Jos is a city in the North-Central region of

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. The city has a population of about 900,000 residents based on the 2006

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

. Popularly called "J-Town", it is the administrative capital and largest city of

Plateau State Plateau is a northern states of Nigeria, Nigerian state. It is located in the north-central geopolitical zone of Nigeria and includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and Tourism". Th ...

. The city is situated on the Jos

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

which lies within the Guinea Savannah of North-Central Nigeria. It connects most of the North-Eastern capitals to the

Federal Capital Territory A capital district, capital region, or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any politic ...

Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

, by road. Driving in and out of Jos, traffic encounters very steep and windy bends and mountainous sceneries typical of the plateau, from which the state derives its name. During the period of

British colonial rule The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establish ...

, Jos became an important centre for

tin mining Tin mining began early in the Bronze Age, as bronze is a copper-tin alloy. Tin is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, with approximately 2 ppm (parts per million), compared to iron with 50,000 ppm. History Tin extraction and use ca ...

after large deposits of

cassiterite Cassiterite is a tin oxide mineral, SnO2. It is generally opaque, but it is translucent in thin crystals. Its luster and multiple crystal faces produce a desirable gem. Cassiterite was the chief tin ore throughout ancient history and remains ...

, the main ore for the metal, were discovered. It is also the trading hub of Plateau State as commercial activities are steadily increasing.

History

The earliest known settlers of the land that would come to be known as Nigeria were the Nok people ( BC), skilled artisans from around the Jos area who mysteriously vanished in the late first millennium. The National Archives UK - CO 1069-62-74

The National Archives UK - CO 1069-62-74

According to the historian Sen Luka Gwom Zangabadt, the area known as Jos today was inhabited by

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

ethnic groups An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, rel ...

who were mostly farmers. During the

British colonial period The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

, direct rule was introduced for the indigenous ethnic groups on the Jos Plateau since they were not under the

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, ...

emirate An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalent ...

s where indirect rule was used. According to the historian Samuel N Nwabara, the

empire controlled most of

northern Nigeria Northern Nigeria (or Arewa, Arewancin Nijeriya) was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962, it acquired t ...

, except the Plateau province and the Berom, Ngas, Tiv, Jukun and Idoma ethnic groups. It was the discovery of

tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...

by the British that led to the influx of other ethnic groups such as the

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...

from the north, southeastern

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

, and Yoruba from the country's southwest. As such, Jos is often recognised as a cosmopolitan Nigerian city. According to the white paper of the commission of inquiry into the 1894 crisis, Ames, a British colonial administrator, said that the original name for Jos was ''Gwosh'' in the Izere language (spoken by the

Afusari The Afizere people (Other: ''Afizarek'', exonym: ''Jarawa'') are an ethnic group in Nigeria that occupy Jos East, Jos North, parts of Jos South and Mangu, Nigeria, Mangu Local Government Areas of Plateau State and parts of Toro, Nigeria, Toro an ...

, the first settlers in the area), which was a village situated at the current site of the city; according to Ames, the

, who arrived there after, wrongly pronounced Gwosh as "Jos" and it stuck. Another version was that "Jos" came from the word "Jasad" meaning body in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

. To distinguish it from the hilltops, it was called "Jas", which was mispronounced by the British as "Jos". It grew rapidly after the British discovered vast

deposits in the vicinity. Both tin and

columbite Columbite, also called niobite, niobite-tantalite and columbate, with a general chemical formula of , is a black mineral group that is an ore of niobium. It has a submetallic luster, a high density, and is a niobate of iron and manganese. Niobite ...

were extensively mined in the area up until the 1960s. They were transported by railway to both

Port Harcourt Port Harcourt (Pidgin: ''Po-ta-kot or Pi-ta-kwa)'' is the capital and largest city of Rivers State in Nigeria. It is the fifth most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Benin. It lies along the Bonny River and is locate ...

and

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

on the coast, and then exported from those ports. Jos is still often referred to as "Tin City". It was made capital of

Benue-Plateau State Benue-Plateau State is a former administrative division of Nigeria. It was created on 27 May 1967 from parts of the Northern Region and existed until 3 February 1976, when it was divided into two states - Benue and Plateau In geology and ...

in 1967 and became the capital of the new Plateau State in 1975. Jos has become an important national administrative, commercial, and tourist centre. Tin mining led to the influx of migrants (mostly Igbos, Yorubas and

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common ancestry, language, faith, historical continuity, etc. There are ...

