Ngizim
Encyclopedia
The Ngizim people live in Yobe State
, northeastern Nigeria
. As of 1993, there were an estimated 80,000 Ngizim. The Ngizim live in the area to the east and south of Potiskum, the largest city in Yobe State, as well as in Potiskum, which was originally an Ngizim town. Ngizim populations once inhabited parts of Borno
and Jigawa
states, but have since lost their cultural identity after being assimilated into other ethnic groups . The Ngizim speak a Chadic language
also called Ngizim
.
. By 1472, when the capital of the Bornu Empire, Birni Ngazargamu, was established, the Ngizim had gained a reputation as formidable warriors . As they consolidated their influence over parts of modern-day Yobe State
, their cultural capital Potiskum became a regional center. During the early part of the 20th century, the Ngizim rebelled against the Fika Emirate
, which had been given political control over them by the colonial authorities. The local British district officer lead forces against the Ngizim; Mai Agudum, the rebel leader, was later executed. The Ngizim emirate was not restored until 1993 when Mai Muhammadu Atiyaye was appointed by the state governor. The current Ngizim leader, Mai Umaru Bubaram Ibn Wuriwa Bauya was recently upgraded to the status of a first-class Emir by former Governor Bukar Abba Ibrahim
.
In his notes on the "History of the first twelve years of the reign of Mai Idris Alooma
(1571 – 1583) by Imam Ahmad Ibn Furtua" H.R Palmer informs us about the word Ngizim. "There are various forms of this name which though they are distinguished seem to denote the same people — N'gizim, N'gujam, N'gazar, N'Kazzar, N'gissam". In another part of the notes he tells us that Birni N'gazargamu was founded by Mai Ali Ghaji Dunamani in about 1462, who acquired the site from the "So" who lived in the region. "The name of the capital is correctly spelled N'gazargamu or N'gasarkumu. The first part of the word signifies that the previous inhabitants of the region where N'gazar or N'gizim. The later part of the word "Gamu" or "Kumu" is the same as the first part of the word "Gwombe" and means either (i) chief or King or (ii) ancestral spirit." Going by the scattered references to the N'gizim one would at best only guess the extent of their spread in the Western Sudan
. There is reference to N'gizim and then the tribe of N'gizim in the west of the empire known as the Binawa. Binawa is also known as Mabani who extended from Bursari region west of Birni Gazargamu to Katagum.
to N'gazargamu. Quoting H.R Palmer
" ... other clans of the Kayi (Zaghawa) came down to the region of lake Fittri from Wadai, but evidently that took place after 1259 A.D. It is the fusion of these new clans of Kayi with the inhabitants of the Fittri region (called in the tradition Ngizim) which gave rise to a separate political entity which arose in the Fittri region about 1350 A.D and was called Bulala".
From another source, we find a reference to the Ngizim being one of the earliest groups to migrate from Kanem.
"According to Bornu traditions, the Bade and the related Ngizim of Potiskum - who today comprise of the emirate of Bedde
- were the first people to migrate from Kanem round the north side of Lake Chad and reach the Komadugu Yobe, at the time when the So were still the dominant power in Bornu"..
indigenous to Yobe State
, the others being Bade, Bole, Karekare, and Ngamo. Ngizim is a member of the West Branch of Chadic and is hence related to Hausa
, the dominant language throughout northern Nigeria
. Ngizim's closest linguistic relatives are Bade
, spoken north of Potiskum in Bade (Bedde) Emirate, and Duwai
, spoken east of Gashua
. Unlike some of the other languages in Yobe State, Ngizim has very little dialect variation.
The word "Pataskum" is an Ngizim phrase meaning forest of "Skum" trees. "Pata" meaning forest in the Ngizim language and "Skum" is a type of tree found abundantly in the area at the time of founding Potiskum town.
Yobe State
Yobe State is a state located in Northern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on August 27, 1991. Yobe state was carved out of present-day Borno State. The capital of Yobe state is Damaturu.-Geography:...
, northeastern 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...
