The story of Bida Emirate is synonymous with Nupe kingdom in every ramification. With a long history of men with skilled handwork, Bida and by extension Nupe Kingdom has a delightful history worth reading. AIDELOJE OJO in this Special Report gives a proper perspective.
Bida Emirate is a magnificent ancient Nupe Kingdom south of Niger state with beautiful cultural heritages and splendid crafts in blacksmith and glassmaking. Its history is interesting and unique in some perspectives as the headquarters of Nupe Kingdom. This is because, according to historians, the city was not founded by any lone individual; therefore, no one can lay claim its dynasty. Professor Salahu Muhammad Lawan, a Professor of Political and Economic History at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai in answering the question maintained that Bida, like most settlements in the world, started as a mere camp where people visited for hunting expeditions.
He said the hunters’ camp attracted more people who came to buy meat. Therefore, from a mere hunting camp, it grew up over time and became a war camp, commercial hub and political centre of Nupe land. He said over time, the ancient town developed and passed through stages like pre Fulani period, colonial period and post-colonial period. The pre-Fulani period, precisely before the Sokoto Jihad, was when the kingdom was formed from around the 14th and 15th Century.
According to Prof Salahu, “Bida was significant in the area initially although not the capital of Nupe kingdom; the capital was Rabba, a village now in Mokwa local government area of Niger state. However, the entrepreneurial acumen of Bida people was said to have played a significant role in the rapid socio-economic development of the ancient city, attracting more population.
“One unique thing about Bida is that nobody can say who were the founders and when it was founded. It was learnt that till date, historians and traditionalists cannot give a name of any individual founder apart from serving as a hunters camp.
“In the same vein, Bida’s establishment has no specific date, but it was gathered that as the town grew in population, the need for a leader other than a family head became imperative. This led to the establishment of a title head of the settlement called ‘Ezhitso’ meaning ‘owner of the town’. It was also learnt that as the town grew, the kingdom flourished and lasted for quite a long period of time before the advent of Fulani hegemony that came with jihad.”
Bida Emirate has been ruled by several royal fathers known as Etsu Nupe who is also the chairman of Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers. At the moment, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar is the reigning 12th Etsu Nupe, having ascended the throne in 2003. The royal father is famously noted to have imbued the kingdom with modernisation, peace and development.
How Bida became capital of Nupe Kingdom
It is interesting to note that the development of Bida got accelerated soon after the Fulani-led Jihad. According to one historical account, the old Bida was originally a small settlement of the Bini people, a subgroup of Nupe and was captured about 1531 by Tsoede (Edegi), alleged founder of Nupe kingdom and first Etsu Nupe. However, after the kingdom was conquered by Fulani warriors, its central region was renamed Nupe Emirate in the Fulani-controlled Empire. Subsequently, Emir Usman Zaki was turbaned as Sarkin Fulani in 1833 and he proclaimed himself Etsu Nupe in 1835. After defeating Umar Bahaushe, a rival Fulani Emir, in the Nupe Civil War (1847–1856) at Bida, he named Bida to replace the emirate’s old capital at Rabba. The Fulanis succeeded to a greater extent because the traditional rulership of the kingdom was enmeshed in disputes over ascension to the emirship position.
Within Nupe kingdom, there were factions brought about by succession dispute over who would be the next king. In the process, two people emerged after the passage of the former king. The son of that immediate past king, Gemada, and the nephew of the immediate past king, Majiya, engaged in serious contests for the throne.
How old Nupe Kingdom capitulated
The rivalry between Gemada and his nephew Magiya brought lots of skirmishes to the kingdom. Gemada is the son of the late king who was not installed, while Magiya was his nephew that got the position. The Fulanis took advantage of this skirmishes and occupied Rabba from where Usman Zaki was installed as Sarkin Fulani, the first Fulani Etsu Nupe in 1833. However, after installing him, his own younger brother from a different mother, Masaba had issues with the appointment of one of his nephews as second in command over him. He picked offence on the ground that his own mother, being a Nupe woman, qualified him to be the king instead of third in command. So, that brought crisis between Usman Zaki and Masaba. With the quarrel, Usman Zaki occupied the capital at Rabba, while Masaba moved to a village called Lale from where he also installed himself as king. Therefore, there were two kings: Masaba and Usman Zaki from Fulani side. And then from Nupe side, there was Magiya and Gemada, all claiming the position up until 1857.
