Hadejia Emirate: The champion of accountancy profession 

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By Kabiru Isa Dandago, Ph.D.

Hadejia Emirate is a very productive, dynamic, and progressive kingdom in Jigawa State, Northern Nigeria. It enjoys these descriptions in many spheres but more especially with regards
to education and economic progress. Perhaps the huge comparative advantage and strength in these areas provided good justification to the people of the Emirate to, over the years, demand for the creation of Hadejia State. Hadejia Emirate comprises of eight (8) local government areas and constitutes the Jigawa Northeast Senatorial Zone. The population, landmass, natural endowments, as well as vast opportunities for achieving sustainable economic development of Hadejia Emirate, are arguably higher and more viable compared to some of the present 36 states of Nigeria. The struggle continues!

Educationally, Hadejia Emirate has been blessed with leaders (Emirs and other leaders of thought) who have had a deep belief in prioritizing educational development as the project to pursue for the sustainable development of the Emirate and, indeed, the whole humanity. Over the years of the existence of the Emirate, it is noted that there wasn’t any Emir who has not left behind at least one shining legacy in the area of education to create an enlightened society (Islamic education and Western form of education). Indeed the efforts of past leaders to build a strong educational foundation yielded the desired results. Students from Hadejia Emirate competed very well and excelled among other students in colleges across the country. They were both endeared and envied. For example, for three consecutive years in the 1960s students of Hadejia origin in one of the premier colleges in the defunct Kano Province collected prizes for best performing student as well as the highest score in WASC/GCE examinations. Hadejia’s contribution in the growth and development of the civil service in Kano and Jigawa States is significant. One might wish to go and trace the history of the Emirate to appreciate this fact better.

Coming down to the present Emir of Hadejia, His Royal Highness Alhaji (Dr) Abubakar Adamu Maje, CON, DPSD, you would be amazed how he simply turns his rulership (or better still leadership) as that of ensuring that every son and daughter of the Emirate becomes a professional in one field of endeavor or another. Admirers of the Emir would tell you that in every speech he makes, every meeting he attends, and every social, traditional, or other occasions he graces, his emphasis is on education! He is practically trying to leave much higher and enduring legacies than those left behind by his father, grandfathers, and great grandfathers. He is presently the Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and the Chairman, Jigawa State Council of Chiefs.

Apart from the well-focused Emirate, which is an institution that is education-driven, there have been elder statesmen that have been showing futuristic and pragmatic concern for the educational development of the people of the Emirate and beyond. A very few of them: Alhaji Bilyaminu Usman, a former Minister of Education; Alhaji Shehu Mujaddadi, a former powerful lawmaker and influential jurist; and Alhaji Musa Shuaibu, a former Commissioner for Local Government of the old Kano State. One can write a book on the contributions of these and many other
illustrious sons and daughters of the Hadejia Emirate who have contributed positively and immensely towards the educational development and other perimeters of development of the
Emirate and Nigeria as a whole. Alhaji Musa Shuaibu was a mentor to this writer when he was a JSS mathematics and Igbo teacher at his hometown, Sabon Gida, Kwatalo of Kafin Hausa LGA in the Hadejia Emirate. His concern for having teachers that would stay in his village to sustain the newly established Junior Secondary School did not overshadow his interest and concern for
young people to pursue their educational development to the highest level.

With the strong, concerned, and focused traditional institution, like the highly respected Hadejia Emirate Council, PLUS the wealth of futuristic statesmanship that has been established by many sound leaders of thoughts over the years, it shouldn’t surprise anybody as Hadejia Emirate begins to become the champion of many good things that every society would want to be identified with. This write up is about how Hadejia Emirate became the champion of the Accountancy Profession in Nigeria (or do we say champion in the whole of the African continent?). However, this is not to say Hadejia Emirate is not blessed with professionals of repute in other fields of endeavour – engineers, medical doctors, lawyers, architects etc. Let’s analyze some facts on the ground for us to appreciate how Hadejia became the Champion.

At the peak of the Accountancy profession in Nigeria is the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), a body established through an Act of parliament number 15 of 1965. The
Institute was established to regulate and control the development of the Accountancy Profession, through setting standards for examinations, practices, and other activities at various levels for
measurement before a person is accepted as an ethically qualified chartered accountant in the country. Although some accountancy professional bodies have been subsequently recognized by various laws in the country, and many more are coming up, ICAN remains the foremost Accountancy professional body which is the dream of every aspiring accountant in Nigeria. The members of the Institute are all over the place providing accountancy services and training: in the industry, in the public service, in the academia and in the consultancy, all over Nigeria and beyond. ICAN, no doubt, practically symbolizes accountancy profession in Nigeria, and its members enjoy high respect and high value anywhere in the country and beyond. ICAN is well structured with well established organizational chart that shows its Governing Council at the topmost, and the President of the Institute as the Chairman- in-Council.

