The Bassa Nge are an ethnic group in Nigeria that traces its history back to 1805. They originally inhabited
Gbara
The Gbara (; now spelled and pronounced as ''Bara'' or ''Gara'' in those Manding languages lacking ) or Great Assembly was the deliberative body of the Mali Empire, which ruled much of West Africa during the Middle Ages. It was first formed in ...
which was formerly the capital of the
Nupe Kingdom
The Bida Emirate is a traditional state in Nigeria, a successor to the old Nupe Kingdom, with its headquarters in Bida, Niger State. The head of the state is the Etsu Nupe, considered the leader of the Nupe people.
History
The old Nupe Kingdo ...
. The Bassa Nge migrated from their homeland in
Bida
Bida is a Local Government Area in Niger State, Nigeria and a city on the A124 highway which occupies most of the area.
The LGA has an area of and a population of 188,181 at the 2006 census.
The postal code of the area is 912.
The city
Bida i ...
due to a dynastic feud in about 1820. They are formerly the largest of
Nupe Nupe may refer to:
*Nupe people, of Nigeria
*Nupe language, their language
*The Bida Emirate, also known as the Nupe Kingdom, their former state
*A member of the Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African Amer ...
groups, with a population of about 15,000 in 1820 before they dispersed throughout
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
.
They speak two languages: The Nupe-Tako dialect of the
Nupe language
Nupe (also known as ''Anufe, Nupenci, Nyinfe, Tapa'') is a Volta–Niger language of the Nupoid branch primarily spoken by the Nupe people of the North Central region of Nigeria. Its geographical distribution stretches and maintains pre-eminen ...
of the
Volta-Niger languages and the Bassa Nge (or Bassa Nupe) dialect of the
Basa language in the
Kainji languages
The Kainji languages are a group of about 60 related languages spoken in west-central Nigeria. They form part of the Central Nigerian (Platoid) branch of Benue–Congo.
Demographics
Four of the most widely spoken Kainji languages are Tsuvadi ( ...
(all of the
Niger-Congo and
Benue-Congo group of
West African languages
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
).
In 2017, Bassa Nge Community North America (BNC) held an annual convention in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
which discussed progress of the community with more than 54 members and guests attending the convention. Their history came on when the BNC made a donations of
over the counter
Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid prescr ...
(OTC) medicines in their headquarters clinic in Gboloko.
In an interview with Ma’ade Yaila, a Bassa-Nge daughter stated that her language has its roots from Nupe.
They belongs to the
Benue-Congo branch of the
Niger-Congo family, the Bassa Nge traditional ruler is called Etsu unlike the
Etsu Nupe
The Bida Emirate is a traditional state in Nigeria, a successor to the old Nupe Kingdom, with its headquarters in Bida, Niger State. The head of the state is the Etsu Nupe, considered the leader of the Nupe people.
History
The old Nupe Kingdo ...
called in Nupe too, the language is not similar with the one
Bassa Nkomo which they lived in the same geographical place. The Bassa-nge can be found in
Niger river
The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through ...
and conflict of
river Benue
The Benue River (french: la Bénoué), previously known as the Chadda River or Tchadda, is the major tributary of the Niger River. The river is approximately long and is almost entirely navigable during the summer months. The size of its bas ...
, they lived in
Bassa local government and majority in
Lokoja
Lokoja is a 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 of Nigeria, including the ...
.
The present Etsu of Bassa-nge in Bassa is
Brig. Abu Ali.
One among the children of the Etsu Bassa-Nge Col.
Muhammad Abu Ali
Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali (15 August 1980 – 4 November 2016) was a Nigerian Army officer who commanded the Army's 272 Tank Battalion. He was a prince to the people of Bassa Nge in Kogi state. He was killed in an ambush by Boko Haram i ...
, who lead 221 battalion tank a fight against
Boko Haram
Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...
in
Borno died in 2016 together with five soldiers, the Kogi State Governor,
Yahaya Bello
Yahaya Adoza Bello (born 18 June 1975) is a Nigerian businessman and politician who has served as the Governor of Kogi State since 2016. A member of the All Progressives Congress, Bello has been the youngest governor in Nigeria throughout his t ...
condoled the family of Etsu of Bassa-Nge Kingdom
Brig Gen. Abu Ali (Rtd) over the death of Col. Muhammed Abu Ali his first son.
The history of BassaNge is available in
Stanford University libraries
The Stanford University Libraries (SUL), formerly known as "Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources" ("SULAIR"), is the library system of Stanford University in California. It encompasses more than 24 libraries in all. Sev ...
.
Notes
{{authority control
Niger-Congo-speaking peoples
Kogi State
Ethnic groups in Nigeria
Nupoid languages
Basa languages
Languages of Nigeria
Nupe