Pre oyibo coming,
the gwari people were an
"unorganized" people who were
vassals of the Zazzau (zaria) kingdom.

Its mean they paid yearly tribute
to Zaria.

Even today, the kingship of the area,
which only recently became known as Suleja
(formerly Abuja kingdom) have
their origin in zaria.

The name Abuja is a nickname of one
of the princes of zaria. His name was Abu
but he was of very fair complection as was
thus called Abu ja, that is Abu red, just as today,
if you have a friend called sunny, who is
very fair, you may call him Sunny 'yellow' or
in hausa, Sunny ja.

So, though the gwari inhabited the place,
they really had no much say in the political decisions
that created the federal capital.

apollo13:

Lwkmd

smh

LexngtonSteele:
The gbagyi people get juju pass anything.

Was told hat some developers were warned not to build that hotel close to Zuma Rock because it is holy to the natives.

After some mysterious slaps in the night and many deaths, the project was abandoned. The hotel is still incomplete.

Maybe the story is not true but i love mysteries and horror stories



See wickedness...men don suffer

Na jacob for bible cause am!

Asquare84:
They are peace loving.

Opp don't forget that somewhere in adavi on Kogi state was also surgested to be the federal capital

You can imagine Fct is in ibira land

No body for know peace

True talk

They carry firewood with their backs.

yemmight:
Unfortunately now, they have pushed the away, far away before you even get to Gwagalada without proper resettlement or compensation. Nigeria.

Yeah, that is the sad part of the story. They lost their inheritance and some of their cultures and traditions.

Seetto:
This people are so nyce and peace loving, I remember staying with one of my aunt at kuta, the home town of late senator idris kuta, the town is not far from minna , I enjoy my stay in the town, they farm yam a lot, they are very accommodating, when strangers are too much encroaching their lands, they move further inside the bush, hope they stop this kind of practice. History tells us they own Kaduna too.

True they are very nice and peace loving people.

Jayuba:
Nice article coming from a non-Gbagyi. But, i think you made a mistake at the marriage part.
Serving in your inlaws farmland for 7 years is not part of our history. We do serve in inlaws farmland, but not 7 years service. Its based on agreements on the number of times you go to your inlaws farm, not 7 years.
Thanks for the insite though.

Thank you for the correction.

ariesbull:


Yet you dey beg them make them no leave


That phone that you are using to type that stupid thing was sold to you by an Igbo man

That cheap boxers you wear was made in aba

That house you stay, in that slum of yours the building materials was sold to the landlord by an Igbo man

That TV you are watching was brought in by Igbo man


Maybe it's only your sense that is yours that's why it's like this

dnt mind d modaforkin afonja

ariesbull:


Yet you dey beg them make them no leave


That phone that you are using to type that stupid thing was sold to you by an Igbo man

That cheap boxers you wear was made in aba

That house you stay, in that slum of yours the building materials was sold to the landlord by an Igbo man

That TV you are watching was brought in by Igbo man


Maybe it's only your sense that is yours that's why it's like this

too harsh.

Oh my! How i love this people!

LexngtonSteele:
The gbagyi people get juju pass anything.

Was told hat some developers were warned not to build that hotel close to Zuma Rock because it is holy to the natives.

After some mysterious slaps in the night and many deaths, the project was abandoned. The hotel is still incomplete.

Maybe the story is not true but i love mysteries and horror stories



See wickedness...men don suffer

Its not wickedness.its just to reduce the chances of men marrying more than one wife.
Do the maths .

divinelove:
Abuja is no man's land

You na don start again OK O!

OK even though I normally don't reply on any thread, I definitely have to do this, cos I am Gbagyi.

@OP, thanks for the research and the Lil digging up u have done. Perhaps you didn't come to the point of discovery that there's a difference between Gbagyi and Gwari.

Well, it would suffice to state that the peace-loving nature of these people cannot be overemphasized. You could take a case study from the Ijaws, the Akwaibomites, the Igbos and ppl from Rivers states. Would you by any chance let the thought cross your mind that you would take their lands for "government reasons" and not compensate appropriately? You would evn, after due compensation, have recurrent � strive actions perhaps on annual basis.

Well, there actually much to be said but I'm not the OP, neither am I an activist. I'm just a bloody Engineer. But posterity shall judge Nigeria if we keep being neglected.

Finally, imagine, the FCT minister has at no point whatsoever been a Gbagyi!

great one, you forgot to mention that when they speak their language it sounds like they are singing a song.

24hoursreporter:
Do you know that the Gbagyi People were the original owners of Abuja? Have you read about them before? Do you know that their land was reclaimed from them to form the seat of power? I know you don’t. This article will unveil all you need to know about the Gbagyi People.

The Gbagyi people were the original settlers of Abuja before it became the federal capital territory. After reading this write up, you will understand some of the things you never knew about this tribe.

Trouble started for the Gbagyi people in 1976. The then military government saw the need to find a location in the geographical center of the country where Nigerians could unite under.

However, the original idea was to look for a ‘no-man’s land’ in the geographical center of the country that no one could lay claim to. This was how the 8000 Square Kilometers of land upon which the FCT stood.

This land that houses the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, Federal Government Parastatals, Institutions, Suburban neighborhood and mall was somebody’s land. The Gbagyi people.

Painfully, the military government hurriedly forced them out of their land so that they can construct the new capital. As a matter of fact, the government underestimated the Gbagyi people living in the territory as they continue with their plan.

Although the government had plans to compensate them. But the plans lack proper implementation. Some displaced families were given housing, but others lived in transit camp for a long time.

Till date, the ethnic group still feel that federal government shortchanged them and deprived them of their lands and heritage.

