By
Ibrahim Shuaibu
Minna is located in the central area of Nigeria, in Niger State and in the Chanchaga Local Government Area with a distance of about one hundred and fifteen (115km) kilometres West (or Northwest) of Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. It can be located on latitude 900 north and 600 east of the equator.
As a town, MinnaA got its name from the ancient customary activities of the Gbari inhabitants, who first occupied the rocky areas and the suburbs of the present location of Minna. The word ‘Minna’ is a Gbari word coined as a blend of a Gbari phrase. The origin of the word ‘Minna’ was traced to a particular event during the traditional festival of fire spreading whereby aboriginal Gbaris assembled at their ancestral village of Bodi, sic near Kataeregi, around a huge fire launched as a renewal of new seasons. There, the new fire was fetched and brought back to Minna on top of the Paidasic hill, from where the spreading of fire was held as each clan or hamlet fetched its share of new fire back to its locality of hamlet areas, passing onwards to various households to usher in new farming or planting seasons.
Thus, the etymology of “Minna” is rooted in the Gbari phrase ‘Mi na’ or ‘Mi’ona’ meaning “fire spreading”, which connotes the principal feature of the activities of the Gbari fire traditional rites that were annually carried out on the Paidasic hill in ancient times. Particularly, Paidasic hill, which is mountainous in outlook but rocky in nature, was itself called “MI-NA”, “Myi-na”, “Mi-ona”, or even “Min-na” in the olden days, which was not unconnected with the sacred nature of the hill which became the ritual point for the traditional activities of MinnaA Gbaris. MINNA was, therefore, believed to be the corruption of the Gbari word “Mi- oana” from where the town of Minna was thought to have derived its name.

