Nuhu yarwa takes a look at the dilapidated state of infrastructure in the first capital of the country where some monumental structure exist.

Dungurum, bastardised as “Zungeru” through poor intonation of the British colonialists was Nigeria’s first capital.

It was on January 1st 1914, that the then High Commissioner to Northern Nigeria, Sir Lord Frederick Lugard in a national speech announced that his Imperial Majesty – the King in England who was driving the British empire via colonialism – had conferred on him the rare title of “Governor – General” of the two British Nigerias: the Northern administration, later Northern Nigeria after being “Northern Protectorate” and the southern protectorate hence southern Nigeria, respectively.

The “South”, in the patent rights granted to Lugard included Lagos as a “crowned colony”. Zungeru which is located in mid Niger state – which is also in mid Nigeria – is 45km ride to Minna the State Capital; about 200km to Abuja –Nigeria’s current Federal Capital Territory (1976); and about 200km to Kaduna – the defunct headquarters of Nigerian Federation (1914) and of the former Northern Nigeria regional administration (1954 – 1966) ; while it is about 60km to Bida – the most organized senior Emirate close by which continued to be distrustful of Lugard’s Zungeru base from 1900 until Lugard vacated to Kaduna.

Sacking of a Federal Capital
Surprisingly, two weeks after Lugard’s announcement, he abandoned Dungurum (off the river Niger terrain) and moved to Kaduna (river side) in the interior of the North. Zungeru which was his abode for 14years – from 1900-was later described on relocation as inhabitable because of “swarms of mosquitoes”, and that it is too hot climatically.

Lugard had by this action sacked from Dungurum the headquarters of the West-African. Frontier Force [WAFF], the railway Managers’ Quarters, Prison yard, District courts, administrators’ houses, Generators’ rooms, Lawns and buildings hosting the native police etc – which he managed to put up all in ten years, between 1903 and 1914.

1903 was when Britain had completely taken over Northern Nigeria following the capture of Sokoto in March. Sokoto was both the spiritual and political headquarters of the caliphate that symbolizes Northern Nigeria by geography and hegemony through the Islamic ideology of its Emirates between 1804 and 1903.

Between 1898 and 1903 various minor and major Emirates such as Bida, Keffi, Zaria, Kontagora, Ilorin, Yola, Bauchi, Gwandu, Kano, Gombe etc had been rooted by the colonial forces.

While Zungeru lost the glory of hosting Nigeria’s capital to Kaduna which is another water side in the North and of similar terrain with Lagos and the Port (of) Mr. Harcourt in the south of Nigeria – whose joint role in the political project called Nigeria was innermost; Kaduna had remained, for strategic factors the home of political and military strategists in defining what tempo Nigeria adopts at anytime since 1914.

Zungeru lost to Kaduna (1914) as Lokoja did in 1898 to Baro (1899), while Baro lost to Jebba about 1900 before the choice of a central northern capital favoured the fringes of river Kaduna instead of the major coasts of river Niger as an international route.

However, the politics of World War 1(1914 – 1918) which sapped British economy, including its colonies prevented Lugard from building Kaduna as a giant administrative and industrial headquarters of a giant country, Nigeria-coined from “Niger Area” in 1900.

From Glory to Gory Site
In loosing its political, administrative and military power to Kaduna, Zungeru begun a systematic decay from glory to gory sites. It shrunk and became only a local administrative unit under Kuta political Division within the larger colonial Niger Province controlled from Minna.

While Zungeru lasted as the colonial capital of a promising country – Nigeria, Gwarzhi or Gwari – zhiko which is about 8 – 12km to Zungeru and located on the rail –route from Lagos through Mokwa to Zungeru; and further located between Zungeru and Wushishi settlements towards Bida major royalty became the most urbane, industrialized and commercialized town in Northern Nigeria between 1903 – 1914. The collapse of Dungurum and the rise of Kaduna destroyed Gwarji base of industrial structures and polity. Kaduna otherwise called Kadunda by the Gbagyi (Gwari) natives also suffered the same fate.

Unique Federal Structure
The amalgamation package which united the two political entities by force under one “administrative control” headed by Governor-General was smoothened or strengthened through common tax, single currency, one rail policy and telex link system.

Thus, from 1907, rail line was tapped from Osogbo in the south-west and it began to coil its web – through forced labour – across the entire Northern Nigeria where exploited farm products were easily railed to the coast of Baro, and by voyage to Lokoja, Burutu (in Niger Delta where British Royal Niger Company had its headquarters), to Onitsha, Lagos or Port (of Mr. Vincent) Harcourt – the Colonial administrator – for onward transnational voyage to Ghana (Gold Coast) and/or Europe.