. As of 1993, there were an estimated 80,000 Ngizim. The Ngizim live in the area to the east and south of Potiskum, the largest city in Yobe State, as well as in Potiskum, which was originally an Ngizim town. Ngizim populations once inhabited parts of Borno
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...
and Jigawa
Jigawa State
-Location:Jigawa State is one of thirty-six states that constitute Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is situated in the north-western part of the country between latitudes 11.00oN to 13.00oN and longitudes 8.00oE to 10.15oE. Kano State and Katsina State border Jigawa to the west, Bauchi State to the...
states, but have since lost their cultural identity after being assimilated into other ethnic groups . The Ngizim speak a Chadic language
Chadic languages
The Chadic languages constitute a language family of perhaps 200 languages spoken across northern Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic and Cameroon, belonging to the Afroasiatic phylum...
also called Ngizim
Ngizim language
Ngizim is an Chadic language spoken by the Ngizim people in Yobe State, Nigeria.-Further reading:* Mohammed Alhaji Adamu, Usman Babayo Garba Potiskum, 2009, , Yobe Language Research Project....
.
History
Before the Fulani Jihad of 1804, the history of the Ngizim people was closely linked with that of the Bornu EmpireBornu Empire
The Bornu Empire was an African state of Nigeria from 1396 to 1893. It was a continuation of the great Kanem Empire founded centuries earlier by the Sayfawa Dynasty...
. By 1472, when the capital of the Bornu Empire, Birni Ngazargamu, was established, the Ngizim had gained a reputation as formidable warriors . As they consolidated their influence over parts of modern-day Yobe State
Yobe State
Yobe State is a state located in Northern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on August 27, 1991. Yobe state was carved out of present-day Borno State. The capital of Yobe state is Damaturu.-Geography:...
, their cultural capital Potiskum became a regional center. During the early part of the 20th century, the Ngizim rebelled against the Fika Emirate
Fika Emirate
The Fika Emirate is a traditional state with headquarters in Potiskum, Yobe State, Nigeria.Dr. Muhammadu Abali Ibn Muhammadu Idrissa received his staff of office as 43rd Emir of Fika from Yobe governor Ibrahim Gaidam on 12 May 2010....
, which had been given political control over them by the colonial authorities. The local British district officer lead forces against the Ngizim; Mai Agudum, the rebel leader, was later executed. The Ngizim emirate was not restored until 1993 when Mai Muhammadu Atiyaye was appointed by the state governor. The current Ngizim leader, Mai Umaru Bubaram Ibn Wuriwa Bauya was recently upgraded to the status of a first-class Emir by former Governor Bukar Abba Ibrahim
Bukar Ibrahim
Alhaji Bukar Abba Ibrahim was governor of Yobe State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He also served as governor of the state from January 1992 to November 1993. He is a member of the All Nigeria People's Party ....
.
In his notes on the "History of the first twelve years of the reign of Mai Idris Alooma
Idris Alooma
Idris Alooma was mai of the Kanem-Bornu Empire, located mainly in Chad and Nigeria. His name is more properly written Idris Alawma or Idris Alauma. An outstanding statesman, under his rule Kanem-Bornu touched the zenith of its power.Idris is remembered for his military skills, administrative...
(1571 – 1583) by Imam Ahmad Ibn Furtua" H.R Palmer informs us about the word Ngizim. "There are various forms of this name which though they are distinguished seem to denote the same people — N'gizim, N'gujam, N'gazar, N'Kazzar, N'gissam". In another part of the notes he tells us that Birni N'gazargamu was founded by Mai Ali Ghaji Dunamani in about 1462, who acquired the site from the "So" who lived in the region. "The name of the capital is correctly spelled N'gazargamu or N'gasarkumu. The first part of the word signifies that the previous inhabitants of the region where N'gazar or N'gizim. The later part of the word "Gamu" or "Kumu" is the same as the first part of the word "Gwombe" and means either (i) chief or King or (ii) ancestral spirit." Going by the scattered references to the N'gizim one would at best only guess the extent of their spread in the Western Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. There is reference to N'gizim and then the tribe of N'gizim in the west of the empire known as the Binawa. Binawa is also known as Mabani who extended from Bursari region west of Birni Gazargamu to Katagum.
