By Maryam Jibril Yusuf

Queen Amina was a warrior and a ruler of Zaria, a Hausa city in the present day Kaduna State in Northern Nigeria.

She ruled for 34 years from 1576 until she died in 1610. Around 1533, Queen Amina was born to a royal family where her grandfather was King Sarkin Nohir and her grandmother was Marka. 

Her father was a King of Nikatau of Zazzau, and her mother Queen Bakwa Turunku. Amina attended her first official state business meeting while sitting on her grandfather’s lap.

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She was caught wielding a dagger by her grandmother when she was a child, which indicated her natural abilities as a warrior. Amina was 16 when her mother became a Queen and named her Magajiya or heir apparent to the throne. Suitors lined up daily, bringing gifts including offers of 10 Makama slaves. 

It is on record that the Emir of Kano offered her 50 bags of white and blue clothes, 50 female slaves and 50 male slaves but Amina refused to marry or have children.

After her mother’s death around 1566, Amina’s brother Karama, ascended the throne. Within two years of becoming king, he had organised four major military campaigns and Amina fought in all four. 

It is said that she took delight in warfare and showed no interest in marrying any of her suitors. Her bravery and skill as a fighter quickly established her as the leading warrior of Zazzau, the biggest of seven Hausa states in the 16th century.

When Karama died in 1576, the kingmakers did not hesitate to appoint Amina as their next ruler. After Amina became Queen, she expanded the kingdom of Zazzau further as it took her only three months to wage war against her neighboring states to increase Zazzau territory.

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She commanded an army of 20000 soldiers and 1000 calvary men; they were the most feared warriors of the 16th century in the Hausa kingdom.

Amina was so valiant that she passed a decree to her people to sharpen their swords, as they started a 34 year campaign to claim territories around them.

They were successful in capturing some parts of Nupe and Kwararafa. History has it that Queen Amina took a male lover from every town she went through and conquered, but also had them beheaded the next morning so they couldn’t tell the tale.

This was the ferocity with which she ruled Zazzau for years, helping them prosper, increase in territory and expand their income. Queen Amina built walls around conquered cities and her military camps in conquered regions.

Many of those walls still stand in contemporary northern Nigeria. They are known locally as the ‘ganuwar of Amina’ which in Hausa language means Amina’s wall. Amina ruled for 34 years. 

She died in a battle in Altagara, near Bida in present day Niger State in 1610 at the age of 77. She remains an iconic figure in African history, remembered for her extraordinary leadership, military prowess, and significant contributions to the development and defense of her kingdom.

Her reign symbolises resilience, determination, and a steadfast commitment to her people and their prosperity, leaving an indelible mark on the history of Nigeria and Africa as a whole. 

At the National Arts Theatre in Lagos, there is a statue of Amina, there is also a government school in Kaduna named Queen Amina College, and a female housing dormitory called Queen Amina.

Amina Hall exists at the University of Lagos and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Many schools are named after her as a source of inspiration for every female child that true leadership is not gender restricted and one can aspire to lead their nation to greatness irrespective of their gender.