) who constitute more than half of the population of Jos. This "melting pot" of race, ethnicity and religion makes Jos one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Nigeria. For this reason,

is known in Nigeria as the "home of peace and tourism". Excellent footage of Jos in 1936 including the tin mines, local people and the colonial population is held by the Cinema Museum in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

ef HM0172

Political divisions

The city is divided into 2 local government areas of

Jos North Jos North is a local government area in Plateau State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the city center of Jos. The postal code of the area is 930. It has an area of 291 km and a population of 729,300 at the 2006 census. The ethnic group ...

and

Jos South Jos South is a Local Government Area in Plateau State, Nigeria. It houses the Plateau State new Government house which includes the Office of the Executive Governor and other government house administrative offices and departments including Plat ...

. The city proper lies between Jos North and parts of Jos South headquartered in Bukuru. ;Jos-North The Local Government Council administration is headquartered here. Jos North is the commercial nerve centre of the state as it houses the state's branch of Nigeria's Central Bank and the headquarters of the commercial banks are mostly located here as well as the currency exchanges along Ahmadu Bello Way. Moreover all basic and essential services can be found in Jos North from the Jos Main market (terminus) to the Kabong or Rukuba Road satellite market. Due to recent communal clashes, however, a lot of commercial activities are shifting to Jos South. The palace and office of the Gbong Gwom Jos (traditional ruler of Jos) are located in an area in Jos North called ''Jishe'' in the Berom language. In 1956, Her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

together with her consort

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

had a weekend stopover to rest at ''Jishe'' during her Nigeria tour. ''Jishe'' was known at that time as Tudun Wada cottage. Jos North has a significant slum. Jos North is the location of the

University of Jos The University of Jos, abbreviated as Unijos, is a federal university in Jos, Plateau State, central Nigeria. History What became the University of Jos was established in November 1971 from the satellite campus of the University of Ibadan. T ...

and its teaching hospital at Laminga & the National Commission for Museums and Monuments. The Nigerian Film Institute is also located in Jos-North at the British America junction along

Murtala Mohammed Murtala Ramat Muhammed (; 8 November 1938 – 13 February 1976) was a Nigerian military officer and the fourth head of state of Nigeria. He led the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup in overthrowing the military regime of Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi a ...

way. Both the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) and the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) are headquartered in this part of the metropolis. ;Jos-South Jos South is the second most populous Local Government Area in Plateau State and has its Council located along Bukuru expressway. Jos South is the seat of the Governor i.e. the old Government House in Rayfield and the New Government House in Little Rayfield and the industrial centre of Plateau State due to the presence of industries like the NASCO group of companies, Standard Biscuits, Grand Cereals and Oil Mills, Zuma steel west Africa, aluminium roofing industries, Jos International Breweries among others. Jos South also houses prestigious institutions like the

National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, (NIPSS), Kuru is a policy formation center for bureaucrats, private sector leaders, military officers, and medium- and senior-ranking civil servants. It is also regarded as a think tank for p ...

(NIPSS), the highest academic awarding institution in Nigeria, the Police Staff College, the NTA television college, Nigerian Film Corporation and Karl Kumm University. Jos South also houses the prestigious National Centre For Remote Sensing. The city has formed an

agglomeration Agglomeration may refer to: * Urban agglomeration, in standard English * Megalopolis, in Chinese English, as defined in China's ''Standard for basic terminology of urban planning'' (GB/T 50280—98). Also known as "city cluster". * Economies of agg ...

with the town of

Bukuru Bukuru is a city located on the Jos Plateau in Nigeria. It was previously considered a separate city from the city of Jos close by, but like every other form of urbanization, the city of Jos has merged with the town of Bukuru to form the Jos-Buk ...

to form the Jos-Bukuru metropolis (JBM). Jos also is the seat of the famous National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), situated in Vom. and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).

Geography and climate

Situated almost at the geographical centre of Nigeria and about from

, the nation's capital, Jos is linked by road, rail and air to the rest of the country. The city is served by Yakubu Gowon Airport, but its rail connections no longer operate as the only currently operational section of Nigeria's rail network is the western line from Lagos to

Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria *Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State ** Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries ** Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom betwee ...

