How did dependence on Fulani clan leaders affect the jihad movement?

The jihad movement led by Usman dan Fodio faced significant challenges due to its reliance on powerful Fulani clan leaders. While these leaders were essential because they alone could field the substantial forces required for military operations, this dependence had several negative consequences for the movement:1

• Alienation of non-Fulani: The reliance on these clan leaders and the maintenance of large Fulani forces in the field alienated the non-Fulani population.12
• Peasantry antagonism: The requisitioning of local food supplies to support these forces caused significant friction with the peasantry.12
• Shift in character: Over time, the original scholarly and clerical impulse of the jihad weakened as the emirs became more representative of a military Fulani aristocracy, which often intermarried with the old Hausa ruling class.2

Ultimately, while this military support was necessary to establish the Fulani empire, it contributed to a transition where the new bureaucracy and its associates risked becoming an oppressive ruling class, a trend that Usman dan Fodio himself criticized in his later years.12