Zungeru | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Zungeru | |
| Coordinates: 9°48′N6°9′E / 9.800°N 6.150°E | |
| Country |  Nigeria |
| State | Niger State |
| Elevation | 149 m (489 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 24,447 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (WAT) |
Zungeru is a town in Niger State, Nigeria. It was the capital of the British protectorate of Northern Nigeria from 1902 until 1916. It is the site of the Niger State Polytechnic and is located on the Kaduna River.
According to oral history, when the British colonialists came, their inability to call the place Dunguru brought about the corrupted form Zungeru. British forces occupied Zungeru in September 1902, which was then populated by the Nupe tribe. It grew from an almost virgin territory of small scattered settlements of the indigenous population, mostly Nupes, Hausas and the Gwaris, to a town of over 35,100 residents.
The first Church in Northern Nigeria, the United Mission church was built 1905 in Zungeru.
Unlike Kaduna, then probably used only as farmland by Hausa and Gbagyi aborigenes, Zungeru was an already established Nupe settlement with traditional leaders; and, it is believed in some quarters that one of the reasons Lugard relocated to Kaduna was to avoid dealing with indigenous chiefs.
What is the etymology of this town’s name?
Natives, including Mallam Mohammed Yahaya, said Zungeru derives from Dungurum, itself coined from a Nupe language phrase. The lore of the root of Zungeru’s name mentioned Nda (man in the Nupe tongue) and Dungurum (a sort of traditional guitar or goje, molo aka kora). Nda, the Nupe man, was a fisher; but, he was also a popular guitarist (dungurum-player). Daily, upon returning from fishing, Nda would play his dungurum to announce his arrival in order to attract buyers. And, soon; when asked where they were heading, some traders would respond, Nda-dungurum (to the place of the guitar-playing man). This was later shortened to Dungurum before Lugard and others corrupted everything to Zungeru. Colonial administrator Frederick Lugard chose the town as capital of Northern Nigeria over Jebba and Lokoja [1] due to its central location. [2] The British cleared the forest in the area and established a market, military barracks, and hospital, among other things. [3]
In 1916, two years after the 1914 union of the colonies of Northern and Southern Nigeria into one colonial entity, Lugard moved the north's capital to Kaduna. The same year, the Chief of Wushishi was given the position of ruler of Zungeru, and he passed on the position to his son, Abubakar. After the capital was moved to Kaduna, Zungeru was administered from Minna as part of Niger province. [4]
Zungeru has declined in importance since the removal of administrative function to Kaduna. [2]
Sites in modern Zungeru include the Nnamdi Azikiwe Centre, a now-abandoned tribute to Nigeria's first President Nnamdi Azikiwe built by Ibrahim Babangida's military regime, [2] the market built by Lugard, which is still in use, [3] and Niger State Polytechnic. Work is ongoing on the proposed hydroelectric dam as at 2015. The dam is being constructed by a consortium led by Sinohydro. The dam is proposed to produce 700 MW of electricity at full operation.
In 1926, the town and districts administered from it - Wushishi, Alewa, Guma (population 3440), Koriga (population 801), Kuskaka (population 2108), Makangard (9166), and Tegina (population (4611) - comprised around 35,100 residents. Wushishi was populated by Nupe, Hausa, and Gwari; Alewa by Gwari, Bauchi, Hausa, and Kamaku; Guma by Bongu (people), Hausa, Basa, and Bauchi; Koriga by Hausa, Kamaku, and Gwari; Kuskaka by Ura, Ngwoi, Hausa, and Kamaku; Makangard by Makangara; and Tegina by Bauchi, Gwari, Hausa, Kamuku, Ngwoi, and Basa.
As of 2007, the Hausa, Edo, Igbo, Yoruba, and Fulani are the dominant ethnic groups in Zungeru. Christianity and Islam are the main religions. [2]
Zungeru is surrounded by mountains, giving it a lower elevation than the surrounding topography Mountains are located nearby. In addition to the Kaduna, the smaller Nnamaye and Tosheta Rivers flow near the town. [5]
The area surrounding the Zungeru is a mixed wooded savanna; species of plants growing in the area include Afzelia africana, Isoberlinia species, and Burkea africana. The town and surrounding country is one of the hottest and most humid parts of Nigeria. [5]
Zungeru is served by a station on the national railway system.
