Borgu is a region in north-west

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 ...

and in the northern Republic of

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

. It was partitioned between

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

by the

Anglo-French Convention of 1898 The Anglo-French Convention of 1898, full name the ''Convention between Great Britain and France for the Delimitation of their respective Possessions to the West of the Niger, and of their respective Possessions and Spheres of Influence to the East ...

. People of Borgu are known as Bariba or Borgawa.

History

According to the

Kisra legend The Kisra legend is a migration story shared by a number of political and ethnic groups in modern Nigeria, Benin, and Cameroon, primarily the Borgu kingdom and the people of the Benue River valley. The migration legend depicts the arrival of a lar ...

known all over Borgu, the petty kingdoms of the country were founded by Kisra, a hero who according to an oral tradition immigrated from Birnin Kisra ("the town of Kisra") in Arabia. His brothers are said to have been the founders of the kingdoms of Illo,

Bussa Bussa's rebellion (14–16 April 1816) was the largest slave revolt in Barbadian history. The rebellion takes its name from the African-born slave, Bussa, who led the rebellion. The rebellion, which was eventually defeated by the colonial mili ...

and

Nikki Nikki may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Nikki (Barbie), a fashion doll in the Barbie toy line * Nikki (comics), a Marvel Comics character * Nikki and Paulo, from the TV series ''Lost'' * Nikki, the mascot of Swapnote * N ...

. Other descendants are believed to have constituted the ruling aristocracy of the Wasangari.

Colonial era

1905 Borgu 1d local stamp with stamps of Northern Nigeria used on piece via Zungeru

During the British colonial era, the area was within the territory claimed by the

Royal Niger Company The Royal Niger Company was a mercantile company chartered by the British government in the nineteenth century. It was formed in 1879 as the ''United African Company '' and renamed to ''National African Company'' in 1881 and to ''Royal Niger C ...

, but rivalry between Britain and France for control of the trade on the River Niger led to occupation of areas by the French, for instance at Illo, and the stationing of the British

West African Frontier Force The West African Frontier Force (WAFF) was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. In 1928, it received royal recognitio ...

at Yashikera and elsewhere in the region.Adekunle, Julius. (2004)
Politics and Society in Nigeria's Middlebelt: Borgu and the Emergence of a Political Identity
'' Africa World Press, pp. 131-134. The matter was settled by the Anglo-French Delineation Agreement and later the British Government divided Nigeria into Northern and Southern Protectorates. Borgu became part of the

Northern Nigeria Protectorate Northern Nigeria (Hausa: ''Arewacin Najeriya'') was a British protectorate which lasted from 1900 until 1914 and covered the northern part of what is now Nigeria. The protectorate spanned and included the emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate an ...

. British posts were established along the

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 at

Jebba Jebba town is a Yoruba and Nupe city in Kwara State, Nigeria. It has views of the River Niger and has an estimated population of 22,411 as of 2007. The name of the king of Jebba is Oba Abdulkadir Adebara. Gallery File:Canoeing on the Niger R ...

Zungeru Zungeru is a town in Niger State, Nigeria. It was the capital of the British protectorate of Northern Nigeria from 1902 until 1916. It is the site of the Niger State Polytechnic and is located on the Kaduna River. History Colonial history Acc ...

, Lokoja and Illo, and a mail route was established between them for communication with Britain.

Present situation

In spite of their separation by the colonial border there are still many exchanges between the petty kingdoms of Borgu situated in

and

. The three major kingdoms are

, Illo and

. Bussa is traditionally considered to be the spiritual centre of Borgu, Nikki the centre of political power and Illo the commercial emporium.

References and sources

;References ;Sources *Kuba, Richard: ''Wasangari und Wangara: Borgu und seine Nachbarn in historischer Perspektive'', Hamburg 1996. *Lombard, Jacques: ''Structures de type féodal en Afrique noire: Étude des relations sociales chez les Bariba'', Paris 1965. *Stewart, Marjorie: ''Borgu and its Kingdoms'', Lewiston 1993. {{Coord, 11.0, N, 3.5, E, source:wikidata, display=title History of Benin History of Nigeria French West Africa

History

Colonial era

Present situation

See also

References and sources