Gboko
Encyclopedia
Gboko is a town in the Benue State
of North-central Nigeria
. The population is over 500,000, mostly Tiv
people. It is the traditional capital of the Tiv tribe and it has the official residence of the Tor-Tiv, who is the paramount traditional ruler of the Tiv people spread in Benue, Taraba, Plateau and Nasarawa States. Gboko was also the headquarters of the Tiv Native Authority. The famous Tiv politician Joseph Saawuan Tarkaa has his tomb in Gboko. Many of the prominent Tiv sons and daughters have a home in Gboko where they visit often. Prominent Tiv sons that lived in Gboko include Engr. BAI Gemade, Prof. Ayua, Gen. Inienger, Dr. Jack Gyado, Sen. Dr. Iyorchia Ayu
, Sen. Dr George Akume
, Chief Denen Tofi, Engr Tachia jooji, Mike Mku, Amb. E. Agum, Rev. Fr. Dr. Vitalis Torwel, Lanem Atoh, Dominic Mhenga-Iorfa Mtem and many others.
Gboko is nicknamed "Gboko-yuhwa" which means "heavy town"http://www.welcome-to-my-town.com/Africa/gboko1.html. Important annual events are the Kwagh-hir Festival and Tiv Day celebration. Kwagh-hir is the Tiv traditional theater. It is the festival of storytelling and it usually includes Big animal puppets. It is staged at any time of year and on special occasions. The Tiv Day celebration is the day when all Tiv sons and daughters resident in all other parts of the world converge in Gboko to celebrate the cultural heritage of the Tivs and also deliberate on developmental issues affecting the Tiv people. Until recently, Gboko was also home to the BCC Lions Football Club (formerly owned by Benue Cement Company PLC Gboko), the winners of the Confederation Cup (Mandela Cup) in 1990 who defeated the prominent "Club Africain" of Tunisia in the final of the Confederation Cup to clinch the coveted tropy.
Benue State
Benue is a state in the Middle-Belt region of Nigeria with a population of about 2.8 million in 1991. Tiv, Idoma, and Igede are spoken predominantly. There are other ethnic groups as well. These include Etulo and Abakwa...
of North-central 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 population is over 500,000, mostly Tiv
Tiv
Tiv are an ethno-linguistic group or ethnic nation in West Africa. They constitute approximately 2.5% of Nigeria's total population, and number over 5.6 million individuals throughout Nigeria and Cameroon. The Tiv are the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria. Tiv language is spoken by about 6...
people. It is the traditional capital of the Tiv tribe and it has the official residence of the Tor-Tiv, who is the paramount traditional ruler of the Tiv people spread in Benue, Taraba, Plateau and Nasarawa States. Gboko was also the headquarters of the Tiv Native Authority. The famous Tiv politician Joseph Saawuan Tarkaa has his tomb in Gboko. Many of the prominent Tiv sons and daughters have a home in Gboko where they visit often. Prominent Tiv sons that lived in Gboko include Engr. BAI Gemade, Prof. Ayua, Gen. Inienger, Dr. Jack Gyado, Sen. Dr. Iyorchia Ayu
Iyorchia Ayu
Iyorchia Ayu is a former Nigerian Senator who was elected President of the Senate during the Nigerian Third Republic .He later served in various Ministerial positions in the Cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007....
, Sen. Dr George Akume
George Akume
George Akume is a Nigerian politician, a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party . He was governor of Benue State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007 and was then elected to the Senate....
, Chief Denen Tofi, Engr Tachia jooji, Mike Mku, Amb. E. Agum, Rev. Fr. Dr. Vitalis Torwel, Lanem Atoh, Dominic Mhenga-Iorfa Mtem and many others.
Gboko is nicknamed "Gboko-yuhwa" which means "heavy town"http://www.welcome-to-my-town.com/Africa/gboko1.html. Important annual events are the Kwagh-hir Festival and Tiv Day celebration. Kwagh-hir is the Tiv traditional theater. It is the festival of storytelling and it usually includes Big animal puppets. It is staged at any time of year and on special occasions. The Tiv Day celebration is the day when all Tiv sons and daughters resident in all other parts of the world converge in Gboko to celebrate the cultural heritage of the Tivs and also deliberate on developmental issues affecting the Tiv people. Until recently, Gboko was also home to the BCC Lions Football Club (formerly owned by Benue Cement Company PLC Gboko), the winners of the Confederation Cup (Mandela Cup) in 1990 who defeated the prominent "Club Africain" of Tunisia in the final of the Confederation Cup to clinch the coveted tropy.