“We Invited Her Thrice But She Went To Lagos Carnival” — ABU Carnival Queen Calls Out Culture Minister Hannatu Musawa For Ignoring Northern Culture

400-level Archaeology student says minister attended Lagos carnival but snubbed ABU three times despite students travelling to Abuja to deliver invitation letters

The viral Queen of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria cultural carnival, Suwaiba Abdulkarim, has accused the Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hajiya Hannatu Musawa, of neglecting Northern culture after she allegedly ignored three official invitations to the university’s carnival while attending the Lagos carnival.

Suwaiba, a 400-level Archaeology student who has become a national sensation for her daring traditional outfits, made the remarks in an interview with RFI Hausa, expressing disappointment over what she described as systematic marginalization of Northern cultural promoters.

“We formally invited the Minister of Culture, Hajiya Hannatu, three separate times but she never showed up. Yet we saw her at the carnival in Lagos and honestly, that was really painful and disappointing,” Suwaiba said.

“Students of ABU travelled all the way from Zaria to her office in Abuja with their own money to deliver the letter, but she kept giving excuses that she was not available. She did not come, she did not send a message and she did not even send a representative.”

She said the minister’s attitude reflects a broader problem facing Northern youths.

“It is not just her. When we in the North submit letters, they just leave them on the table. No follow-up, no message, no delegate.”

“We Do Things But Our Voice Doesn’t Go Far”

Suwaiba, who identifies as being from a royal family, said Northern cultural events do not get the same promotion and acceptance as those in other parts of the country.

“As for us in the North, I don’t know what our problem is. We do things but our messages never seem to reach anywhere. In other places, when they do the same thing, you see them getting accepted immediately. Frankly, I just don’t know why Northern culture is not being promoted,” she said.

She contrasted her experience with that of queens in southern universities.

“The biggest challenge is after buying the form, paying for the title, hiring musicians and guards and putting in all this effort, once you step down tomorrow, nobody recognizes you anymore. Look at the University of Lagos, when their queen wins their cultural carnival, for that whole year she is involved in government events, corporate endorsements. We need equal recognition.”

From Sulke To Yar Kura: Three Years Of Reinvention

Recounting her journey that started in 2024, Suwaiba said she wanted to do something different for the school durbar.

She said she called her cousin to advise her on an outfit and he suggested ‘sulke’ – the heavy chainmail armor worn by ancient warriors.

She procured it and hired traditional drummers, but was disappointed on the day of the event when the drummers demanded extra money after being paid in full.

“My cousin had to travel all the way to Giwa town to source new drummers. Luckily we were not humiliated and we completed 2024,” she said.

But her debut attracted trolling online.

“When I went to the comment section after wearing sulke in 2024, people were saying ‘Is this a man? Is he crazy? Is this really a woman?’ The comment section was not pleasant.”

Determined to continue, she entered again in 2025 but had to go through screening and interviews because of high interest.

This time she chose ‘shuni’ – the black indigo-dyed cloth known as ‘Yar Kura’ – a royal turban that stains the skin, traditionally worn by kings, district heads and title holders. She paired it with a Queen Amina-inspired wrap and a ‘yauki’ – a brocade outfit worn by royalty.

Again she faced online backlash. “They said ‘This is the queen of mad people.’ The feedback was still harsh. But I said we move forward, never backward.”

For 2025, she brought in ‘shantu’ – gourd horn musicians – which she said drew a huge crowd.

For 2026, she decided to create suspense. Despite speculations that the school had taken over the title and she would not return, she bought the form again, paid for the title and attended the interview.

“They said ‘You already know royalty because you are from a royal family and you understand its traditions.'”

She deliberately misled people about her costume, telling everyone she would repeat the sulke.

“The school had no idea what I was going to wear until I actually mounted the horse. I stayed inside a car until the moment I rode into campus. When I finally got on the horse, people started shouting ‘It’s her! It’s her! Wallahi, it’s not her!’ Some said it was me, others said it wasn’t.”

Suwaiba said despite the fame, Northern carnival queens are left without institutional backing, sponsorships or platforms that their counterparts in Lagos enjoy.