. At an altitude of above sea level, Jos' climate is closer to temperate than that of the vast majority of Nigeria. Average monthly temperatures range from , and from mid-November to late January, night-time temperatures drop as low as . Hail sometimes falls during the rainy season because of the cooler temperatures at high altitudes. These cooler temperatures have, from colonial times until the present day, made Jos a favourite holiday location for both tourists and

expatriates An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

based in Nigeria. Jos receives about of rainfall annually, the

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

arising from both convectional and

orographic Orography is the study of the topographic relief of mountains, and can more broadly include hills, and any part of a region's elevated terrain. Orography (also known as ''oreography'', ''orology,'' or ''oreology'') falls within the broader disc ...

sources, owing to the location of the city on the

Jos Plateau The Jos Plateau is a plateau located near the centre of Nigeria. The plateau has given its name to the Plateau State in which it is found and is named for the state's capital, Jos. The plateau is home to people of diverse cultures and languages ...

. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Jos has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

, abbreviated ''Aw''.

Features

;330

Nigerian Air Force The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is the air branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the youngest branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces, established four years after the nation became independent. As at 2021, the air force is one of the largest in A ...

station Jos the 330

station is located in the Jos South Local Government area along the old airport road. The station boasts blocks of barracks for air personnel, an airstrip, a primary school, a military secondary school and a hospital which is arguably one of the best in the state. Jos nigeria05

;Jos Wildlife Park Elephant at the Jos Wildlife Park

Covering roughly of

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

h bush and established in 1972 under the administration of then Governor of Benue-Plateau Joseph Gomwalk in alliance with a mandate by the then

Organisation of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; , OUA) was an African intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 33 signatory governments. Some of the key aims of the OAU were to encourage political and ec ...

to African heads of state to earmark one-third of their landmass to establish conservation areas in each of their countries, It has since then become a major attraction in the state, attracting tourists from within and outside the country. The park has become a home to various species of wildlife including Lions, Rock pythons,

marabou stork The marabou stork (''Leptoptilos crumenifer'') is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae native to sub-Saharan Africa. It breeds in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially landfill sites. It is sometim ...

Baboon Baboons are primates comprising the biology, genus ''Papio'', one of the 23 genera of Old World monkeys, in the family Cercopithecidae. There are six species of baboon: the hamadryas baboon, the Guinea baboon, the olive baboon, the yellow ba ...

s, Honey Badgers, Camels as well as variant

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

AHMADU BELLO WAY ROUND ABOUT JOS NIGERIA - panoramio

;Jos Museum The

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

in Jos was founded in 1952 by

Bernard Fagg Bernard Evelyn Buller Fagg MBE, (8 December 1915 – 14 August 1987) was a British archaeologist and museum curator who undertook extensive work in Nigeria before and after the Second World War. Biography Fagg was born in Upper Norwood to ...

, and was recognized as one of the best in the country. It has unfortunately been left to fall to ruin as is the case with most of the cultural establishments in Nigeria. ''The Pottery Hall'' is also a part of the museum that has an exceptional collection of finely crafted pottery from all over Nigeria and boasts some fine specimens of Nok terracotta heads and artefacts dating from 500 BCE to 200 CE. It also incorporates the Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture with life-size replicas of a variety of buildings, from the walls of

and the Mosque at

Zaria Zaria is a List of Nigerian cities by population, metropolitan city in Nigeria, located at present time within four local government areas in Kaduna State. It serves as the capital of the Zazzau Emirate Council and is one of the original sev ...

to a Tiv village. Articles of interest from colonial times relating to the railway and tin mining can also be found on display. A School for Museum Technicians is attached to the museum, established with the help of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. The Jos Museum is also located beside the zoo. ; Jos Polo Club Situated at the end of Joseph Gomwalk Road, the Jos Polo Club is one of the prominent sports institutions in the state. ;Jos Stadium A 40,000-seat capacity located along Farin-Gada road which has become home to the Plateau United Football Club, Current champions of The Nigerian Professional League. Rwang Pam township stadium Jos. ;Jos Golf Course The golf course located in Rayfield, Jos has hosted many golfing competitions with players coming from both within and outside the state. Other local enterprises include food processing, beer brewing, and the manufacture of cosmetics, soap, rope, jute bags, and furniture. Heavy industry produces cement and asbestos cement, crushed stone, rolled steel, and tyre retreads. Jos is also a centre for the construction industry and has several printing and publishing firms. The Jos-

dam and reservoir on the Shen River provide water for the city's industries. Riyom rocks1