The establishment of three ruling houses
In 1857, the last battle that gave Fulani the hegemony was decided leading to proper establishment of Bida Emirate. The other Fulani rival contending with Usman Zaki known as Umar Bahaushe was also killed in Bida. Fulani became the major power brokers and when Bida became the capital, the leaders agreed to avoid conflict of interests in ascension to the throne as had happened in Rabba. They, therefore, agreed on the establishment of a sharing formula based on the leadership of the three contenders. The three ruling houses that were established were those of Usman Zaki who was turbaned at Rabba; however in 1845 he was removed and Masaba was turbaned. Usman Zaki was nevertheless brought back as Emir in Bida Emirate. He ascended the throne of emirship twice, firstly at Rabba and secondly at Bida in 1857.
When he became Emir at Bida, Masaba was made Sarkin Fulani and second in the sharing formula. The nephew that was earlier made Shaba at Rabba now became third and they succeeded one another in that format. Somehow, two years later, Usman Zaki died in 1859 and Masaba became the Emir in the same year. In 1879, he also died and his nephew, Umaru Majiya, took over. So, the three people that contested at Rabba now succeeded each other one after the other. Since then in Bida, there are three ruling houses: Usman zaki, Masaba and Umaru Magiya. Each one of them occupied a certain quarter in Bida. Umaru Usman Zaki’s quarter is where the first Central Market and first Central Mosque in Bida are located. The mosque is adjacent to the palace and opposite the mosque. Masaba has his own quarter at Banwa with a house and mosque attached. Umaru Majiya has his own quarter at the other side in the southern part of Bida. His house also has a mosque attached to it. So, three of them lived in separate quarters.
Tracing the descendants of Nupe kings
Now, the question one needs to ask is what happened to the descendants of Nupe kings after they were defeated? Historians claimed that they became shadow individuals, shadow kings and the last person standing among them was living at Doko side. However, with the coming of British explorers in 1897 when Bida was first defeated, they now looked for that man and made him a king but this time around not in Bida, but was taken to the area called Patigi in today’s Kwara state and installed as Emir. Since then, the descendants of Nupe kingdom had been the ones ruling Patigi. That is why where one can see old Nupe descendants as king in Nupe land is Patigi Emirate.
It is on records that before the coming of jihadists, Nupe kingdom had its kings. The last king that held the entire kingdom together was at Rabba when they were defeated through Fulani jihad because of division among themselves. From 1833 up to 1857 that Bida became the centre of politics in Nupe kingdom, there were a number of descendants of old Nupe kingdom who were still alive despite Bida’s new status far back as 1857. Till date, it is the descendants of old Nupe kings who ascend the royal throne of Patigi Emirate.
Historical sights and relics of Bida
Bida has retained and maintained its rich cultural heritages/monuments over the years. One of such is the ancient town wall, now five square miles (13 square km) and was constructed in the 19th Century; however, other most outstanding monuments are the three palaces located in various parts of Bida which add to tits iconic credentials as an ancient city. During Masaba’s second reign (1859 – 1873) when Nupe became the most powerful kingdom in North Central Nigeria, Bida’s three royal palaces, the Night Market and Central Mosque were constructed.
Wadata Palace in Bida is a government built palace, no doubt, but every reigning Emir has his base in this royal house; however, because of rotation, whoever is the Emir has to come to a central point and that led to the construction of Wadata Palace. Therefore, once an Emir that occupies the palace passed on, his relations who live there have to vacate for an incoming Emir. One common feature of these traditional palaces is that they exist alongside a court and mosque and in some cases a main market. This was said to be done during the colonial period for administrative convenience. The palace, court and prison are always close together in almost all ancient cities especially in the northern region. A frontal view of Wadata Palace shows that it is very close to Bida Local Government Secretariat. Inside the secretariat still stands a burnt brick building which was the first court in Bida Emirate. The magnificent Wadata Palace is an architectural masterpiece with the landscape mounted by relics of British artillery cannons, a subtle reminder of colonial war and occupation of Nupe land. A walking distance from the palace on the way to Dokola is the prison constructed by colonialists for administrative convenience. Once an Emir comes out, he has an Alkali over there and also a court in his own palace.
Modern Nupe Kingdom and Bida’s expansion wars.
With the collapse of old Nupe kingdom in 1810, Lafiagi Emirate and Tsonga Emirate emerged. This was followed by Agaie Emirate in 1822 and Lapai Emirate in 1825, while the old Nupe kingdom became Bida Emirate with headquarters at Bida in 1857 under Fulani hegemony though the emirate had been in existence with Rabba as its capital. Notable characteristics of great kingdoms is the quest for expansion through wars for both economic and political gains; Bida was not left out in this regards. The exploits of Bida warriors resounded as they made deep incursions into other kingdoms of Egbira, Yoruba and Edo lands in present day Kogi and Edo states.