The territory called ‘Minna’ traditionally covers a comparatively large area of land with distinct geographical features of note and interest. The town is characterised by relief features typical of the Guinea and rolling savannah woodland, especially in its southern and western parts which even used to be predominant of patches of thick forests before the advent of British colonialists.
The composition of the Minna Gbaris includes the clans of Shako, Fadnayi, Jempma, Pmasi, Taiwyi, Daji, Pmaidna and Dabwo, which are the natural fiefs of Minna and encircled the modern-day Minna in its entirety adjoining from one settlement area to another in hamlet formations. Minna shares traditional boundaries with Shakwatu on the northeast; Bosso, Shata, Pyata on the northwest, Kataeregi on the south and west; and Paiko on the east.
The people of the ancient MinnaA were Gbaris by tribe, who were also described as Sudanic people. They belonged to the Gbari sub-dialect of Kwange or Kwanje, which are mainly known as the Gbari Nkwa, specifically for the fact that their accent differs very slightly from that of Gbari Gbotai of Paiko. Though the dialect of MinnaA Gbaris is also spoken at Bosso, Maikunkele, Beji, Shata, Pyata, Buko and Gurusu, both stocks are a brogue of the main sub-tribe of the Gbagyi race, generally called Gbagyi-wyi, Gbari Yamma (or Gwari of the west) to which they properly belong.
MinnaA Gbaris were reported to have migrated originally from Bosso. They seemed to have migrated along with other Gbagyis or Gbaris within their own distinct age of civilisation, which could not be under any political leader or warrior or even under a single band.
Traditions are corroborative that the origin of MinnaA Gbaris is not different from that of the Gbagyi tribe, which was traced to the northeast of Borno, perhaps during the period of great general migrations from the Northeast around a period between 7000-1000A.D. This was doubtlessly why there were certain socio-cultural affinities existing between the Gbaris and the peoples of the vicinage of Borno. The Gbari facial marks which run down their both cheeks share close similarities with the ones of Kanuris and/or Baribaris. The Gbari people of Minna are agricultural and entirely a peaceful tribe. That is why they found it most convenient to live with members of other ethnic groups without friction.
By the beginning of the 20th century, there was a need for navigation of Northern Nigeria and to bring it under real administrative control. Minna became an important railway junction linking the North with the South being the co-terminus of mainline North (L.R.N.E) from Lagos and Baro-Kano line B.K.R which met at Minna before proceeding to Kano due to the difficulties encountered in penetrating the Minna hills that were said to be inhospitable. Minna was, therefore, found to be central for communication as a gigantic railway headquarters ever existing between Southern and Northern Protectorates was established here. Thus, more craftsmen and artisans gathered, and Minna increased with off-shoot of structures and population as it was the Missionary, Divisional, Provincial and Railway Headquarters at the same time.
The subsequent establishment of the British colonial government at Minna brought occupational opportunities such as British political agents, clerics, messengers, language translators, correspondence readers and writers, and labour on the gold mining sites, railway construction sites, as well as government stations, quarters, offices and houses, became new prospects then. Even the
Missionaries and private firms made demands for such labour and ancillary services. This paved the way for a gold rush for those occupations. As a result, various adventurists trooped into MinnaA in search of Whitman’s occupations and before it was realised, Minna had already become a bustling area in commerce, labour and trade because migrants found the place conducive to living, and they eventually domiciled there permanently.
WUSHISHI TRAMWAY– The first locomotive steam engine used in Northern Nigeria
So, within the first decade of the 20th century, Minna was already composed of adventurous peoples from different socio-linguistic backgrounds who were themselves strangers in search of occupation, unable to return to their original abodes. The settler tribes include the Hausas, Nupes, Fulanis, Zurus, Ebiras, Tivs, Yorubas, Igbos, Baribaris and Igalas. Lest we forget, these tribal compositions did not comprise the natives of the same location.27 For instance, the Yorubas included the ones of Ogbomosho, Egba, Lagos, Ile-Ife, Abeokuta, Ife, Ibadan, Ijebu and Ijesha who teamed up as a single community of MinnaB Yorubas. In like manner, the Igbo group included the peoples of Asaba, Benin or Kukuruku, Warri, Enugu, Sapele, Onitsha, Agbor and the Rivers tribes, who formed themselves into a group under Igbo as a community of the Southeast peoples of Minna. B The same thing is applied to the northern elements, including the Hausas of Kano, Katsina, Bauchi, Jigawa, Yobe, Maiduguri, Kebbi, Wushishi, Kontagora, Adamawa, etcetera banded themselves under the Hausa group. The natives indigenous to Niger Province, like the Hausas, Nupes, Kanbaris, Dukkawa, Gade, Bassa-Nge, Koro, Kadara, Gwandara, Dukku and Kamuku, formed a community in MinnaB town under either the Nupe or the Hausa group. However, before the 20’s, people from the Urhobo, Kukuruku, Benin, Ghanians, Seira-Leonieans, et cetera tribes had already teamed up with the aforementioned tribes to increase the number of ethnic groups. There were over twenty-five ethnic groups in MinnaB who were all comers.
Minna presented itself as an occupationally privileged area with a bustling and splendid trade. As a result, more commercially spirited people, skilled and unskilled labourers, Gold miners, artisans alike and persons with business-like attitudes and vocational experiences have already appeared at the MinnaB market scene to provide for the high domestic demands existent in the provisions of numerous goods, products, services, supports, exhibitions and competitions. They all came in search of occupation as railway labourers, gold miners, traders, clerks, craftsmen and artisans.

Among these peoples, the Hausas alone (or the Northern Elements) formed the largest single group.29 What occasioned the strangers’ habitation in MinnaB town was obviously due to the diversity of the tribes inhabiting the area, which brought about an inter-ethnic mixture that culminated into a certain model of socialisation between each of the races. This tribal admixture turned MinnaB town into a place for all. It was regarded as a centre of civilisation and social security due to the presence of Liaises faire attracting many migrants to the area.
Though Minna has undulating ridges and rocks of varying proportions and characteristics, there is generally low-lying ground adjoined by swamps or marshy networks that are plentiful and found everywhere. Thus, Minna has an average height of 1000ft above sea level. The water from the swamps varies in nature: some pure and many impure, especially during the dry seasons. Notwithstanding, Minna is generally healthy for every person.
In Minna, rainy seasons start on average in April and last for over two hundred days till October, with the highest rate of rainfall being in August (sometimes in September). The main annual rainfall is, on average, fifty-two (52) inches. Sometimes, Minna records as much as between 54.16 and 60 inches within a year.

Alhaji (Dr.) Umar Farooq Bahago, the second Emir of the Modern Minna
The modern Minna is completely urbanised. Minna is presently the capital town of Niger State, Headquarters of Niger East Senatorial District and of Chanchaga Local Government Area. In fact, it offers a seat of traditional headquarters to the Gbagyi central authority known as MINNA EMIRATE.