Rising about 15 metres (50 feet) above the old city of Katsina in northern Nigeria, the Gobarau Minaret is more than an architectural landmark. For over five centuries it has stood as a symbol of Islamic learning, religious devotion and the enduring cultural heritage of Hausaland.
Origins and Historical Context
The exact date of the Gobarau Minaret’s construction remains a subject of debate. Oral traditions and some local chronicles associate it with the reign of Sarkin Katsina Muhammad Korau (c. 1493–1520), the first Muslim ruler of Katsina. Others place its completion in the early 16th century. Whatever the precise year, the minaret arose when Katsina was one of the great intellectual and commercial centres of the Sahel, trading with Timbuktu and attracting Islamic scholars from across West Africa.
Built initially as the central Friday mosque of Katsina, the structure reflected the city’s wealth and the growing prestige of Islam in the region. Its height made it one of the earliest surviving multi-storey buildings in West Africa, a feat that proclaimed both religious piety and political authority.
From Mosque to Madrasah
As the city expanded and newer mosques were erected, the original building gradually shifted from being the principal congregational mosque to functioning as a madrasah (Islamic school). Generations of scholars used its chambers for teaching Qurʾānic exegesis, jurisprudence and classical Arabic studies.
While the modern Katsina School of Arabic and Islamic Studies dates from the 20th century, the Gobarau Minaret is widely regarded as a spiritual ancestor of that tradition. Its centuries-long role as a centre of advanced Islamic learning helped secure Katsina’s reputation as a “city of scholars”, rivalled only by Timbuktu in the medieval western Sudan.
Architecture and Construction
The minaret is built entirely of sun-dried mud bricks, using the Sudano-Sahelian style common across the savannah belt. A rectangular base tapers upward to a commanding tower, its thick earthen walls reinforced by wooden beams (toron) that also serve as permanent scaffolding for repairs.
Small slit windows admit light and air, while the massive mud walls provide natural insulation against the intense Sahelian heat. More than five centuries after its construction, the Gobarau Minaret remains structurally sound—an enduring testament to the engineering skill of Hausa builders and the adaptability of indigenous West African materials.
Cultural and Spiritual Legacy
For the people of Katsina, the minaret is more than a relic of the past; it is a living emblem of faith and scholarship. Local leaders and cultural organisations regard it as a touchstone of identity, linking today’s city to a golden age when Katsina’s scholars shaped Islamic thought across the region.
The Nigerian government, through the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), has designated the Gobarau Minaret a national monument. Yet like many earthen structures of the Sahel, it faces erosion and environmental stress, prompting ongoing calls for conservation to ensure that future generations can witness this unique heritage.
Significance in West African History
The Gobarau Minaret stands as a vivid example of pre-colonial Islamic architecture south of the Sahara. It shows how local Hausa building traditions blended seamlessly with Islamic design, creating a style that is both distinctively West African and part of a broader Muslim world.
Today, visitors who climb its base or simply stand in its shadow experience a tangible link to the centuries when Katsina rivalled Timbuktu as a beacon of Islamic scholarship, trade and diplomacy.
Sources
National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Heritage Documentation on Gobarau Minaret, Abuja.
The Gobarau Minaret endures not only as a striking mud-brick tower but also as a powerful reminder of the intellectual and spiritual vibrancy that defined medieval Hausaland and helped shape the Islamic heritage of West Africa.
Nollywood icon Genevieve Nnaji has fired off a sharp response after a man on X (formerly Twitter) advised Igbo men to stop marrying Igbo women and instead seek wives from other African countries.
The controversy began after a photo of a Rwandan woman said to be engaged to an Anambra man went viral.
Resharing the image, the user wrote, “Dear Igbo men, instead of marrying an Igbo woman who’ll falsely accuse you of r4ping your daughter, better look outside for a wife.
“Go to East Africa, especially Rwanda, and pick a damsel. They’re all over social media, and you can link up with them.”
Genevieve, who rarely comments on online drama, responded, “In other words, instead of checking yourself and taking accountability, go for the unsuspecting and carry on with your evil. Got it.”
Another user attempted to challenge her, claiming the original tweet was aimed at “false rape accusers” and that Genevieve was avoiding the real issue.
“His tweet was clearly against false rape accusers, but instead of holding the evil women accountable and demanding change, you chose to tweet this?”
But the actress hit back with equal clarity: “The same way a woman can’t tell an abusive man apart from a good one is the same way you shouldn’t say avoid all Igbo women. ‘Not all women’.”
Reality TV star Phyna has offered words of encouragement to fellow Big Brother Naija winner Imisi amid a family feud between the latter and her mother.
In an X post on Monday, Phyna wrote,”To Imisi, @imisiofficial and to anyone walking through the same fire… I’m praying for your strength.
“My own experience broke me, but I’m slowly rising.
“And I’m rooting for you with everything in me, don’t handle it like I did, build strong and focus on you baby girl.”
The post comes against the backdrop of a family dispute in which Imisi’s mother accused her daughter of hatred and revealed the poor condition of the home where she currently lives, despite Imisi winning N150 million after her Big Brother victory.
Imisi replied in Yoruba,”This is why Aunty Debola said you should not show your face to the world. I can’t be saying all that now, you are in the midst of people. Just overlook everything and leave social media.
“Don’t worry, I will send you money to rent a new house. I am tired of all this drama. I am still recovering from the stress of Big Brother.
“Should I be facing another stress now? Please forgive me, I am your daughter.”
Recall Imisi’s mother has publicly expressed frustration on social media, saying she does not need her daughter’s money after being sidelined following the win.
She also blamed Imisi for recounting her childhood experiences, which she claims involve untrue allegations of parental neglect and sexual assault.
In a video, she showed the old house she currently resides in, saying she is content with her situation, a revelation that sparked online controversy.
In 2023, after Phyna’s BBNaija win, her father, Felix Otabor, revealed in an interview that he was distressed by his daughter’s actions following her BBNaija win.
Otabor said Phyna had asked him to stop working as a hearse driver and requested that he sell his cars, promising to improve the family’s life.
He said he later struggled financially after selling the vehicles, losing his business momentum and community position, and has not seen his daughter since her victory.
He described feeling sidelined while she enjoyed her wealth.
Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels, has opened up about her marriage to her estranged husband, Senator Ned Nwoko.
It was reports that the embattled wife revealed why their seven-year relationship remained faithful despite his polygamous lifestyle.
In a reply to a comment on her Instagram page, Daniels said that during their years together, Nwoko never slept with other women outside their home because she held him well in the other room.
She wrote: “Yes i think he loved me but a toxic one! Because tell me why a polygamous man forgot what it meant to be in polygamy, except for the media.
“Just because it boosted his ego of being seen with multiple women which is easy by me because anyone that sees a man as an odogwu sees the wife as what? He basically had to beg that he share days at ours and other days with his other wives because they begged for his attention.
“Y’all should pls forget this yeye social media comparison because my ex man never slept outside one day in our 7 years of marriage. You know why? Because as a delta babe, I hold am well for the other room ladies use your skills that’s all men want actually!”
