When you approach the town of Giwa, the first house you will see from the southeast of the town is a massive mansion with a modern red roof, surrounded by tall, cloudlike iron gates, popularly called Mahdi-ka-ture. It houses an estate that contains fifteen modern flats.

If you raise your eyes upward, you will see a glittering golden inscription that reads ABUBAKAR BAMALLI GIWA ESTATE. The houses are spacious, neatly painted in egg-yolk yellow, pleasing to the eye. But one house stands out from the rest: the very first house.

The first house is the largest, and the only one with an upstairs. Its owner is an elderly woman of about seventy-five years, named Hajiya Hadiza Giwa, fondly called Hajjah by her children and grandchildren.

You would be surprised to learn that, despite the size of the house, she alone lives there as the matriarch. All her fifteen children were born to her alone, one after another, without a co-wife and without rivals.

According to the people of Giwa, this was because of the love her late husband, Abubakar Bamalli Giwa, had for her, and also because of her good character and kind relationship with everyone.

After A.B. Giwa’s death, his children did not feel much hardship, for Hajjah became their pillar of support. That did not mean she spoiled them—she instilled discipline and manners in all her children and grandchildren. No one could overstep her authority, no one could defy her. No decision concerning the family was made without her approval.

She was a woman of sharp intellect, able to discern the intentions behind her children’s or grandchildren’s actions. Though she showered her grandchildren with love, she would never allow the younger ones to disrespect the elders. The grandchildren loved her even more than their own parents. Many of them often packed their belongings and moved into the “Big House,” as they called it, preferring to live with Hajjah.

Life there was pleasant: varieties of food were always available, she told them stories filled with wisdom, embraced them even as grown-ups, comforted them when their parents scolded them. But if a grandchild erred, she would not punish them physically—at most a pinch or a flick on the head. For serious discipline, she handed them over to the memory of their grandfather, A.B. Giwa, through moral instruction.

Since her husband’s death, Hajiya Hadiza has stood firm in raising his descendants and preserving his legacy of intra-family marriages—ensuring her children married only within the lineage. Whether they liked it or not, they had to obey, though later they often ended up thanking her. This practice led to the spread and prominence of A.B. Giwa’s descendants both within Giwa and beyond. Wherever they went, people recognized them immediately by their family resemblance and the trademark Mallanci mark etched on their faces during naming ceremonies.

Although secluded in their estate, the family’s occupations drew them to Kaduna and Zaria, whether through farming or government work.

Within A.B. Giwa’s household also lived some of his late husband’s relatives—like the widowed children of his sisters Kaltume and Kubra—who helped in household chores despite the abundance of housemaids.

The boys’ quarters, separated from the main house, were filled with male grandchildren who had grown up and preferred to stay with Hajjah. The granddaughters were mostly married off within Giwa or Zaria, many in Zaria, in accordance with the family tradition. In total, Hajjah had fourteen children: ten sons and four daughters.

The late Abubakar Bamalli Giwa was a wealthy man from Giwa, descended from generations of farmers. He specialized in crops such as maize, millet, guinea corn, wheat, rice, potatoes, yams, and vegetables. Each year, he cultivated vast fields and transported the harvest in bulk to markets. He owned over ten large farmlands, countless rental houses in Giwa, Kaduna, and Zaria.

Among his prominent children:

• Alhaji Mukhtar A.B. Giwa, head of Bamalli Food Crops and Cash Crops Production in Kaduna.
• Professor Ahmadu A.B., a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
• Na’ibi A.B., in charge of their farmlands.
• Ibrahim A.B., managing their rental houses in Kaduna.
• Barau A.B., overseeing produce distribution.
• Sani, Sadi, and Salisu A.B., each managing different sectors.

Among the daughters:

• Aunty Hauwa, married in Kaduna.
• Yaya Ladidi, married in Zaria.
• Yaya Hafsatu, married in Giwa.
• Aunty Rabi, the youngest, married recently in Kano.

Hajiya Hadiza herself was blessed with beauty, strength, and youthfulness despite her age, thanks to the care and love of her children. She also inherited wealth from her own family in Zaria (Tukur-Tukur quarters).

The Giwa family was known for their tall stature, fair skin, sharp noses, and large eyes. Their resemblance to one another made them easily recognizable. Outsiders sometimes accused them of arrogance, but in truth, it was composure and self-awareness, reinforced by both Islamic and modern education.

The family’s wealth continued to grow, as they faithfully paid zakat on their income. Up to this day, they have never married outsiders, believing it would dilute their family bond and appearance.

Though Hajjah could be strict, anyone who understood her likes and dislikes found her easygoing. All her children treated her with care and respect, especially her eldest son, Mukhtar.

The estate also had a grand mosque, where the entire family prayed five times a day in congregation, men and women separated by curtains. Nearby was their private clinic, staffed by a doctor and a nurse. In Giwa’s main market, half the food stalls belonged to the Bamalli family, run peacefully and profitably.

The men mostly studied Agricultural Engineering or Agricultural Science at ABU Zaria, while the women pursued various disciplines:

• Aunty Hauwa studied Quantity Surveying,
• Ladidi studied Education and became a teacher,
• Hafsatu studied Home…