Babban Gwani, also known as Mallam Mikhaila, was an influential 19th-century Hausa architect and builder who flourished during the reign of the 61st ruler of Zazzau, Nigeria, Abd al-Karim ɗan Abbas.

Presently, this title is exclusively retained for his male descendants, while the designation of Gwani predominantly associates with his students.

His workforce consisted of approximately one hundred laborers, primarily slaves, entrusted with the task of collecting mud and thatched clay in preparation for his evening work.

The aristocracy sought his expertise to construct and design monuments that symbolized the 'fervour' of the Islamic movement led by the jihadists.

In 1824, the Scottish explorer Hugh Clapperton witnessed Mikhaila at work overseeing construction of a new mosque financed by Gidado dan Laima, the Wazirin Sokoto.

This unfolded subsequent to the emir's commissioning of a mosque, with the specific aim of replicating the grandeur of the Masallacin Juma'an Zaria.

The emir's primary motivation behind this project was to establish a structure of such unparalleled magnificence that no other building would ever be able to equal the one in Birnin Gwari.

Tragically, on 11 August 2023, a portion of the mosque's roof collapsed during the Asr prayer, resulting in the loss of over ten lives.

Sarkin Zazzau Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli reported that the process of reconstructing the mosque had been started, and an investigation into the incident had also been launched.

He further constructed the Soron Giwa, colloquially known as "the Hall of the Elephant," in honor of Ibrahim Dabo, who was the father of Abdullahi and ruled as the ruler of Kano from 1819 to 1846.

Notably, when the Emir's palace in Bauchi suffered damage due to rain in 2017, Gwani's descendants were summoned to lead the reconstruction and redesign of the affected sections.

Although he infused his designs with a greater degree of expressiveness, Haruna's architectural style remained heavily influenced by the principles established by Mallam Mikhaila.