Yar Gidan Yadikko Book Compelet

Description

English Translation

In the town of Gumau—a place inhabited by the Fulani and displaced farmers from Jos, specifically originating from Ladi Barracks and Yalwan Shandam—life thrives. Gumau spans two regions, Bauchi and Jos, and whatever is planted there is abundantly blessed by God. The farmers cultivate cabbage, bell peppers (cucumber), lettuce, carrots, Irish and Hausa potatoes, and even yams, alongside corn which is bought and loaded into large J5 vehicles. The people of Gumau share a strong sense of unity and mutual support.

This being said...

Hajiya Tabawa, whom the townspeople affectionately nickname Yaddiko, is an elderly woman with a fierce independent spirit. Though she is a Fulani woman, her drive is unmatched; despite having wealthy children, she refuses to rely on them, continuing to farm and tend to livestock. Even the village head (maigari) borrows money from her on occasion to make ends meet. Anyone boasting of wealth in Gumau knows they cannot rival Yaddiko: her youngest son is a high-ranking Customs officer, and her eldest is a wealthy businessman who even owns petrol stations. God blessed Yaddiko with four children—two boys and two girls—though one of her daughters has passed away.

Alhaji Imarana, the eldest, lives in Bauchi at Ibrahim Bako. Alhaji Rabi'u lives in Abuja with his family and is her youngest son. Hajiya Sadika is married with children in Jos. Finally, Hajiya Aisha passed away in a tragic car accident on the very day Yaddiko found the young girl—Yaddiko's adopted daughter—as the sole survivor of the burning vehicle.

In this world, nothing infuriates Yaddiko more than hearing her Shatuwa cry, because from the moment the child was found, Yaddiko took her in, vowing to search for her biological family. To this day, there has been no news. All the people of Gumau treat Yaddiko and her adopted daughter with fearful caution; whenever the girl commits an offense, they patiently take the complaint to the village head to be addressed.

A Glimpse into Yaddiko's Daughter

Shatuwa walked with a swagger, kicking up dust in her wake, dressed in her blue school uniform. Deliberately stirring up trouble, she screeched to a halt right in front of Lamiyo's fritter (kosai) stand, rolling her eyes at the long queue of waiting customers. With malicious speed, she lunged toward the hot palm oil pan, sending everyone scrambling backward.

A Nigerien tea vendor nearby laughed and called out: "Yaddiko’s daughter, the stubborn goat, queen of chaos."

She flashed a smile as she analyzed what retort to throw back, fully understanding his intent.

"I flashed my teeth, staring at Ila and his tea stall," she narrated. "I shook my head, stepped backward, and adjusted my hijab, which was thoroughly rumpled from me chewing on it whenever life felt particularly sweet to me."

"Running forward, I dove straight into the fried fritter basin, shoving people aside and knocking over Ila’s tea stall. Clatter! You could hear the eggs breaking. I puffed out my chest in triumph and laughed."

As she walked on, she noticed Babangida, the son of Alhaji Dauda, wheeling a bicycle. Filled with mischief, she sprinted forward and yelled: "No brakes! No brakes!"

Before he could veer out of the way, she plowed right into the poor fellow, puffing out her chest with pride.

Just as she was about to pass by, she spotted the guava tree inside the hospital compound (Ta Asibi). Staring at the wall, she leaped up, grabbed the ledge, and scrambled over like a monkey, picking a large bunch of guavas. "Ta Asibi, come out! Here I am, I've stolen your guavas. I swear I'm going to deal with you greedy lot!" she shouted.

Instantly, the household members rushed out. Dropping her loot, she fled in a hurry, scattering the guavas everywhere.

At School

She didn't stop running until she reached the school gates because it was Monday. Rushing in, she saw the prefects punishing latecomers. She pulled a face and tried to sneak past. "Hey you!" barked Garbebe.

She froze, slammed on imaginary brakes, turned around, and stared at him. "Come here, you father's lazy child. Do you think you're better than the rest?"

She twisted her face, shook her head, and retorted: "I am not a father's lazy child!"

She said this while puckering her tiny lips.

When they lunged for her, she bolted straight toward the assembly ground, plunging directly into the line of students and destroying their neat formation as she collapsed dramatically to the ground.