To be the President, one must meet up with all the rigorous criteria of getting voted by the whole of the global membership of the Institute to the Council and continuously enjoy the support of the members after every three years up to about 5 times (which means that you must be on the Council of the Institute for about 15 years before you become its President)! As a Council member, you must serve the Institute in almost all its committees and task forces as Chairman or Vice Chairman for you to be very familiar with the in-and-out of the Institute before you are inaugurated as President of the Institute by the time you met all the requirements and enjoyed all the supports of the other Council Members. You must have also passed through all critical due diligence on your personal character, your family affiliation and what have you. To be an ICAN President is not an easy task!

What is the tenure of an ICAN President? Legally and apparently, you may say that it is one year, but technically insiders would tell you that it is four years! The moment one becomes Second Deputy Vice President (2ndDVP); he/she is already an ICAN President, with limited powers. One would get to the peak of the Presidency as he/she passes through the “succession plan” of the Institute to obtain the maximum power in the 4th year of being in the Presidency and serves the Institute with the “absolute powers” vested in the President for that one year! ICAN has so far produced 57 Presidents that way, from 1965/66 to 2021/22 presidential years.

The 58th President for the 2022/23 Presidential year is Alhaji Tijjani Musa Isa FCA (The Danmasani of Hadejia) who has been inaugurated on 1st April 2022, and his investiture would
come up on 31st May 2022, when he would fully take over the mantle of leadership of the great Institute.

The Danmasani of Hadejia holds a degree in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, obtained in 1978. He has also attended Slough College of Higher Education, England from 1980- 1981; London School of Accountancy, 1982-86 and Emile Woolf College of Accountancy, London, 1986. He qualified for ACCA in 1998 and became its fellow in 2003. In 2008 he became a fellow of ICAN. He has attended numerous professional courses, seminars, and conferences in and outside the country including the Columbia Business School. He joined ICAN Council in 2009 and served on different Committees as a member and Chairman at different times.

The Danmasani of Hadejia has worked in several organizations including Obiora Monu & Company, Chartered Accountants; Bank of the North Limited as an Officer Trainee 1979/80; Muhtari Dangana & Co. as Senior Accountant 1, 1987/90; SCOA Nigeria Limited Plc as Head of Internal Audit, 1990/92; Kaduna Furniture and Carpets Company Limited (KFCC), 1995/96; Nigerian Unity Line Plc as AGM, Finance, 1996/98; Intercellular Nigeria Limited as AGM, 1998/2001; Sada, Idris & Co. (Chartered Accountants), Managing Partner, 2001; Tijjani Musa Isa & Co. (Chartered Accountants), Managing Partner, 2002 till date.

The Danmasani of Hadejia is engaged in public service as member, Governing Council, Federal University, Lafia; member, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund)’s Board of Trustees, Representing Northwest Geopolitical Zone; and Federal Commissioner of the Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT). The Danmasani of Hadejia hails from the Kasuwar Kuda Ward, in Hadejia
Local Government Area.

Before The Danmasani of Hadejia, two other illustrious sons of the Hadejia Emirate have reached the peak of ICAN visibility, serving as Presidents of the Institute at different times. The first to reach that position was Mallam Isma’ila Usman FCA, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and a former Federal Minister of Finance. He was the 29th4 President of ICAN whose tenure was for 1992/93 Presidential year. Mallam Ismaila Usman also hails from Kasuwar Kuda Ward, in Hadejia LGA.

The second illustrious son of the Hadejia Emirate to wear the mantle of leadership as ICAN President was Alhaji Isma’ila Muhammad Zakari FCA mni. Alhaji Zakari was the 53rd President of ICAN, and his tenure was for the 2017/18 Presidential year. He served on the ICAN Council for 15 years. Alhaji Zakari also served as a board member and technical advisor with the Pan African Federation of Accountants and Council member and Honorary Treasurer for the Association of Accountancy Bodies in West Africa.

Alhaji Zakari holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting obtained from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1986 and began his career with Sulaimon & Co., a member firm of Nexia International, in 1987. Alhaji Zakari joined the IFAC Board in November 2019, having been nominated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). He previously served as a technical advisor on the IFAC Small and Medium Practices Committee. Alhaji Zakari is currently the Managing Partner of Ahmed Zakari & Co. (Chartered Accountants), a medium-sized firm he cofounded in 1998. Alhaji Zakari was recently appointed by Nigeria’s Minister of Finance to serve on the country’s Tax Advisory Committee.

Alhaji Zakari is arguably one of the most visionary, creative, and initiative Presidents ICAN has ever produced, leaving behind many sustainable legacies for future generations of accountants and other people to benefit from. Alhaji Zakari also hails from Kasuwar Kuda Ward, in the Hadejia LGA.