Although Bida warriors did not capture Igbiras, they were able to enforce payments of royalties and other taxes on the people. In Edo North, Bida expansion wars got to Afemai land particularly Auchi and other villages around Etsako area. To date, the area is mainly populated by Muslim faithful, the religion established by Bida warriors. The warriors also established robust trade relations with the area, trading in agricultural products and European goods. However, the invasion of Nupe Kingdom by Royal Niger Company or colonial army terminated the extension of Bida Emirate to other kingdoms apparently to defend their own home land.
Bida as industrial/commercial hub
The ancient city has been famous over the years for its creative and ingenious arts in blacksmithing, glassmaking and other technological resources. When the city became the capital of Nupe land, it also got elevated as the commercial nerve centre of the kingdom. This is because the three leaders, having resolved to put behind all their differences, encouraged their supporters to relocate to Bida from various parts of the kingdom. Each of them came with skills they already acquired and settled close to their benefactors. Those who were supporters of Masaba settled at the area called Dokodza. Dokodza is very close to Masaba’s Palace and prison area.
According to Prof Salahu, “The craftsmen have their workshop here and you can see them making hoes and cutlasses in round mud huts. The area is called Dokodza because the head of the smitters is called Dokodza, a title recognised by the palace. Dokodza houses the largest and most efficient blacksmith industry in Bida and its environs.
“On the other hand, supporters of Usman Zaki are based at Takuasa a short distance from the Usman Zaki Palace, the first in Bida. It is, therefore, not an exaggeration to say that most of those that migrated to Bida were craftsmen and industrialists. Bida was divided into three industrial quarters based on the leadership of the ruling houses. It also became political, religious, economic and industrial centre of Nupe land. In the entire Nupe land, there is no place like Bida in terms of prosperity, industrial development and socio-economic development. It has remained so up to date.
A look at Bida crafts
What are these crafts that made the people of Bida and entire emirate famous? First, is the metallurgical expertise in the processing of iron ore to produce farm implements and weapons of war. The iron industry flourished because of royal patronage; however. the Emir, to larger extent, controlled the production of weapons in order to prevent enemies from acquiring them. Therefore, it was the king that can only place order for production of weapons by smitters which were not authorised to be sold in open markets. This was because the military was under the king; so the king places purchase order through Dokodza who directs those working under him to produce a certain quantity of weapons. However, they don’t produce for any other person except the king in order to control its proliferation.
The Bida brass industry
Notable craft groups that work in Bida are identified in Tswatako area noted for brasswork, Gbongbofu at Masaga road also famous for brasswork and Tswata Mukun, Masaba road noted for aluminum works. Tswatako and Gbongbofu were brothers who worked together until 1937. Both groups are still well-known for brass works today.
Bida brass, silver and metal wares are popular throughout Nigeria. For instance, during the reign of Etsu Usman Zaki in the 18th century, brass and metal works in Nupe kingdom, particularly Bida area, flourished. However today, the craft struggles to survive.
Traditional blacksmith techniques are the foundation of producing brass, silver or metal products. It entails group efforts as with the glassmaker and the blacksmith. Everyone man has a particular skill; it may be melting the metal, forging objects into shape or design. Scrap aluminum is melted to produce spoons and kitchenware. By using hand operated bellows to heat charcoal fire, the metal melts quickly. The molten liquid is poured with great care into a mold. After cooling, the metal is cut into required sizes, beaten into shapes on an anvil. The objects are decorated with patterns that are created spontaneously and without a sketch, a tool is used for the design and then the object is polished.
The Bida glassmaking industry is another aspect of commerce which boomed soon after Bida became the capital city of Nupe kingdom. The glass workers specialise in melting glasses, bottles and other materials to manufacture gold and silver beads and other bronze products. Although the origin of this knowledge and expertise is not in public domain, it is believed that Bida beads, rings and other embroidery products are comparable to those made in Egypt. As a matter of fact, it is often postulated that Bida goldsmiths have affiliations with Egyptian experts. Some products like the jewelries and beads manufactured by Bida smitters are confirmed to be of international standards. These are expensive wares affordable only by the upper class in society or royal families.
Besides the smith trading, Bida is also noted for its agricultural potential and trades in commodities such yams, sorghum, millet, shea nuts, tobacco, cotton, groundnuts, palm oil and kernels, onions, indigo, sugarcane, fruits, as well as animal husbandry and pottery.