Only in the Darkness, Can You See the Stars
by Abubakar Muhammad Muktar
The caption is given to this micro-story of grandpa Ibrahim, an 80 years old man, who shared his knowledge about nature, the environment, his experience of climatic changes, and how it affects them as a community. I got to meet and interviewed him on Wednesday, 24th November 2021 around 12:30pm (Nigerian time) at Nguru Local Government's grains market. He lives in a village called Garanda, which is inhabited for centuries by the indigenous people of Kanuri tribe in the sahel savanna area of Yobe State in Northern Nigeria. Every Wednesday of a week, he walks up to 12 kilometres along with his donkeys loaded with luggage to a market in Nguru. After exchanging our traditional pleasantries in Hausa language, our conversation began. I asked him to tell me about the nature of our environment before as against what is obtainable today. He responded as follows.
"I like this question, because I always love to tell stories of the past to my grandchildren; it refreshes some beautiful memories in me. I could still vividly recollect when we were children how we used to catch a glimpse of those days’ serene environment; when we used to go to the bush and collect some wild edible fruits when everywhere was green and thick with butterflies hovering around, and birds singing. That time, when the bush was densely vegetated than towns and cities, with different wild animals playing and crisscrossing paths."
"As we were growing up, I began to notice a gradual expansion of our settlement, because adults were getting married, establishing new houses for their families, and population increasing, and this situation was similar in all other communities."
Pa Ibrahim said that this led to a rapid increase in the demands of human basic needs - food, shelter, medicine, energy, income, etc, from the natural resources upon which they rely for survival. He said: "the over-utilisation of these available resources by the rural communities led to the gradual disappearance of what it used to be of the serene environment to me today."
He said that the rural people engaged in the activities of hunting, felling trees, and selling them as bush meats, firewoods and building materials to neighbouring towns and cities to earn an income, as a result, the land became bare and dried without vegetation and wild animals.
I asked him if he has any idea of whether the climate is changing. He said: "of course, yes, the climate of today is unlike that of those days. The heat in the summer period is becoming unbearable, and it lasts longer than the normal period, the harmattan season is becoming shorter and less cold, the rainfall is becoming insufficient annually to support the growth of crops, we experience recurrent droughts, the soil becoming infertile yielding poor crops. Desert is manifesting gradually."
Today, poverty and diseases are our major concerns as village communities, he added. I asked him if there is something he thinks we can do about the heatwave. He said: "traditionally, having enough shades of trees around will protect the sunlight hitting the ground surface which breeds the heat." He said that for this reason, he planted a number of trees in and around his residence to cushion the effect of the hot weather." I asked about whether they ever received attention from the government or an organisation for this challenge? He responded: "Yes, officials from Northeast Arid Zone Development Programme (NEAZDP), Great Green Wall (GGW) and others occasionally come to our villages, and in collaboration with our traditional leaders, launch and distribute improved crop varieties to us, as well as plant trees, notably, Neems and Gum Arabic trees at specific places mostly at the onset of rain season."
I asked what help does he think we as individuals can give? He answered: "We are happy that you have been to school and become educated; young men, we want you to help write down our problems and extend them to the policymakers and all aid givers and philanthropists; to please do more in addressing their issues, especially fighting hunger and poverty, educating and empowering the village communities."
At the end, I was highly impressed by the old man's sound responses to the all questions asked. His indigenous knowledge of the nature-climate depicts the current realities of the climate-biodiversity crisis arising from the risks and shocks of climate change. It is clear during the interview that grandpa Ibrahim misses the good old days of his life. He hopes for the return of the lost environmental glory for the present and future generations if the rural communities will be educated and empowered to be skilful in doing some other things as an alternative to going against the natural environment. I understand that poverty and illiteracy are two major issues causing serious environmental degradation at local community levels which world leaders and policymakers need to pay greater attention to. Furthermore, creating environmental awareness campaigns, engaging and supporting youth-led problem-solving initiatives on the community agenda, especially in Sub-saharan Africa, will bring about the achievement of economic and environmental sustainability.
-Submitted as part of Y4N’s Micro-Storytelling Campaign for COP26.-
About
My name is Abubakar Muhammad Muktar, to the family of Alhaji Muhammed Muktar Hassan on a warm sunny day of June in Nguru town, area of Yobe State, Nigeria. I attended my basic and secondary schools in Central Primary School and Government Day Secondary School both in Nguru town. After my graduation from secondary school, I was enrolled into Federal Polytechnics in Damaturu where I studied and obtained two separate and different certificates of Diplomas in Estate Management and in Computer Science at different times. Furthermore, in the quest for more education, I secured admission into Federal University Dutse in Jigawa State to undergo a degree programme and obtained a certificate of Bachelor's of Science in Environmental Management & Toxicology.
During my National Diploma in Estate Management, I was elected President of the Estate Management Students' Association (EMSA) where I diligently served as students leader, having represented my department and fellow students at various students national conferences, conventions and programmes for 12 months. I was awarded with certificate of honour and recognition. However, during my degree programme at the university, I was conferred with a certificate of honour as the 'Most Decent Student' by Environmental Sciences Students Association. Equally as part of my achievement, I received an Award as Contributor of the Yobe State Scholarships Board Compendium of Selected Essays on Agricultural Improvement Category by the Yobe State Scholarships Board. My recent achievement is being the Winner of Youth4Nature Global Storytelling Campaign on Vulnerability, Loss and Resilience Category - Biodiversity Hotspots in Canada.
I have passion for scientific research concerning restoration, protection and conservation of ecosystems, wetlands management, pollution, climate change mitigation, land and water wastes effects and sanitation, and water resources management. I love outerspace science, interested in knowing about exoplanets, stars, moon and sun. I love creativity and enjoy community and social services.