The Headmaster stared at her in silence. She stood up, glaring at the people around, including a mysterious stranger visiting the school.

Her jaw dropped as she stared at the stranger in absolute amazement, struck by his extreme thinness and ugliness. Striding right up to the Headmaster, she placed her hand on her mouth and declared: "Headmaster, who on earth did you drag into our school to give us nightmares? Look at his waist—it's as thin as a mosquito's! And his eyes are huge, like someone threw pepper into a blind person's face. I seriously don't like him; you need to replace him immediately, because if I keep looking at him, I'm going to cry!"

"Hey! I won't tolerate this foolishness. Go straight to your line, you wretched child's offspring!" snapped the Headmaster. She stormed off, pouting.

Classes finally proceeded until her 5th-grade lesson. Malam Ayaga Luti walked in. She looked at him, desperately trying to swallow her laughter as she stared at his massive belly, though a chuckle slipped out loud.

Furious, he barked: "Shatuwa, step outside!"

She stepped out and stood rigidly. He glared at her and demanded: "What made you laugh?"

Pointing straight at his protruding stomach, she laughed and said: "I swear, if you turn around, your back looks just like a duck with a swollen rear; if you turn forward, your belly looks like an ancient drainage ditch that has seen too many years! And when you talk, your face looks just like a dried cow skin!"

"Hahahaha!" The entire classroom erupted into laughter, with some students clutching their stomachs. "Enough!" he roared at them.

Turning to her with pure malice, he said: "You truly are a wretched beast of a child. Today, I am going to strip you of your last shred of dignity."

Her eyes widened in horror and she pleaded: "Malam Ayaga Luti, please have mercy!"

His face twisted further in rage. He commanded: "Kasumu, go break a cane for me!"

Kasumu refused to budge, preferring to face Malam Ayaga Luti's wrath than get involved with Shatuwa's chaotic energy. When the teacher yelled at him again, Shatuwa scoffed and taunted: "I swear, if you dare touch me today, the moment you come to beg Yaddiko for a loan, I'll make sure she denies you!"

"Kasumu, come back," the teacher relented, muttering under his breath as the class jeered. He eventually finished his lesson and walked out.

The Crying Incident and Yaddiko's Arrival

Moments later, the new teacher with the wasp-waist walked in. Instead of laughing at his strange, pinched figure, Shatuwa suddenly found herself bursting into tears.

She wailed loudly, acting as though someone had pronounced Yaddiko's death sentence. The classroom fell into shock, and the teacher panicked, asking what was wrong.

Feeling as though he might hurl insults at her, she threw her hands onto her head, shrieked at the top of her lungs, and threw a dramatic temper tantrum (boro style). A terrified boy scrambled out the window and sprinted straight to the Headmaster's office to report the emergency. Upon hearing the news, the Headmaster bolted out of the school and raced straight to Yaddiko’s house.

Yaddiko was sitting down, tuning her radio to catch the Bauchi station, when the boy burst in and screamed: "Yaddiko, come quickly! Shatuwa is crying over there!"

Before she even realized it, she tossed the radio aside, snatched her hijab, and rushed out wearing nothing underneath except her wrapper tied tightly across her chest—completely exposed (fayau fayau).

Meanwhile, Shatuwa sat surrounded by teachers as if she were possessed by spirits. Upon hearing the beloved voice of her grandmother, she wailed even louder and cried out: "My Yaddiko!"

Rushing to her side, Yaddiko panicked: "I am finished! Tabawa's child, tell me, who among them has insulted you?"

Shatuwa shook her head tearfully and sobbed: "Yaddiko, do you remember Dan Kyalla?"

Weighing the gravity of the name, Yaddiko grimaced and replied: "Alas, even today I have not forgotten the death of Dan Kyalla."

Wiping her mucus away with a sniffle, Shatuwa looked at the teacher and declared: "Well, Yaddiko, I never knew people could resemble Dan Kyalla's lineage until today. Look at how much this teacher looks like him!"

Yaddiko tucked the corner of her wrapper securely, pulled out a kola nut, popped it into her mouth, cracked it with a loud crunch, and pronounced: "Well, you're not wrong! Dan Kyalla and that man look like two carved wooden posts snapped in half. The only difference is that this man is human, while Dan Kyalla was a fierce warrior."