Early Kanem-Bornu History
There are various references to Ngizim people in Kanem-Bornu history as early as the days of the Kanem civil wars. It can be said that the Ngizim people have played a considerable role in moving the capital of the empire from NjimiNjimi
Njimi was the capital of the Kanuri state of Kanem , north of Lake Chad, from the eleventh through the fourteenth centuries. Founded by the Sefawa dynasty in the eleventh century, the town dominated trans-Saharan trade in ivory and slaves between the central Sahara and Libya. The precise location...
to N'gazargamu. Quoting H.R Palmer
" ... other clans of the Kayi (Zaghawa) came down to the region of lake Fittri from Wadai, but evidently that took place after 1259 A.D. It is the fusion of these new clans of Kayi with the inhabitants of the Fittri region (called in the tradition Ngizim) which gave rise to a separate political entity which arose in the Fittri region about 1350 A.D and was called Bulala".
From another source, we find a reference to the Ngizim being one of the earliest groups to migrate from Kanem.
"According to Bornu traditions, the Bade and the related Ngizim of Potiskum - who today comprise of the emirate of Bedde
Bade Emirate
The Bade Emirate is a traditional state with headquarters in Gashua, Yobe State, Nigeria. Alhaji Abubakar Umar Suleiman is the 11th Emir of Bade , of the Bedde dynasty, turbaned on 12 November 2005....
- were the first people to migrate from Kanem round the north side of Lake Chad and reach the Komadugu Yobe, at the time when the So were still the dominant power in Bornu"..
Language
Ngizim is one of five Chadic languagesChadic languages
The Chadic languages constitute a language family of perhaps 200 languages spoken across northern Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic and Cameroon, belonging to the Afroasiatic phylum...
indigenous to Yobe State
Yobe State
Yobe State is a state located in Northern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on August 27, 1991. Yobe state was carved out of present-day Borno State. The capital of Yobe state is Damaturu.-Geography:...
, the others being Bade, Bole, Karekare, and Ngamo. Ngizim is a member of the West Branch of Chadic and is hence related to Hausa
Hausa language
Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers, spoken as a first language by about 25 million people, and as a second language by about 18 million more, an approximate total of 43 million people...
, the dominant language throughout northern 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...
. Ngizim's closest linguistic relatives are Bade
Bade language
Bade is a West Chadic language spoken by the Bade people in Yobe State and Jigawa State, Nigeria. Their traditional ruler is the Emir of Bade....
, spoken north of Potiskum in Bade (Bedde) Emirate, and Duwai
Duwai language
Duwai is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Jigawa and Kano States, Nigeria....
, spoken east of Gashua
Gashua
Gashua is a community in Yobe State in northeastern Nigeria, on the Yobe River a few miles below the convergence of the Hadejia River and the Jama'are River. Average elevation is about 299 m. The population in 2006 was about 125,000....
. Unlike some of the other languages in Yobe State, Ngizim has very little dialect variation.
Traditional leaders
The traditional ruler of the Ngizim people is the Mai Potiskum, whose stool is located in Potiskum. Like most traditional rulers in northern Nigeria, Mai Potiskum is also the foremost Islamic leader among his people.Potiskum Town
Concerning their more recent history, during the period of the Fulani Jihad specifically in 1808 "A group of N'gizim under the leadership of Bauya left Mugni as a result of attack on Birni N'gazargamu by the Fulani Jihadist. They took a south course to the Kaisala area. On arrival Bauya and his group helped the inhabitants of Kaisala repulse an attack on them by the N'gazar (branch of Ngizim) of Daura (Dawura). After a counter attack on Daura and its conquest, Bauya founded his own section of settlement and called it "Pataskum" which was corrupted by Europeans to "Potiskum" .The word "Pataskum" is an Ngizim phrase meaning forest of "Skum" trees. "Pata" meaning forest in the Ngizim language and "Skum" is a type of tree found abundantly in the area at the time of founding Potiskum town.
Prominent Ngizims
- Kursu Bin Harun (Grand Vizier of Borno empire during the reign of Mai Idris Alooma)
- Nasr Bultu (Mediator between western Ngizims and the Mai Idris Alooma's government)
- Umaru Bubaram Ibn Wuriwa Bauya (Mai Potiskum)
- Mamman Bello Ali (Governor of Yobe State from May 29 2007 died on January 27 2009)