Well, in this article, you will see all you need to know about the Gbagyi people.


Brief History

Gbagyi are peace loving people whose major occupations are agricultural and artistic works. Also, they are Nupoid speaking people who live in the North Central Geographical zone of the Nigeria.

They are mainly in Niger, Kaduna States and Federal Capital Territory. You can also see this ethnic group in Nasarawa and Kogi state. However, they are the most populated ethnic group in the Federal Capital Territory.

According to oral tradition, the first settler was a hunter who went to hunt in Paikokun land, a thick forest in Abuja. Paikokun was the name of the mountain where the first settler inhabited.

The Gbagyi people initially used to live on mountain tops because they believed they were safer on the mountain than at the plain before western civilization made most of them relocate to the plain.

How To Know Gbagyi People

It is very easy to spot Gbagyi people, the women always place load on their shoulders, no matter how heavy the load is. They believe that the head represents the king of the body and should be treated with respect.

They call the part of the body they place their loads as Bwapa. Furthermore, they believe that the load is always lighter on their shoulder. This is still a common practice among the Gbagyi people till date.

Marriage

We can’t tell you all you need to know about the Gbagyi people if we fail to mention their marriage.

In the past, marriage among these ethnic group was purely cultural. As a matter of fact, a man will have to serve in a girl’s father’s farm land for 7 years before he can marry that girl.

However, they don’t practice this tradition anymore. Groom now pays the bride pride instead of serving for 7 years in the bride’s father’s farm.

Religion

Some Gbayi believe in a god called Shekwoi. It was there before their ancestors. However, they also appease deities of the god such as Maigiro.

Indigenously, their main religion is Knunu, which they believe protects them from the evil that exist in the community. They worship the Knunu by offering fowl and beer as a sacrifice to a special tree found deep in the forest.

However, in modern day, Most Gbayi people are either muslim or christains.

Food

The Gwari people enjoy eating a meal known as Wyizhe. It is made from Guinean corn which is also used to make a special drink known as Zhepwo. The Gwari people also enjoy drinking a soup known as Knadolo made from locust beans.

Clothing

The Gbagyi people wear tie and dye clothing known as Ajeside, made from local cotton and traditional woven and dyed.

Occupation

The Gbagyi people are predominantly farmers. However, they are also good at fetching firewood, doing pottery work and blacksmith.

In the past, the Gbagyi people were also known for their visual art, most especially pottery work. They also practice other arts like sculpture, iron smelting, domestic craft and smelting.

Check: 24hoursreporter to see more pictures of the Gbagyi people.

ariesbull:


Yet you dey beg them make them no leave


That phone that you are using to type that stupid thing was sold to you by an Igbo man

That cheap boxers you wear was made in aba

That house you stay, in that slum of yours the building materials was sold to the landlord by an Igbo man

That TV you are watching was brought in by Igbo man


Maybe it's only your sense that is yours that's why it's like this

Mumu.....and which of those products is PRODUCED by an igbo man?
Anybody can go to the port and import nonsense in to the country.

silvaspecs:
OK even though I normally don't reply on any thread, I definitely have to do this, cos I am Gbagyi.

@OP, thanks for the research and the Lil digging up u have done. Perhaps you didn't come to the point of discovery that there's a difference between Gbagyi and Gwari.

Well, it would suffice to state that the peace-loving nature of these people cannot be overemphasized. You could take a case study from the Ijaws, the Akwaibomites, the Igbos and ppl from Rivers states. Would you by any chance let the thought cross your mind that you would take their lands for "government reasons" and not compensate appropriately? You would evn, after due compensation, have recurrent � strive actions perhaps on annual basis.

Well, there actually much to be said but I'm not the OP, neither am I an activist. I'm just a bloody Engineer. But posterity shall judge Nigeria if we keep being neglected.

Finally, imagine, the FCT minister has at no point whatsoever been a Gbagyi!

Nigerian government has never understood peace right from the beginning and that's why they took advantage of the peaceful nature of your people. The only language they understand is violence. Ask Niger Delta militants they will tell you more.

ghostfacekillar:
Ave been to Abuja. If u enter into all the villages in Abuja. Chai. U go feel this people pain. The government should ave compensated them with good roads and infrastructure

Very selfish and greedy leaders since 1983.

Idrismusty97:
Nobody owns anywhere. We all migrated from somewhere. This Gbagyi people are only good at selling their lands and moving further into the forest.

THEY Will Soon Jam Another Group Coming From Behind Them

Religion

Some Gbayi believe in a god called Shekwoi. It was there before their ancestors. However, they also appease deities of the god such as Maigiro.

Indigenously, their main religion is Knunu, which they believe protects them from the evil that exist in the community. They worship the Knunu by offering fowl and beer as a sacrifice to a special tree found deep in the forest.

However, in modern day, Most Gbayi people are either muslim or christains.

[b][/b]BEER!!! before their ancestors

the Gbagyi nation still own abuja

NdiaraIGBO:


Mumu.....and which of those products is PRODUCED by an igbo man?
Anybody can go to the port and import nonsense in to the country.

Even if it wasn't produced at least it was sold to you by Igbo

From that cheap phone you use to that cheap boxers and everything we have Igbo imprint on it


Deal with it

mangojuice:

too harsh.

I have him soft landing

OkpaAkuEriEri:
dnt mind d modaforkin afonja

Ina atupuru ya onu

He so much hate people that did him nothing

ariesbull:


Even if it wasn't produced at least it was sold to you by Igbo

From that cheap phone you use to that cheap boxers and everything we have Igbo imprint on it


Deal with it

Nothing to deal with ...igbo boy...una mouth too much