Notable individuals from Zungeru include: [2]
Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe, commonly referred to as Zik of Africa, was a Nigerian politician, statesman, and revolutionary leader who served as the 3rd and first black governor-general of Nigeria from 1960 to 1963 and the first president of Nigeria during the First Nigerian Republic (1963–1966). He is widely regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism as well as one of the major driving forces behind the country's independence in 1960.
Northern Nigeria was a British protectorate which lasted from 1900 until 1914, and covered the northern part of what is now Nigeria.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is a federal territory in central Nigeria. Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, is located in this territory. The FCT was formed in 1976 from parts of the states of old Kaduna, Kwara, Niger, and Plateau states, with the bulk of land mass carved out of Niger state. The Federal Capital Territory is within the North Central region of the country. Unlike other states of Nigeria, which are headed by elected Governors, it is administered by the Federal Capital Territory Administration, headed by a minister, who is appointed by the president.
The Kaduna River is a tributary of the Niger River which flows for 550 kilometres (340 mi) through Nigeria. It got its name from the crocodiles that lived in the river and surrounding area. Kaduna in the native dialect, Hausa, was the word for "crocodiles". It starts in Plateau State on the Jos Plateau 29 kilometres (18 mi) southwest of Jos town, flows through its namesake Kaduna State and through its capital Kaduna, and meets the Niger River in Niger State. Most of its course passes through open savanna woodland, but its lower section has cut several gorges above its entrance into the extensive Niger floodplains. The river is used for fishing and transport of local produce.
Lokoja is a north-central city in Nigeria. It lies at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers and is the capital city of Kogi State. While the Yoruba (Oworo), Bassa Nge and Nupe are indigenous to the area, other ethnic groups, including the Kupa-Nupe, Hausa, Ebira, Igala, Igbo, Bini/Edo, and Tiv have recently established themselves. Lokoja is projected to be the third fastest growing city on the African continent between 2020 and 2025, with a 5.93% growth rate. It was listed as a second class township by the 1917 township ordinance of the colonial administration, indicating that Lokoja is an old city.
Niger is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria. It is the largest state in the country by area. The state capital is Minna. Other major cities are Bida, Kontagora and Suleja. Niger state was formed in 1976 when the then North-Western State was divided into Niger State and Sokoto State. It is home state of two former Nigerian military heads of state— Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar. The Nupe,Gbagyi, Kamuku, Kambari, and Hausa form the majority of numerous indigenous tribes of Niger State, With Nupe been the largest and dominant tribe of the State. Other tribes in the state are Adara, Koro Gungawa, and Hun-Saare. Nupe people are the oldest tribe in Niger State, They are believed to have inhabited the areas their now identified with since time immemorial this have been dated 9,000B.C or 40,000 years ago, thus making them one of the world's oldest civilization.
Kaduna State is a state in the northwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna, which was the 8th largest city in the country as of 2006. Created in 1967 as North-Central State, which also encompassed the modern Katsina State, Kaduna State achieved its current borders in 1987. Kaduna State is the fourth largest and third most populous state in the country, Kaduna State is nicknamed the Centre of Learning, owing to the presence of numerous educational institutions of importance within the state such as Ahmadu Bello University.
Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962, it acquired the territory of the British Northern Cameroons, which voted to become a province within Northern Nigeria.
The Nupe are an ethnic group native to North Central Nigeria. They are the dominant ethnic group in Niger State and a minority in Kwara State. The Nupe are also present in Kogi State and The Federal Capital Territory.
Zaria is a metropolitan city in Nigeria, located at present time within four local government areas in Kaduna State. It serves as the capital of the Zazzau Emirate Council and is one of the original seven Hausa city-states. The local government areas comprising Zaria are Zaria, Sabon Gari, Giwa, and Soba local government areas of Kaduna State, Nigeria.