Rail transportation – in persons and goods – begun the swift urbanization of many hitherto small dwellings in the North such as Jebba, Mokwa, Kafancha, Nguru, Ghosh (Jos), Bukuru, Badeggi, Gusau, Kaura Namoda, Makurdi, Minna, Kaduna, Maiduguri etc.

From the lost glory of its colonial times, Zungeru is bubbling back as it is now a host to many academic institutions such as the Niger State Polytechnic – from Zungeru College of Arts and Science (ZUCAS), many public and private English – run Primary and Secondary Schools as well as multiple Arabic/Islamic education classes.

Filling stations and petty super markets dots everywhere. Dilapidated, mud – built houses and unsanitary water ways and valleys are common place. National Electricity and Pipe borne water are in a sorry state.

What remains conspicuous of the relics of British colonial past is the 300 meters long rail-road iron – built bridge linking up northern Zungeru (Kaduna side ) with the southern bank (Minna – Bida – Lagos side).

Perhaps, when the new envisaged Zungeru hydro – power dam to which billion Naira sums will be expended is started and completed on time, Zungeru will measure back to its lost colonial glory of the last one century (1914 – 2013).

http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/17428/2012/02/26/dungurum_zungeru_nigerias_first_capital_1914.html

are u sayin calabar was never the first capital of nigeria? This is serious confusion cos i always tot calabar was.

i think lokoja was the first capital, correct me if i'm wrong.

.

Notable individuals born in Zungeru include:

Nnamdi Azikiwe

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu

David Mark

wiki

ujoinme:
Nuhu yarwa takes a look at the dilapidated state of infrastructure in the first capital of the country where some monumental structure exist.

Dungurum, bastardised as “Zungeru” through poor intonation of the British colonialists was Nigeria’s first capital.

It was on January 1st 1914, that the then High Commissioner to Northern Nigeria, Sir Lord Frederick Lugard in a national speech announced that his Imperial Majesty – the King in England who was driving the British empire via colonialism – had conferred on him the rare title of “Governor – General” of the two British Nigerias: the Northern administration, later Northern Nigeria after being “Northern Protectorate” and the southern protectorate hence southern Nigeria, respectively.

The “South”, in the patent rights granted to Lugard included Lagos as a “crowned colony”. Zungeru which is located in mid Niger state – which is also in mid Nigeria – is 45km ride to Minna the State Capital; about 200km to Abuja –Nigeria’s current Federal Capital Territory (1976); and about 200km to Kaduna – the defunct headquarters of Nigerian Federation (1914) and of the former Northern Nigeria regional administration (1954 – 1966) ; while it is about 60km to Bida – the most organized senior Emirate close by which continued to be distrustful of Lugard’s Zungeru base from 1900 until Lugard vacated to Kaduna.

Sacking of a Federal Capital
Surprisingly, two weeks after Lugard’s announcement, he abandoned Dungurum (off the river Niger terrain) and moved to Kaduna (river side) in the interior of the North. Zungeru which was his abode for 14years – from 1900-was later described on relocation as inhabitable because of “swarms of mosquitoes”, and that it is too hot climatically.

Lugard had by this action sacked from Dungurum the headquarters of the West-African. Frontier Force [WAFF], the railway Managers’ Quarters, Prison yard, District courts, administrators’ houses, Generators’ rooms, Lawns and buildings hosting the native police etc – which he managed to put up all in ten years, between 1903 and 1914.

1903 was when Britain had completely taken over Northern Nigeria following the capture of Sokoto in March. Sokoto was both the spiritual and political headquarters of the caliphate that symbolizes Northern Nigeria by geography and hegemony through the Islamic ideology of its Emirates between 1804 and 1903.

Most Nigerians would not recognize a fact even when it is placed on the ridge of their noses. Per the bolded, Zungeru was not even the capital northern protectorate but acted as the headquarters of British West-African Frontier Force [BWAFF]. Calabar was actual the secretariat of southern protectorate and served in the capacity of its capital. However, most of the colonial, diplomatic activities and high level official businesses were carried out in Lagos which was a British colony. Even Asaba was once the headquarter or capital of Oil Rivers Protectorate then Calabar took over when it became the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria.

ujoinme:
Calabar was never the capital of nigeria but the capital of southern protectorate while Zungeru was the capital of the northern protectorate. Nigeria did not exist untill the amalgamation of the two protectorates. and when that was done the capital of what was Nigeria was first in LAGOS

The country called Nigeria did not exist until the independence in 1960 but the geographical area known as Nigeria had exist before the amalgamation of the protectorates.

zungeru.

Here is the right answer as to which was the first capital of nigeria
http://www.nigerianinfopedia.com/the-first-capital-of-nigeria/