Jos is a base for exploring Plateau State. The Shere Hills, seen to the east of Jos, offer a prime view of the city below. Assop Falls is a small waterfall which makes a picnic spot on a drive from Jos to Abuja. Riyom Rock is a dramatic and photogenic pile of rocks balanced precariously on top of one another, with one resembling a clown's hat, observable from the main Jos-

Akwanga Akwanga is a Local Government Area in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Akwanga. It has an area of 996 km and a population of 513,930 at the 2006 census. The postal code A postal code (also known locally in ...

road. The city is home to the

(founded in 1975),

St Luke Luke the Evangelist was one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical gospels. The Early Church Fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Prominent figu ...

's Cathedral, an airport and a railway station. Jos is served by several teaching hospitals including Bingham University Teaching Hospital and Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), a federal

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

-funded referral hospital. The

Nigerian College of Accountancy Nigerian College of Accountancy (NCA), is an educational institution in Jos, Nigeria established in 1994 that is operated by Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN). NCA is the training arm of ANAN, following International Federatio ...

, with over 3,000 students in 2011, is based in Kwall,

Notable people

Third Nigerian Republic The Third Republic was the planned republican government of Nigeria in 1992 which was to be governed by the Third Republican constitution. In the Third Republic, there were to be state governors, state assemblies, and the National Assembly, a ...

President-elect MKO Abiola was elected SDP flag bearer in Jos *

Yakubu Gowon Yakubu Dan-Yumma "Jack" Gowon (born 19 October 1934) is a Nigerian former military officer and statesman who served as the head of state of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975. Gowon was Nigeria's leader during the Nigerian Civil War where he delivered ...

, Nigeria's second military Head of state & hero of the Nigerian civil war. resides in Jos. * Joseph Gomwalk†, First Governor of Plateau State. * John Dungs†, residence; Rayfield, Jos. *

Jonah Jang Jonah David Jang (born 13 March 1944) is a former Nigerian military officer and politician who served as the senator representing the Plateau North senatorial district from 2015 to 2019. He previously served as the governor of Plateau State f ...

, residence; Du. * Davou Zang, residence; D. B. Zang junction, Gyel. *

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 Augu ...

, President of Nigeria and former GOC 3rd armoured division, of the

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the largest component of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The President of Nigeria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Army, and its professional head is the Chie ...

, Jos. *

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...

, ex Nigerian president was interned in the Nigerian Correctional Service, Jos during

Sani Abacha Sani Abacha (; (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military dictator and statesman who ruled Nigeria with an iron fist as military head of state from 1993 following a palace coup d'état until his death in 1998. Abacha's seiz ...

's military junta. Obasanjo later won his PDP presidential ticket in Jos Polo Club. * Solomon Lar†, residence beach road Jos. *

Michael Botmang Chief Michael Botmang (1938 – 18 January 2014) was a Nigerian politician who served as the governor of Plateau State from 2006 to 2007, following the impeachment of Joshua Dariye. He served as Deputy Governor of Plateau State, deputy governor ...

†, residence Za'ang. * Jeremiah Gyang, singer and producer based in Jos. * Mabo Ismaila, Former coach of the female National Football Team, the Super Falcons * Segun Odegbami, Nigerian

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

spent his childhood years in Jos *

Delmwa Deshi-Kura Delmwa Deshi-Kura is a Nigerian Film Production executive. Early life and education Delmwa was born in Lafia, now capital of Nasarawa State. She is from Plateau State. Her father worked at Plateau Radio Television Corporation giving Delmwa expo ...

, Nigerian film production executive and director, known for her work in television and reality productions. *

Desmond Elliot Desmond Oluwashola Elliot (born 4 February 1974) is a Nigerian actor, director and politician. He was elected as a lawmaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Surulere Constituency in the 11 April 2015 Nigerian General Elections. Elliot c ...

, Nigerian actor, director and Member of the Lagos State House of Assembly *

Ahmed Musa Ahmed Musa (; born 14 October 1992) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Kano Pillars in the NPFL and the Nigeria national team. Musa became the first Nigerian to score more than once in a FIFA Worl ...