The Gbari or Gbagyi are an ethnic group found predominantly in Central Nigeria with an estimated population of 12 million spread in four states, including Abuja, and located in thirty local government areas. It is also the name of their language. Members of the ethnic group speak two dialects. While speakers of the dialects were loosely called Gwari by both the Hausa Fulani and Europeans during pre-colonial Nigeria they prefer to be known as Gbagyi/Gbari. They live in the Niger, the Federal Capital Territory - Abuja, and Kaduna State. They are also found in Nasarawa central Nigeria Area. Gbagyi/Gbari is one of the most populated ethnic groups in the middle belt and indigenous in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. This means Gbagyi people are the bonafide owners of the Nigerian capital city, Abuja.
A Sabon Gari is a section of cities and towns in Northern Nigeria, South Central Niger and Northern Cameroon whose residents are not indigenous to Hausa lands.
Arewa or Arewaland is a Hausa word which means "The North". The term is used to refer to Northern Nigeria general. The terms Arewa and Arewacin Nijeriya are used in Hausa to refer to the historic region geopolitically located north of the River Niger.
The continued use of the term, Arewa ... has conjured up an image among educated Northerners that resonated far beyond the institutional structures Sir Ahmadu Bello created: the successor to the Bornu and Sokoto Caliphate; the vision of God's Empire in the region; the universality of its claim to suzerainty; and in a more prosaic but no less powerful sense, the concept of a polity with an emphasis on unity and sense of shared purpose in northern West Africa beyond the popular slogan--'one North, one People'.
Rafi is a Local Government Area in Niger State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Kagara on the A125 highway. The southern border of the area is the Kaduna River. Towns in the LGA include Tegina, and Pandogari
The Kamuku National Park is a Nigerian national park in Kaduna State, Nigeria, with a total area of about 1,120 km2 (430 sq mi). The park has a typical Sudanian Savanna ecology.
The Kamuku are an ethnic group in central Nigeria. The Kamuku language belongs to the Kainji family and is related to C'lela, Duka, and Kambari. They mainly live in the west-central region of Nigeria, particularly in Kwara State. Their population in 1996 exceeded 35,000 people, found in the Sokoto division of Sokoto State, the Birnin Gwari division of Kaduna State and the Kontagora and Minna divisions of Niger State.
The pre-colonial history of Northern Nigeria encompasses the history of Northern Nigeria before the advent of European explorers and the subsequent pacification of Northern Nigeria by the British Empire. In pre-historical times, the area known as Northern Nigeria was home to the Kwatarkwashi/Nok culture. Elements of human civilisation have also been discovered around the Niger River near Kainji Dam.
The history of Northern Nigeria covers the history of the region form pre-historic times to the modern period of Northern Nigerian state.
Ivara Ejemot Esu OFR, is a Nigerian politician, academic administrator and professor and is the former Deputy Governor of Cross River State. He hails from Agwagune in Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. He holds the Nigerian National Honours Award in the rank of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) conferred on him by President Obasanjo in 2005 and the Cross River State Honours Merit Award conferred on him by Governor Donald Duke in 2004 for carrying out excellent management reforms at the University of Calabar. Esu has held many positions of responsibility such as Vice Chancellor, University of Calabar (2000–2005); Honourable Minister of State for Tourism, Culture and National Orientation ; Member, Technical Committee on Privatization and Commercialization (TCPC), Presidency, Lagos (1990–1992); Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development Cross River State (1992–1993); Chairman Federal Medical Centre Board, Owerri (2009–2011) and chairman, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi (2012–2015) and was an Elder Statesman Delegate at the 2014 National Conference of Nigeria. Esu is a Soil Scientist (Pedologist) who has taught in various tertiary institutions, some of which include; the Kaduna Polytechnic; Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, University of Calabar, University of Uyo and the University of Ghana, Legon, Accra.
Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Station is a 700 megawatts (940,000 hp) hydroelectric power plant under construction in Niger State, Nigeria. When completed, as expected, it will be the second-largest hydroelectric power station in the country, behind the 760 megawatts (1,020,000 hp) Kainji Hydroelectric Power Station.
9°48′46″N6°9′21″E / 9.81278°N 6.15583°E
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