Please note that the motivation for this write up is not just to show that the Three ICAN Presidents mentioned above are among the only six (6) ICAN Presidents from the whole of Northern Nigeria, out of the 58 ICAN Presidents produced so far. It is not to show that Jigawa State is ahead in the Northwest in terms of production of Chartered Accountants at the highest level, with 3 ICAN Presidents produced out of the only 4 from the region/zone. The motivation is how a single ward (The Kasuwar Kuda Ward) in the Hadejia Emirate served as the burying ground for the placentas of all the 3 ICAN Presidents (29th, 53rd and 58th) under review. This is the achievement only Hadejia Emirate has recorded in Nigeria, hence its tagging as the champion of the Accountancy Profession (in Nigeria or is it in the whole of the African continent?). Hadejia Emirate has 84 wards within the 8 local government areas under it: Kirikasamma 10, Birniwa 11, Guri 10, Kaugama 10, Auyo 10, Kafin Hausa 11, Malam Madori 11 and Hadejia 11.

With the solid educational and professional development foundation laid by the traditional forefathers and leaders of thoughts of the Emirate, we could see that the effort has just started yielding fruits, demonstrating the ability of Hadejia Emirate to lead other Emirates/Kingdoms in Nigeria and beyond in the Accountancy Profession. As we evaluate each of the other 83 wards, a lot of good stories on matters of professionalism, academic excellence and business acumen of the Emirate would be revealed. Consider the national dominance of BDC business by elements from Dakayyawa/Yanleman Ward, the potentials for Wheat pyramid production by farmers from Mezan Ward, the legal luminaries’ productivity of Ruba Ward and many other good stories to tell from all the wards in the Emirate. These are results of visionary plans and dogged commitment to implementation strategies, which suggest that traditional institutions do not need Constitutional powers before they are able to empower their societies to become educated, engaged economically, and excel in all fields of endeavours.

Going back to the ICAN Presidency, this writer is quite aware that out of the 58 Presidents ICAN has produced from 1960 to 2022, Ogun State alone accounts for 23, Lagos 5, Ondo 4, Anambra, Delta, Imo and Jigawa 3 each, Osun, Ekiti, Edo, Kwara, and Abia 2 each, Cross River and Kebbi 1 each, while there were 2 Expatriates who served as the 4th and the 6th Presidents of ICAN. On geo-political zone basis, out of the 56 indigenous ICAN Presidents, Southwest accounts for 36, Southeast 8, South-south 6, Northwest 4, Northcentral 2, and Northeast 0. Again, it is clear that Southern Nigeria accounts for 50 of the ICAN Presidents produced so far, while Northern Nigeria accounts for 6! But it is only in the Hadejia Emirate that you would find a single ward
(the Kasuwar Kuda Ward) producing 3 ICAN Presidents!

There is a need to also appreciate the educational and professional contribution of Hadejia Emirate in making Jigawa State a shining star. Apart from producing the 3 ICAN Presidents for the state, the Emirate is also the proud producer of one of the very few female Professors of Accounting in Nigeria, in the person of Professor Hannatu Sabo Ahmad, who is incidentally a proud mentee and colleague of this writer in the department of accounting, Bayero University. Again, Jigawa state is the only state in Nigeria where the trio of the Governor, the Deputy Governor, and the Secretary to the State Government are all accountants by training and inclination, with the Deputy Governor being a Fellow of ICAN and coming from the Hadejia Emirate. The Governor and the SSG also have some strong alignments with the Hadejia Emirate.

With the Danmasani of Hadejia’s inauguration on 1st April 2022 as the 58th ICAN President, the 6th from Northern Nigeria and the 3rd from Jigawa State and originally from Kasuwar kuda Ward in the productive Hadejia Emirate, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) should consider His Royal Highness, the Emir of Hadejia, Alhaji (Dr) Abubakar Adamu Maje, CON, DPSD for its Merit Award in the non-members category. This is to appreciate his sterling leadership quality that led to the superlative performance of just one Ward out of the 84 in his Emirate producing 3 Presidents for the Institute. This is apart from many other breakthroughs of his Emirate in different fields of endeavors. The Federal Government also should consider him for higher national honour than the Commander of the Niger (CON) that has been awarded to him some years back.

This writer congratulates and wishes his senior brother and friend, Alhaji Tijjani Musa Isa FCA, the Danmasani of Hadejia, a very successful tenure as he takes over the mantle of leadership of ICAN on 31st May 2022 as the 58th President of our great Institute. Congrats also to Amina Tijjani ACA (his proud daughter and a former student of the writer right from 100 level) as her dear father raises to the status of ICAN President. The writer sincerely congratulates all the good people of Hadejia Emirate for all the breakthroughs, hoping that other Emirates/Kingdoms in Nigeria would strategize to do much better in all fields of endevours in the near future.

Dandago is a professor at the Department of Accounting, Bayero University, Kano-Nigeria, and can reached via kidandago@gmail.com, +2348023360386

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