Biu, Nigeria
Encyclopedia
Biu is a town and a Local Government Area (LGA) in southern Borno State
of Nigeria
. The town is the administrative center of the LGA. The town was once the capital of the Biu kingdom, and is now capital of the Biu Emirate
. Biu lies on the Biu plateau
at an average elevation of 626 meters.
The region is semi-arid.
, defeated Fulani invaders from the Gombe Emirate
to the west. In 1878 Mari Biya, became the first Bura king to rule from Biu. The emir's palace is now situated in the town.
With British rule, Biu division was created in 1918. Mai Ari Dogo was acknowledged as the first emir of Biu in 1920. The area became known as the Biu federation after 1957, when the districts of Shani and Askira were added to the emirate.
Maidalla Mustafa dan Muhammad (b. 1915) became Mai Biu, also styled Kuthli, in 1959.
, Tera
, Marghi
, Mina
and Fulani people. Bura, Tera, Marghi and Mina are Biu–Mandara languages of the Chadic language group.
, millet
, maize
, cowpea
, and cotton
. Agriculture consists mostly of small farms using traditional methods.
There is a small mining industry in Biu, with iron ore, gravel, magnesite
, uranium
, feldspar
, topaz
, mica
, granite
, aquamarine
, nephelite
, and salt
being extracted.
(MSF) set up an intensive care feeding center in Biu hospital, the main referral hospital for the region.
In October 2009 there was an outbreak of Cholera
in the area, a disease that spreads through drinking contaminated water. About 600 people were rushed to the Biu General Hospital for diagnosis and treatment. The management of the hospital, in conjunction with the State Ministry of Health, decided to evacuate the patients to an isolated treatment camp.
Borno State
Borno State is a state in north-eastern Nigeria. Its capital is Maiduguri. The state was formed in 1976 from the split of the North-Eastern State...
of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. The town is the administrative center of the LGA. The town was once the capital of the Biu kingdom, and is now capital of the Biu Emirate
Biu Emirate
The Biu Emirate is a traditional state based in Biu in Borno State, Nigeria. Prior to 1920 it was referred to as the Biu Kingdom. The current ruler is Maidalla Mustafa dan Aliyu who became Mai Biu, also styled Kuthli, in 1959....
. Biu lies on the Biu plateau
Biu Plateau
The Biu Plateau is a highland area in Northeastern Nigeria containing many recently extinct volcanoes. It covers about and has an average elevation of . The plateau lies between the Upper Benue Basin to the south and the Chad Basin to the north. High points are Wade Hill at above sea level and...
at an average elevation of 626 meters.
The region is semi-arid.
History
The Biu kingdom became established around 1670 in the reign of Mari Watila Tampta. King Mari Watirwa (r. 1793–1838), whose capital was near Biu at KoguKogu, Biu
Kogu is a large village in Biu LGA, of southwestern Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria. Kogu is located on a tributary of the Yangari River about southwest of the town of Biu....
, defeated Fulani invaders from the Gombe Emirate
Gombe Emirate
The Gombe Emirate is a traditional state in Nigeria that roughly corresponds in area to the modern Gombe State. It includes the five chiefdoms of Cham, Dadiya, Kaltungo, Tangale and Waja....
to the west. In 1878 Mari Biya, became the first Bura king to rule from Biu. The emir's palace is now situated in the town.
With British rule, Biu division was created in 1918. Mai Ari Dogo was acknowledged as the first emir of Biu in 1920. The area became known as the Biu federation after 1957, when the districts of Shani and Askira were added to the emirate.
Maidalla Mustafa dan Muhammad (b. 1915) became Mai Biu, also styled Kuthli, in 1959.
People
The inhabitants of the region are mainly BuraBura-Pabir language
Bura-Pabir is a Chadic language spoken in Nigeria. Dialects are Pela, Bura Pela, Hill Bura, Hyil Hawul, Bura Hyilhawul, and Plain Bura....
, Tera
Tera language
-External links:*...
, Marghi
Bura–Marghi languages
The Bura–Marghi languages, group A.2 of the Biu–Mandara branch of the Afro-Asiatic family, are spoken in Nigeria.- Languages:Bura: Bura-Pabir , Cibak, Kofa, Putai...
, Mina
Mina language (Cameroon)
The Mina language is spoken in Northern Cameroon. Another language of the same name is found in India. They are distinguished in ISO 639-3 by referring to this language as and to the other as...
and Fulani people. Bura, Tera, Marghi and Mina are Biu–Mandara languages of the Chadic language group.
Geography and economy
The LGA is mostly located in the northern Guinea savannah (NGA) agroecological zone, with a small portion in the northeast, the Kimba area, lying in the dryer Sudan savannah zone. The economy is mixed agricultural, based on herding cattle, goats, sheep, horses, and donkeys and farming sorghumSorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
, millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, cowpea
Cowpea
The Cowpea is one of several species of the widely cultivated genus Vigna. Four cultivated subspecies are recognised:*Vigna unguiculata subsp. cylindrica Catjang...
, and cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
. Agriculture consists mostly of small farms using traditional methods.
There is a small mining industry in Biu, with iron ore, gravel, magnesite
Magnesite
Magnesite is magnesium carbonate, MgCO3. Iron substitutes for magnesium with a complete solution series with siderite, FeCO3. Calcium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel may also occur in small amounts...
, uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
, feldspar
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
, topaz
Topaz
Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al2SiO42. Topaz crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and its crystals are mostly prismatic terminated by pyramidal and other faces.-Color and varieties:...
, mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
, granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, aquamarine
Aquamarine
Aquamarine may mean:* Aquamarine , a color, a shade between green and blue and clear* Aquamarine , a gemstone-quality blue berylAquamarine may also refer to:...
, nephelite
Nepheline
Nepheline, also called nephelite , is a feldspathoid: a silica-undersaturated aluminosilicate, Na3KAl4Si4O16, that occurs in intrusive and volcanic rocks with low silica, and in their associated pegmatites...
, and salt
Halite
Halite , commonly known as rock salt, is the mineral form of sodium chloride . Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow or gray depending on the amount and type of impurities...
being extracted.
Communities
The Biu Local Government Area has a large number of communities in addition to Biu, which include:
|
Kogu, Biu Kogu is a large village in Biu LGA, of southwestern Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria. Kogu is located on a tributary of the Yangari River about southwest of the town of Biu.... |
|
Health
Malnutrition in southern Borno State is extensive. In 2005, Médecins Sans FrontièresMédecins Sans Frontières
' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...
(MSF) set up an intensive care feeding center in Biu hospital, the main referral hospital for the region.
In October 2009 there was an outbreak of Cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in the area, a disease that spreads through drinking contaminated water. About 600 people were rushed to the Biu General Hospital for diagnosis and treatment. The management of the hospital, in conjunction with the State Ministry of Health, decided to evacuate the patients to an isolated treatment camp.