Leather craft is one of the oldest traditional trades in Sokoto and other states in northern Nigeria, dating back hundreds of years to the reign of Shehu Usmanu Danfodiyo. The work comprises the production and processing of animal skin into leather, which is tanned and crafted into various items like footwear and other ornaments.
This traditional craftsmanship had been a source of pride for the state as it contributed significantly to the economic development of the people and provided job opportunities for many. It made the state a business hub, attracting skin marketers and investors from within and outside the country.
It’s not the same craft nowadays—day by day, due to the passage of time, things are changing. Leather companies have withdrawn, younger generations who inherited the craft are no longer interested in it, and the market is declining.
Despite the efforts of both private and public sectors in the state to revive and modernize the leather industry, both tanners and artists continue to lament the situation they find themselves in, as their businesses remain in limbo.
Cultural heritage under threat
Despite the historical popularity and cultural significance of the tannery craft in Sokoto, young people who inherited the trade are withdrawing from the tradition due to the market’s decline.
“Our children who attended school and got a Western education are no longer interested in this traditional craft, especially those who secured jobs,” said Sarkin Majema, Yusuf Mujahid, who has spent 65 years working in the tannery.
One of the best-known and oldest tanneries, located in the Unguwar Rogo area of Sokoto metropolis, which in past years served as a hub for the hide business, is nearly empty today.
“In previous years, when you came here, you would see at least 500 people, both young and old. But now, if I call all the people doing this work, they wouldn’t be more than 50,” Sarkin Majema stated, expressing concern over the decline of their cultural heritage.
Despite the odds, a young tanner, Murtala Haruna, who has endured and spent 20 years working as a tanner, explained that he couldn’t say there has been no progress in their craft, as it has sustained him.
Like Sarkin Majema, Haruna pointed out that their greatest challenge is how the younger generation is abandoning the work. He recalled that in past years, young people used to come from villages to work at the tannery and earn money. But now, the business has been devalued, and they no longer see it as profitable.
“The people who used to buy directly from us—now we have to take the tanned leather to Kano to sell to middlemen, who will then sell to the white men who used to come to Sokoto before. When we get there with 300 hides, they may select only 200 and reject the rest, and there’s nothing we can do about it,” Haruna recounted their ordeal.
According to Haruna, young people should not run away from what they inherited from their parents and forefathers. “They should learn it so that we can work together. If you learn the work you inherited from your family, you will never stay idle,” he added.
The fall of the global market
For hundreds of years, Sokoto State had been one of the largest leather producers in the world. Foreigners used to buy hides directly from local tanneries and export them to European countries, without needing to go through Kano or other Nigerian cities. A TRT report states that 71% of Nigeria’s leather exports go to Italy and Spain.
This contributed significantly to the development of the leather business and the socioeconomic growth of Sokoto State, as companies used to buy tanned leather directly from tanners. “At that time, there were about six to seven companies that bought skin from us, but today none remain in Sokoto,” said Sarkin Majema.
According to him, foreign companies used to invest heavily in the leather business, coming directly to Sokoto to buy and distribute hides globally—to America, England, China, Japan, Spain, and more. But all of this has changed drastically.
Locally, tanners have witnessed an unprecedented decline in business. Hides that previously cost N50 now cost N1,500 from the butcher. After tanning, they struggle to sell at even N2,000. “Despite all our stress, we can hardly make a profit. Only God knows how much those who take it to Europe sell it for,” Sarkin Majema lamented.
Moreover, banditry and cattle rustling across Sokoto State and the northwest have severely affected the availability of animal skin.
Artists are struggling too
When tanners process animal skin, local artists buy it to create products such as footwear, knife and sword covers. As times have changed, artists now make additional items like ladies’ purses, decorative rugs, pillows, bags, and more. However, these artists now face difficulty accessing tanned leather in Sokoto.
Although there is a tannery in Sokoto, artists say they face a shortage of processed skin. They use two kinds of leather—the traditionally tanned one and the one processed by leather companies—but both are now scarce.
A local artist, Muktar Bello, 40, stressed that they used to buy skin easily in Sokoto from tanners and one local company. Now, they have to go to Kano to buy from one company, which may take weeks or even a month.
“About fifteen years ago, we could get all the leather we needed in Sokoto,” Bello recalled. “Now, we have to book and wait.”
Another artist, Ibrahim Bello, explained that while they use both types of leather—traditional and industrial—obtaining either has become increasingly difficult.
“I sent my money over a month ago, and due to the scarcity of leather, I still haven’t received it. I need more, but I was told to wait because even the company is facing shortages. You must book in advance,” Bello said.
He also noted that a leather processing factory around Aliyu Jodi in Sokoto has been non-functional for about 15 years. “Had the company been working, I wouldn’t have sent my money to Kano,” he added.
Although tanners lament the decline in their market, Bello said they mostly use the company-processed leather because traditional leather, when crafted into items, can emit an odour in air-conditioned rooms. “Maybe the tanners don’t use the right chemicals,” he speculated.
Banditry in the region has forced many people to flee with their animals, leading to a scarcity of animal skin as livestock slaughtering has reduced, one artist explained.
Despite challenges, there is progress
Despite the challenges, some artists say they have made significant progress in life through the leather trade.
For Muktar Bello, leatherwork allowed him to get married, raise eight children, sponsor their education, and even meet dignitaries he never imagined meeting in person.
Through his craft, Bello has traveled across Nigeria, met former President Sani Abacha, worked for him, and exchanged pleasantries with him. He also visited the Presidential Villa in Abuja when former President Obasanjo invited him.
A young artist, Ƙasimu Hamza, 27, inherited the leather trade from his parents and has continued the work since finishing secondary school. “The craft has done everything for me,” he said. “I’m not married yet, but I’m building my house. I meet all my basic needs and even assist others.”
While many youths are abandoning the leather trade, Hamza remains committed, saying it provides all he needs and keeps him productive.
Many efforts, yet still hopeful
Both the public and private sectors have made efforts to establish modern leather companies in Sokoto. In 2019, Daily Trust reported that Sokoto Investment Company Limited (SICL), a publicly owned investment facilitator, partnered with Pan African Leather to revive the industry by creating a leather tannery and shoe-making factory in Sokoto within two years.
In 2021, former Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal assured the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) of his administration’s readiness to partner in rebuilding the leather industry in Sokoto.
Sokoto is globally recognized as the producer of the highest quality red goat skin. According to Faruk Abba, Secretary of the Sokoto State Leather Tanners Association, 52 tanneries operate across Sokoto, employing 500 workers, but only one company, based in Kano, currently buys their products (as reported by Daily Trust in 2016).
Tanners and artists continue to hope that the state government will revitalize the leather factory, partner with national and foreign investors, and create an enabling environment where they can sell their processed products.
If all sectors work together to revive and rebuild Sokoto’s traditional leather trade, the rates of poverty and youth unemployment in the state can be significantly reduced.
