₦airaland Forum

Radoillo:
This issue goes beyond mutual intelligibility which everyone knows is something the Igbo dialects do not always have.

If you collect wordlists of basic terms in Ezza, Ikwerre, Ika, Izzi, etc and compare them with your own Anambra dialect, the similarities immediately strike you; you'll immediately know you are dealing with cognate tongues.

But if compare the wordlists with basic terms in Legbo, it will quickly dawn on you that you are dealing with a very separate language.

So in a nutshell are you saying izzi and agbo or legbo as people will say is not Igbo

What I know is that I respect your position on Igbo cultural matters and I have come to admire that but we need to know that there are igbo clan that spilled over in ogoja just like we have Igbo clans that spilled over in Edo and bayesla areas

Do we agree on this

Every Yoruba or Hausa child you ask about his origin will tell you about Oduduwa and Abuyazid respectively, and also tell you where they migrated from. On the contrary, an Igbo man or woman will know who colonized America, where the people came from but is ignorant of the origin of the Igbo people. Worst of all, our so-called great historians are yet to reach agreement on the origins of the Igbo people. Some of them even went as far as accepting the white man’s distortion of Igbo spellings like Awkuzu (Okuzu), Onitsha (Onicha) etc. Our people are not yet ready to sit up and work. This attitude has led to three different schools of thought as regards the Igbo origin.

One school upholds the Igbo homeland hypothesis. They maintained that the areas identified as the primary core of the Igboland comprises Nri-Oka, Olu, Owerre and parts of Okigwe. They claim that it was from the heartland mentioned above that different people migrated to various present day Igbo.

It is unfortunate that the Aro people subscribe to this view. They forget that what we have is the “Eri-aka in Aguleri till date and not Nri-oka. They also forget that the Aro were unknown in history until the era of the Atlantic slave trade due to the regrettable role they played as middlemen.
According to Idigo A.C., the Aro claim to have been founded in a meeting place between the Igbo and the Ibibio. If the Aro was founded at a meeting place between the Igbo and the Ibibio, it then means that the Igbo nation already exist before the emergence of the Aro. Surely, no son begets the first son before his father.

Another school of thought traces Igbo origins to the Niger/Benue confluence. In other words the Igbo migrated from the said area. The attribution of Igbo origin to this area is mainly based on the linguistic theory that all who use the kwa language like the Igbo, Yoruba, Idoma etc are from the same area. This theory is no longer tenable. In fact it is dying gradually.

A third and probably the most popular school of thought is that which holds the Eastern hypothesis which suggests that the Igbo people migrated from the East. 

They identify the lost tribe of Israel with the Igbo people. Thus Ezeala, J.O.C. Asserts that “the Igbo are a section of the tribe of Juda who in 718 B.C. left Israel when idolatory was imposed on the Israelites by king Salmauazar of Assyria. They left for unknown destination in search of a place to worship the One, True, Holy God and in 638B.C. Arrived in this part of Nigeria where we now live”.
As recently as October 10, 1995 some Israeli officials paid a two-day visit to the ancient town of Aguleri in search of the lost tribe of Israel (Eri) who was supposed to be the fifth son of Gad, the son of Jacob. These visitors were taken round the town. They said that most of our customs and the names of certain monuments were similar to theirs. Special mention was made of the Obuga in Aguleri which they have and called Obugad in Israel. This is a place built by Eri in order to immortalize the name of his father Gad. This palace is in Aguleri till date. You can visit Aguleri during the greatest festival in Aguleri called Ovala. This visit made by the people of Israel added credence to the above school. The Ndigbo therefore are the Jews in diaspora.

The children of Nsugbe, Igbariam, Amanuke and Nteje also migrated to their present sites. Agulu got married and had three sons namely Anumagana, Ezunnukwu and Ezi. Their offspring inhabited present day Aguleri.

Geographical Location of Aguleri
Aguleri is one of the largest town in the old Anambra State, situated at the bank of the river Omabala (Anambra), about 32 kilometres by the shortest land route to Onitsha. The land is low lying. In the rainy season, the Omabala floods its banks to the extent of many kilometers depositing alluvial soil resulting in the great fertility of the soil.

The climate is hot and has its hottest period in the month of March while the coldest in December. The heaviest rainfall occurs in the months of June and early July. The vegetation is well distributed along the Omabala river, other streams and lakes thus make available to the town tall gigantic trees which supply sticks for building houses, farming and fuel for cooking.

