Habits You Can Never Quit: A Review on Sammani’s Exit from Dadin Kowa TV Series

Sammani, his teacher and father

Is there a habit, like procrastination, lying, selfishness that you’re struggling hard to resign from? Have you ever taken a moment to think through how or where you possibly gotten that habit(s)? Does it ever occurred to you, if there’re certain habits that are there to remain with us for as long as we live?

Sammani’s Exit

SAMMANI was a teenage Almajiri school boy in the (in)famous fictional drama series, “Dadin Kowa”, aired weekly on Arewa 24 and YouTube. In the drama, the boy was fortunate to be brought to Almajiri school which stands out from the rest in the district of Dadin Kowa. The teacher, Mallam Hassan, is kind and well learned that even the district head consults him for advice on certain issues; he look after his students fatherly and allow no student to go begging for food let alone ware ragged clothes.

M. Na Ta'ala, M. Hassan & Sammani

Unlike his colleagues, Sammani was a hook on the neck for the teacher. He skips classes to go begging. The teacher admonishes and punishes him but to no avail. He was deceitful, a liar and a thief. On two occasions, he was caught stealing cell phones. The last one even involved the police. In the 89th series of the drama, Sammani paid the price; the teacher expelled him. The series said nothing about the boy’s family or where he came from. We only saw his father, worried, when he was summoned to takeaway his child. “HE CAN NEVER CHANGE, … so, I summon you to take him with you [because] I learnt he isn’t ready to change” the teacher said angrily, and meaning, to the father’s face.

Dadin Kowa claimed to “reflect real life and society of Northern Nigeria”. Could Mallam Hassan’s claim on Sammani be a replica of our culture in the north?

It’s in Our Culture

When I was a little boy, I remember a woman coming to my mother, crying, asking for help about her daughter. The daughter was so mischievous that she smokes and fights with men. That day, she tightens her wrapper, beat her chest and engaged a man old enough to be her father in a horrendous fight. “SHE (her daughter) CAN NEVER CHANGE,” the mother declared; [because] “that’s how her father ‘is’” (I supposed she wanted saying ‘was’). I wonder why she came asking for my mother’s advice if that was her believe about a girl she gave birth to. But, as I would learn later, it’s in our culture to believe certain habits cannot be changed.

Years later, after a session with my teacher – my mother actually – I unveiled our commitment with some group of friends to counsel and help a certain boy in our neighborhood quit drugs. Having known the boy and his parents, I was startled with what she told me.

There are three philosophies which influences human nature (reads: character), she said. She called the first one ‘Wirasa’, a trait in our DNA inherited from our grandparent and their parents... Another is ‘Bait’ (from Arabic word home), it translates to parental influence. And lastly, ‘Bi’a’, which include environmental effects, peers influence and national policies etc. The boy’s we wanted to rehabilitate, she said, falls under the first philosophy and there’s nothing or little we can do about it. Such influence cannot be change but be subsided unlike the other two.

All these, were the same “social maps” I read from Stephen R. Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” three years ago. I couldn’t believe the book contained everything my mother told me 15 years ago especially as I know she didn’t even know the book.

This is the same reason why, most people would say, in our culture it’s highly recommended one investigate (habits mostly) of a family he or she intend to marry into. With much emphasis on the bride’s side.

Why Not Take Responsibility?

Statement like “he can’t change” is often more of an uncertain projection than reflection. An absolute believe of the three social maps can be more of blame and finger-pointing when one is faced with challenges rather than been brave to take responsibility.

I mean, we claim to love our children. No parent will deny that. To love someone, imply that that person is of value to us, and when someone is of value to us what do we do? We spend time with them, time enjoying their company and time taking care of them. In that, a sense of responsibility emerges.

Before writing this piece, I contacted Dr. Usman Jibrin, Islamic Studies lecturer at Federal University Kashere. I asked him if Islamically (I knew my mother spoke from this perspective as well), there’re habits one can never quit. Acknowledging the concept of ‘Wirasa’ (genetic determinism), ‘Bait’ (Psychic determinism) and ‘Bi’a’ (environmental determinism), Dr. Usman said there’s no single verse in the Glorious Qur’an or a hadith of the Prophet sallaahu alaihi wasallam, that he knows, which categorically stated that. That those social maps are but efforts of scholars of Tarbiyah (development and training of people) which might be right or wrong. “… but I believe, there’s nothing prayer and effort cannot turn,” he concluded.

Covey believe also, that habits can be learned and unlearned, it can be broken and fixed. It’s only a painful process that require tremendous commitment.