"Wallahi, Yaddiko, it's true! You'd think they were related, right down to their emaciated frames. By the way, what illness actually killed Dan Kyalla?" "Was there any disease worse than leprosy?" Yaddiko replied. "Oh no, Yaddiko! Is leprosy an actual disease?" Shatuwa asked, her eyes wide with feigned shock. "Of course! Didn't you know? Let it be, when you get back home I'll tell you all about it."

With that, Yaddiko turned around and left her right there. The teacher, utterly defeated, walked out without teaching another word.

Continuing the Chaos

At the 9 o'clock dismissal, Shatuwa grabbed her bicycle—which she had left behind since Friday—and took off. She never stayed around when school dismissed; she always sped off immediately.

Riding home, she changed her clothes, grabbed her tire/bicycle, and headed back out to terrorize the neighborhood.

Reaching the junction near the neighborhood, she aimed her bicycle straight at Lantana, who sold morning bean cakes (dan wake). "Lantana, watch out! My tire is going to crash right into your bean cake sauce!" Before Lantana could snatch her sauce bowl, the tire slammed into it, spilling everything. "I've evened the score!" Shatuwa declared. "Since you called me a bastard with unknown origins, well, I know the origins of this tire!" She picked up her tire, dipped her fingers into the spilled sauce, and licked it clean. Lantana packed up her things and stormed off to the village head's house.

Continuing on her rampage, Shatuwa spotted Abbasiya carrying a tray of soup ingredients. Aiming her tire, she crashed right into her, spilling all the vegetables. "Your mother says Yaddiko's debt hasn't been paid yet, and you're living large!" Shatuwa taunted. Abbasiya sprang up in rage, chasing her all the way to the Izala Islamic center's lounge.

Shatuwa slammed on her brakes and locked eyes with a visiting stranger sitting nearby. He was handsome, but his beard reminded her of Sahabi, Yaddiko’s stolen ram... 😹👌

Summary

This excerpt introduces Shatuwa (affectionately called Yar Gidan Yaddiko or Yaddiko's daughter), a wildly mischievous, fearless, and deeply unapologetic young girl living in the multi-ethnic town of Gumau. Raised by her wealthy, self-made, and fiercely independent grandmother, Hajiya Tabawa (Yaddiko), Shatuwa rules her community through sheer terror, pranks, and theatrical public spectacles.

From destroying local food vendor stalls and stealing guavas to insulting teachers using absurd comparisons (such as equating a teacher's stomach to a drainage ditch and his appearance to historical figures like Dan Kyalla), Shatuwa treats the entire village as her personal playground. Whenever her victims attempt to retaliate or report her to the village head, Yaddiko invariably shields her, pays off the damages with casual wealth, and puts the complainants in their place.

The chapter ends with the arrival of two distinguished visitors from the city (Maheer and Najib), one of whom bears a striking resemblance to a stolen ram named Sahabi, setting the stage for further comedic and chaotic encounters.

Analytics

• Setting: The rural-urban hybrid town of Gumau (housing displaced farmers from Jos, Bauchi, and Abuja), characterized by community farming, traditional local markets, schools, and close-knit social dynamics.
• Character Dynamics:
  • Shatuwa (The Protagonist): Energetic, manipulative, incredibly quick-witted, and utterly lawless. She weaponizes her grandmother's status and her own unhinged dramatic acts to bully neighbors with absolute impunity.
  • Yaddiko (Hajiya Tabawa): A matriarch of grit and immense wealth. Despite her affluence, she insists on hard labor (farming/livestock) and acts as an unyielding shield for her adopted granddaughter against public grievances.
  • The Community: A microcosm of frustration and resignation. Vendors (Lantana, Nata'alla, Ila) and school authorities are perpetually terrorized by Shatuwa, knowing that any disciplinary action will be stonewalled by Yaddiko.
• Themes:
  • Impunity & Privilege: How wealth and matriarchal protection insulate Shatuwa from the social consequences of her actions.
  • Humor & Satire: Heavy reliance on hyperbole, physical comedy, and witty Hausa cultural insults (e.g., comparing body shapes to ducks, drainage ditches, and animals).
  • Kinship & Identity: The deep bond between Yaddiko and her foundling child, contrasted with the village gossip surrounding Shatuwa's unknown origins.