CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Benue State University Institutional Repository A HISTORY OF THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF THE JUKUN OF WUKARI DIVISION, C.1596 - 1960 BY SHISHI ZHEMA BSU/HIS/PhD/10/1462 POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL, BENUE STATE UNIVERSITY, MAKURDI-NIGERIA FEBRUARY, 2017 A HISTORY OF THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF THE JUKUN OF WUKARI DIVISION, C.1596 - 1960 BY SHISHI ZHEMA BSU/HIS/PhD/10/1462 A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL, BENUE STATE UNIVERSITY, MAKURDI IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD), HISTORY FEBRUARY, 2017 CERTIFICATION This research entitled: “A History of the Social and Political Organization of the Jukun of Wukari Division, C.1596-1960” has been duly presented by Shishi Zhema Reg. No: BSU/HIS/PhD/10/1462 of the Department of History, Faculty of Arts, Benue State University, Makurdi. This research has been read and approved as meeting the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy in History of the Benue State University, Makurdi. Prof. Armstrong Matiu Adejo Dr. John Ebute Agaba 1st Supervisor Ag. Head of Department Sign:……………………………. Sign:…………………….. Date:…………………………….. Date:……………………… Dr. Patrick Iyorwuese Ukase 2nd Supervisor Sign:……………………………. Date:…………………………….. ……………………………… Prof. Armstrong Matiu Adejo Dean Postgraduate School Benue State University, Makurdi Sign:……………………………. Date:……………………… DECLARATION I, Shishi Zhema, hereby declare that this thesis entitled “A History of the Social and Political Organization of the Jukun of Wukari Division, C.1596- 1960” is solely my research effort which has been duly supervised by Prof. Armstrong Matiu Adejo and Dr. Patrick Iyorwuese Ukase. The work has not been presented elsewhere and the sources have been duly acknowledged. ………………………………....... SHISHI ZHEMA (BSU/HIS/PHD/10/1462) DEDICATION This research is dedicated to God Almighty who has deemed it fit to permit me carry out this work. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to extend my profound gratitude to my supervisors, Prof. Armstrong M. Adejo and Dr. Patrick Iyorwuese Ukase for constructive advice without which this output would not have been possible. May the Almighty God reward you abundantly. I also wish to express my gratitude to the Department of History, Benue State University, under the leadership of Dr. John E. Agaba for giving me the opportunity to pursue the Ph D degree. I sincerely feel indebted to Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, Prof. Mike Odeh, Prof. Okpeh Okpeh., Prof. Okita, Dr. Victor Iyanya, Dr. Chris Orngu, Dr. Ugbegili, Dr. Oklah Emmanuel and every other staff of the Department of History, Benue State University. Similarly, I am very much appreciative of Prof. Adagba Okpaga of the Department of Political Science, Benue State University, MakurdI. His enormous influence on me, indeed, made this research a reality. I am also much indebted to Dr. John Tsuwa for his support for me despite his very tight schedules. The same appreciation goes to , Prof. Joel P. Dada, Prof. Victor Ukaogu, Dr. Bako Yerima, Dr. Alahira Hannatu, Dr. Lukpata, Mr. Busola Dada, Mr. Alex Elimina, Mr. Tunde, Mr. Eche Emmanuel, all of whom we have been working as colleagues and have greatly influenced me. I want to equally acknowledge Mr. Bako Zakari and his family. I must also commend my numerous well wishers, made up of relatives and friends, whose curiosity to celebrate the completion of the programme was a great source of encouragement to me as my hands were on the plough. Their moral, financial and material contributions in the course of the research are appreciated. I thank my dear family of Samfo Zhema for standing by my side throughout the course of this work. I lack words to appreciate the love, moral and financial support to me in the course of this work. I also want to thank Vicky Egbe for all the time we had spent together. Above all, I am most grateful to the Almighty God for granting me the lifespan, resources, good health, wisdom and knowledge needed for the study. TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page - - - - - - - - - - i Certification - - - - - - - - - - ii Declaration - - - - - - - - - - iii Dedication - - - - - - - - - - iv Acknowledgements - - - - - - - - - v Table of Contents - - - - - - - - - vii Abstract - - - - - - - - - - x CHAPTER ONE: GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the Study - - - - - - - 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem - - - - - - 3 1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study - - - - - - 5 1.4 Scope and Limitations of the Study - - - - - - 5 1.5 Significance of the Study - - - - - - - 10 1.6 Sources and Research Methodology- - - - - - - 11 Endnotes - - - - - - - - - 14 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - - 16 2.2 Literature Review - - - - - - - - 17 2.3 Theoretical Framework - - - - - - - 36 Endnotes - - - - - - - - - 39 CHAPTER THREE: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE JUKUN OF WUKARI DIVISION 3.