camels
d. Cows

Another significant aspect of Fati's childhood was going to the bush to catch grasshoppers with other children. She was hardworking and not lazy. Nevertheless, she was not one to start fights.

The gift and inspiration of song that God gave Fati meant that even from a young age, she faced envy and jealousy from her peers. She would excel greatly during singing games in the village square. This included matters related to vocal quality, the ability to sing well, and delivering songs correctly.

From her early years, she loved village square songs. She stated that even as a child, she would sing songs in front of performers during traditional drumming sessions. Gradually, she began to stand out due to her excellence in vocal sweetness and composition. It got to the point where people preferred that she be the one to sing during traditional drumming ceremonies in the village.

1.1.2.8 Her Education

Binta Labaran began Islamic education (learning to read and write on wooden boards) from a young age. She was very diligent. Most times, she would be given extra portions before her classmates. This happened because she would quickly memorize what she was taught. She persisted in this pursuit until she memorized thirty (30) parts of the Qur'an.

During this period of study, they frequently attended gatherings for Qur'anic recitation by other students. Additionally, they attended various Maulid (Prophet's birthday) gatherings. At these gatherings, they would recite what they had memorized from the Qur'an, much as is done at Maulid gatherings today.

1.2 Conclusion

As is often the case, singing is a gift and inspiration that God bestows upon whomever He wishes, and so it was with Binta Labaran. This can be observed by tracing how her life was from the beginning—how she grew up with excellence and sweetness of voice, and how she excelled in this field from her childhood. In this chapter, we have seen Fati's history in brief, especially regarding her origins, birth, and upbringing. In the next chapter, we will examine her singing career and her rise to prominence in this field.