Prehistory The
Nok culture, an ancient culture dominated most of what is now
Northern Nigeria in prehistoric times, its legacy in the form of terracotta statues and megaliths have been discovered in
Sokoto,
Kano,
Birinin Kudu,
Nok and
Zaria. The
Kwatarkwashi culture, a variant of the
Nok culture centred mostly around
Zamfara in Sokoto Province is thought by some to be the same or an offshoot of the Nok.
The Fourteen Kingdoms The Fourteen Kingdoms unified the diverse lore and heritage of Northern Nigeria into a cohesive ethno-historical system. Seven of these kingdoms developed from the
Kabara legacy of the
Hausa people. In the 9th century as vibrant trading centers competing with
Kanem-Bornu and
Mali slowly developed in the Central Sudan, a collection of kingdoms merged – the
Hausa Kingdoms or Hausa Bakwai – dominating the great
savannah plains of Hausaland. Their primary exports were
leather,
gold,
cloth,
salt,
kola nuts, animal hides, and
henna. The seven Hausa states included: •
Daura, ? – 1806 •
Kano, 998 – 1807 •
Katsina, c. 1400 – 1805 •
Zazzau (Zaria), c. 1200 – 1808 •
Gobir, ? – 1808 •
Rano •
Biram, c. 1100 – 1805 The growth and conquest of the Hausa Bakwai resulted in the founding of additional states with rulers tracing their lineage to a concubine of the Hausa founding father,
Bayajidda. Thus, they are called the
Banza Bakwai, meaning Bastard Seven. The Banza Bakwai adopted many of the customs and institutions of the Hausa Bakwai but were considered unsanctioned or copy-cat kingdoms by non-Hausa people. These states include: •
Zamfara •
Kebbi •
Yauri (also called Yawuri) •
Gwari (also called Gwariland) •
Kwararafa (a Jukun state) •
Nupe mainly where is presently called
Niger State (of the
Nupe people)
Hausa States Between 500 and 700,
Hausa people, who are thought to have slowly moved from
Nubia and mixing in with the local Northern population, established a number of strong states in what is now Northern Nigeria and Eastern Niger. With the decline of the Nok and Sokoto, who had previously controlled Central and Northern Nigeria between 800 BCE and 200, the Hausa were able to emerge as the new power in the region. They are closely linked with the
Kanuri people of Kanem-Bornu (
Lake Chad), the Birom, Gwari, Nupe and Jukun. The Hausa
aristocracy, under influence from the
Mali Empire adopted Islam in the 11th century. By the 12th century, the Hausa were becoming one of Africa's major powers. The architecture of the Hausa is perhaps one of the least known but most beautiful of the medieval age. Many of their early mosques and palaces are bright and colourful and often include intricate engraving or elaborate symbols designed into the facade. By 1500, the Hausa utilized a modified Arabic script known as
Ajami to record their own language; the Hausa compiled several written histories, the most popular being the
Kano Chronicle.
Fulani Empire and Bornu Empire Usman Dan Fodio, the 18th century revolutionary and a social, religious and political reformer finally united the seven
Hausa States with newly created provinces into the
Sokoto Caliphate. The
Sokoto Caliphate was under the overall authority of the
Commander of the Faithful. Under Dan Fodio, the Empire was bicephalous and divided into two territories each controlled by an appointed
vizier. Each of the territories was further divided into autonomous
Emirates under mainly hereditary local
Emirs. The
Bornu Empire was initially absorbed into the
Sokoto Caliphate of Usman dan Fodio but broke away a few years later.
History of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria The
protectorate of Northern Nigeria was proclaimed at Ida by
Frederick Lugard on 1 January 1897. The basis of the protectorate was the
1885 Treaty of Berlin which broadly granted Northern Nigeria to the British
sphere of influence, on the basis of their existing protectorates in Southern Nigeria. Hostilities with the powerful
Sokoto Caliphate soon followed. the
Emirates of Kontagora and Ilorin were the first to be conquered by the British. In February 1903, the great fort of Kano, seat of the
Kano Emirate was captured, Sokoto and much of the rest of its Caliphate soon capitulated. On 13 March 1903, the Grand Shura of Caliphate finally conceded to Lugard's demands and proclaimed
Queen Victoria as
suzerain of the Caliphate and all its lands. The Protectorate of Northern Nigeria was established by the British colonial administration in 1900, marking a significant chapter in Nigeria's colonial history. This entity encompassed the predominantly Muslim and Hausa-Fulani dominated regions of the north, distinct from the southern territories under direct British rule. The British aimed to consolidate control over the diverse regions of Nigeria, leveraging indirect rule through traditional Hausa rulers and Emirs. This strategy aimed to maintain stability while extracting resources for British interests. The Protectorate of Northern Nigeria evolved through administrative reforms and faced challenges such as resistance to colonial rule and socio-economic transformations.
Independence Northern Nigeria gained self-government on 15 March 1957 with Sir
Ahmadu Bello as its first premier. the
Northern Peoples Congress under Bello dominated
parliament while the
Northern Elements Progressive Union became the main opposition party. In 1967, Northern Nigeria was disestablished by subdivision. ==Government, civic education and politics==