, Nigerian footballer was born in Jos *

Bez (musician) Emmanuel Bez Idakula, known as Bez (born 10 November 1983), is a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and composer, working in a genre known as "alternative soul", a hybrid of soul music, soul, rock music, rock, jazz music, jazz and ...

, Nigerian alternative

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

singer was born and raised in Jos * Doug Kazé, Nigerian alternative

Afro-soul Afro-soul is a music genre that has African characteristics of soul music. It has emotional vocals, especially of the lead singer. Notable musicians * Brymo, Nigerian singer * Miriam Makeba, a Grammy Award-winning South African singer and civil ...

musician was born and raised in Jos *

Mikel John Obi Mikel John Obi (born John Michael Nchekwube Obinna; 22 April 1987), also known as John Obi Mikel, is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Mikel began his career with local club Plateau United, before ...

, international footballer spent his childhood years in Jos * Ogenyi Onazi, international footballer was born in Jos *

Sunday Mba Sunday Mba (born 28 November 1988) is a Nigerian former Association football, footballer. Club career Mba joined Rangers on loan in May 2013 from Warri Wolves F.C., Warri Wolves. He scored in his Rangers' debut, a 3–1 loss to Clube Recreati ...

, international footballer had his childhood years in Jos * Joseph Akpala, international footballer was born in Jos * Benedict Akwuegbu, international footballer had his childhood years in Jos * Chibuzor Okonkwo, international footballer was born in Jos *

Ice Prince Panshak Henry Zamani (born 30 October 1986), better known as Ice Prince Zamani or just Ice Prince, is a Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after releasing "Oleku (Ice Prince song), Oleku", one of Nigeria's most remixed son ...

, Nigerian musical artist grew up in Jos *

Dayo Okeniyi Oladayo A. Okeniyi (; born June 14, 1988) is a Nigerian-American actor, popularly known for playing the role of Thresh in ''The Hunger Games'' and Danny Dyson in ''Terminator Genisys''. Early life and education Dayo was born in Jos and grew up i ...

, actor was born in Jos * M.I, rapper born and raised in Jos * Saint Obi, veteran

Nollywood Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term goes back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history ...

actor kicked off his career in Jos *

P-Square P-Square are a Nigerian music duo composed of the twin brothers Mr. P (singer), Peter Okoye and Rudeboy (singer), Paul Okoye, who co-write and co-produce most of their songs. Noted for their artistic reinvention, musical versatility, and Visual a ...

, Music duo of

identical twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two ...

brothers Peter Okoye and Paul Okoye were born and raised in Jos. * Innocent ' Tuface' Idibia Nigerian multi-award-winning musician was born in Jos * Deborah Enilo Ajakaiye (born 1940), Nigerian

geophysicist Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct investigations acros ...

* Sarah Ladipo Manyika (born 7 March 1968), British-Nigerian writer, spent much of her childhood in Lagos and Jos * Tony Elumelu was born in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, in 1963. He hails from Onicha-Ukwu in Aniocha North Local Government Area of

Delta State Delta is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South (Nigeria), South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Named after the Niger Delta—a large part of which is in the state—the state was formed from the former Bendel State, on 27 August 1 ...

. * Kenneth Gyang, filmmaker who was born in Barkin Ladi of Plateau State, Nigeria. *

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. Following his defeat to Ton ...

, former British Prime Minister, worked in the town from 1966 to 1967. * Simon Bako Lalong, (born 1963) Nigerian politician and Governor of Plateau State from 2015 to 2023 and the senator representing the Plateau South senatorial district since 2023. *

Saviour Godwin Saviour Amunde Godwin (born 22 August 1996) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Saudi Pro League club Al-Okhdood. Career On 7 September 2023, Godwin joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Okhdood, for a reported fee of € ...

(born 1996), footballer * Ugochukwu Iwu, Born in Nigeria, he represents Armenia at international level. *

Asha ''Asha'' () or ''arta'' (; ) is a Zoroastrian concept with a complex and highly nuanced range of meaning. It is commonly summarized in accord with its contextual implications of 'truth' and 'right' (or 'righteousness'), 'order' and 'right wor ...

was raised and schooled in Federal Government college, Jos

References

External links

Hiking around the hills of Jos
{{Authority control Cities in Nigeria Populated places established in 1915 Populated places in Plateau State State capitals in Nigeria