Alhaji Mamman Shata was born in Musawa (presently Katsina State) in 1923. His Full name is Muhammad Ibrahim Yaro, his father’s ancestors were traced to be from the Fulani of Sanyinna in the Sokoto Area while his mother Lariya was from Fulata-Borno, the Fulani people who migrated from the Borno Empire after the jihad of 1804.
Educational Background
Mamman Shata attended Islamic school during his early ages as it was compulsory for every Muslim child to be trained in the Islamic ethics since childhood.
Origin of the Name “Shata”
The name ‘Shata’ was originated from his habits of distributing his gains to the people he met on the way back to home after selling his kola nuts in the Market. As a result of that, one of his relative “Baba Salamu” used to call him Mai-Shata meaning who gave his profit because if he was asked about his gains he answered “Na yi Shata da su” meaning he had given it away, that was how he was named Shata.
Music Career
Shata’s Father did not welcomed the idea of his son for being a musician because it was seen as a form of begging or praise-singing known as “yan roko”. He expected his son to be among the youth that engaged them selves in farming and trading.
He started his music act from the village centers known as “Dandali” where they gathered with his friends after dinner and from there he became the most talented singer in his village and he encouraged other youth to join him in the music career.
Career Breakthrough
Mamman Shata left his business of selling kola nuts and sweets in the market to engaged himself completely into praise-singing career, and he was opportuned to visit many villages in the Musawa Area because of his new job.
After some time, Shata was asked to move to Bakori by Abdullahi Inde, his benefactor and a prince of Musawa who worked as a Native Authority Official.
Mamman Shata married his first wife in Bakori who was popularly known as Iya and she gave birth to a daughter named Amina who died since she was an infant.
Shata gathered a troop for his music activities and they traveled to far places such as Kano, where they visited in the late 40s and Katsina, coming back to Bakori which is their domicile.
He became a popular singer after his performance at the wedding of 12 notable princes known as “Bikin yan sarki” in Kano state in 1952.
He relocated to Funtua in 1960 because is more cosmopolitan than the Bakori and he lived there up to his death.
Mamman Shata sings for commoners even though many high-ranking individuals had asked him to sing for them but he refused m
Alhaji Mamman Shata sang for about 50-60 years and he is reported to have over 40-50 albums during his career. Mamman Shata himself does not know the actual number of his songs because he has some that were not been recorded.
Political Careers
Mamman Shata did not participate fully in politics throughout his life, he was always supporting the left-wing party in his political inclination not like that of his sponsors and benefactors who were mostly in the right-wing.
He started with the Aminu Kano’s NEPU Party in 1950s which was considered to be a left-wing party because they opposites the right-wing of Sir Ahmadu Bello Sardauna Of Sokoto and the majority of the traditional leaders which is the NPC Party.
He won the election of 1970s and he was elected as the Councilor under Kankia local government Area of then Kaduna State.
Mamman Shata was also elected as the chairman of the SDP during the third republic in Funtua local government and he was later removed from the position because he belongs to the opposing party of the retired Major General Shehu Musa Yar’adua, the party’s main financiers in Katsina State. He did not have the ability to participate in the politics of the civilian government of chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 because of his sickness.
Shata’s Death
The sickness of Mamman Shata was very critical to a point that he was admitted in kano hospital and then flown to jiddah, Saudi Arabia for his urethra surgery, he got some relief after the surgery and returned to Nigeria, then he was re-hospitalised in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital where he died on 18th June 1999. He was buried in Daura local government Area of Katsina State where the Emir Muhammad Bashar was among the people that attended the burials.
Shata’s Family
Shata married several wives but he left only three at the time of his death, the wives are Furera, Hadiza and Binta, he left 19 children and 28 grandchildren.
Awards, Honors and Legacies
Shata received many awards during his lifetime, here are some of them :-
- A honorary doctorate by Ahmadu Bello University in recognition for his contributions to the national development as well as the University of California, Los Angeles.
- The awards from the federal government (which made him the Member of Order of Niger, MON),
-The U.S Embassy in Nigeria.
-The performing Musicians Associations of Nigeria (PMAN) by the Kano State government. - Shata is known for his great dancing skills. Countries visited
- Shata has visited many countries because of his music activities especially in west Africa, he traveled to Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage and medical check up, he visited the United Kingdom, France and the United States of America. Singing topics
- Shata sang for every topic that is suitable for him like Agriculture, Religion, Culture, Economy, Politics, Military, Morality and Etiquette, Animals, Trade and many more, he did over ten thousand (10,000)songs but many of them were not recorded most especially the ones he does when he was a teenager.
Thus, many people believed that Alhaji Dr Mamman Shata is the greatest ever Hausa singer.