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - - 42 3.2 The Jukun of Wukari Division - - - - - - 42 3.3 Their Traditions of Origin, Migration and Settlements - - - 56 3.4 Emergence of Wukari as a Strong Hold of the Jukun people - - 65 3.5 The Kwararafa Question in Jukun History - - - - - 71 Endnotes - - - - - - - - - 78 CHAPTER FOUR: PRE-COLONIAL SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF THE JUKUN PEOPLE OF WUKARI DIVISION 4.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - - 83 4.2 Pre-Colonial Social Organization- - - - - - - 83 4.3 Pre-Colonial Political Organization- - - - - - - 122 Endnotes - - - - - - - - - 130 CHAPTER FIVE: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION UNDER COLONIAL RULE,1900-1960 5.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - - 136 5.2 Establishment of Colonial Rule- - - - - - - - - 136 5.3 Colonial Administrative System in Wukari Division - - - - 143 5.4 Impact of the Colonial Administrative System on their Social and Political Organization - - - - - - - - - - 147 Endnotes - - - - - - - - - 152 CHAPTER SIX: NATURE OF INTER-GROUPS RELATIONS AND ITS IMPACT ON THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS OF THE PEOPLE OF WUKARI DIVISION, UP TO 1960. 6.1 Introduction- - - - - - - - - - 154 6.2 Jukun-Chamba Social and Political Relations - - - - - 154 6.3 Jukun-Tiv Social and Political Relations- - - - - - 162 6.4 Conclusion - - - - - - - - - 168 Endnotes - - - - - - - - - 169 CHAPTER SEVEN: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE 7.1 Summary - - - - - - - - - 172 7.2 Conclusion - - - - - - - - - 174 7.3 Contribution to Knowledge - - - - - - - 176 Bibliography - - - - - - - - - 179 ABSTRACT Every nationality has got its own social and political attributes by which it is known and identified. This research work is basically a study of the social and political organization of the Jukun people of Wukari Division from 1596-1960. The study is based on oral traditions collected and documented from the area, supplemented with archival sources and written histories of the people. It identifies the people and area in question and examines the genesis and dynamics of who they are, where they came from, and how they come to be who they are, as a function of their social and political organization. The study concludes that it is the social and political organization of the people in question that, first and foremost, gave rise to the concept of “Jukun” as a generic term for describing the different sub-sets of nationalities within a larger polity. This social and political organization of the Jukun people eventually became an effective mechanism that saw them established their influence over many of the group in the Benue Valley, and thereby creating a phenomenon of a Kwararafa confederacy or an empire, which Wukari, under the leadership of the Aku Uka (Jukun King) is considered its successor state. CHAPTER ONE GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study This study is partly an effort to recapture, reconstruct and put in a proper perspective, a period in the history of a people whose story has raised some contentious issues in recent times. It is a humble attempt to under study the pre and colonial social and political organization of the Jukun of Wukari Division from C.1596-1960, as a basis for the historical reconstruct of the history of the people. This is quite important in the sense that, in most part of what is today Nigeria there has been insufficient and inadequate widely established credible reference source regarding the very long time activities of the various groups, particularly with reference to the pre-literate era. This problem has further been compounded by the inconsistency and lack of uniformity in available oral traditions amongst the various groups, including the Jukun. Consequently, there have emerged several theses and antitheses advancing claims and counter claims on the social and political organization of the Jukun people as it bother on who they are, where they came from and how they came to be the kind of people they are. In this order, Afigbo posit that the first question the average African of today would ask about the past of his people would invariably touch on the issues of their origin, migration and settlement, which will in a way facililate our understanding of the nature of the social and political organization of the people. The Jukun people of our study area are no exceptions in this respect. Through the interplay of their social and political structure, they want to know who they are, where they came from, and how they came to be the kind of people they are. 1 Sa’ad Abubakar argues that there are reasons to believe that before the beginning of the eighteenth century,