Apart from the above, there are tall coarse grass that are found in the town. It is then not surprising that big animals like monkeys and snakes roam in the forest while antelopes and cutting-grass which are preyed upon by stronger animals inhabit the grassland, for instance, during the flood of 1994, an elephant was killed in Aguleri.

Occupation of the People
Aguleri people are farmers, hunters and fishermen. They cultivate in great quantities crops like yam, cassava, maize, coco-yam, potato, groundnut, rice, tomatoes etc. the flooding of the bank of the river Omabala and other lakes create a natural manure for cultivation.
Also the presence of the river Omabala, stream and lakes give the town big opportunity to fish along them. Also there are ponds owned by families and individuals from where people fish.

What is Ovo (Ofo)?
Ovo is a symbol of authority, justice and power. Ovo could be a tangible material or a non-tangible material. Thus Idigo, A.C. remarks, Ofo is a stick handed to a king or a leader as a staff of office. It is given to who ever is to possess it with much ceremony, which depicts the collective trust and confidence of the entire group or town being placed at the disposal of one individual. Whoever is to handle it must be a respected man who enjoys a commanding influence in the town. Ofo is an ancestral symbol of truth and justice.

No meaningful ceremony takes place without Ovo, be it in Christian circle or in civil society. Before a Bishop is to serve the people of God, he is given a staff (Crozier) Mt. 16.16. A president of a nation, a state governor or even a council chairman take oath of office etc. that Crozier and the oath taking are all Ovo.
In Igbo traditional setup ovo is consulted before any serious decision is made. This explains why no Nri man could be crowned Eze without coming to Aguleri to make consultations and find out if he is the right person, after which Aguleri hands the Ovo which Eri left to the care of Agulu to such a person, he goes home happily and becomes the Eze of Nri. The present Eze of Nri did it.
Like I said earlier Ovo could be spiritual and not necessarily a stick. Thus Ejizu records that Ofo is the symbol of truth, justice, power of leadership, freedom, prayer that reaches God’s ear, reserved power for man and strength in kinsmen. Thus when an Igbo man says “Ejikwe m Ovo” it means that he has said all the truth, he is innocent. He has no power therefore God becomes his strength. In this case ovo becomes a total surrender to a superior power.

Origin of Ovo (Ofo)
Ovo like I said is a symbol of truth, authority, dependence etc.
When Eri had settled in the present day Aguleri, he built an altar within his camp in Eri-aka. The altar was where he went often to say thanks to Jahweh the God of his fathers. Before he died, he instructed his sons who were under the headship of Agulu to erect another altar. His instruction was like that of Jesus Christ. The sons built a temple called Obuga in honour of their grandfather. He also handed to his first son Agulu the staff of authority, which was kept in Obuga thus the origin of ovo in Igboland. 
Today, the people of Aguleri go to Obuga for a very serious meeting, where it is believed that the ovo lies and at such meetings, one must speak with the Ojii in one’s hand. The Ojii stands as the visible Ovo and would strike one who tells lies at Obuga. So Agulu inherited the Ovo from his father Eri.

Kinds of Ovo (Ofo)
There are numerous kinds of ovo, but I will mention here the best known and most used in Igboland. Some Ovo are tangible while some are not. Some have other things that stand for them for instance the Ojii is a visible sign of the non-tangible Ovo.

Natural Ovo:
This came into existence by nature. It belongs to the tangible Ovo family. It’s component are the Ovo tree (Osisi Ovo). Here Ogilisi, Anunuebe and Ogbu trees come to mind.

Institutional Ovo:
This is a non-tangible Ovo. This Ovo is owned by every society, institutions, and communities. This is the Ovo that Christ handed to the Apostles through Peter.

The progenitor of the Igbo race Eri handed this Ovo to Agulu the first son. It is this very ovo that the people of Nri come to Aguleri their ancestral home to collect before any Eze.

The following ruled Aguleri, Ennini, Nsugbe, Aladina, Ezem, Uga, Ezeora, Nonshiliobu, Doga, Ezepuome, Utulukpo, Akidi, Nwaezeokpala, Nkwukwu, Gbujuo, Ezemali, Aguve, Ogodugbo IIonwagu, Ogbuevi, Chinweze, Atuegu Dibieolome, Okolo, IIora, Kwutubum, Mbam, 
Onyedeve, Nwaezeopala, Chizor who was crowed in 1820 and finally Ekwuo who was crowed as a rival king to Chizor. 
After the mysterious death of the last two Eze in 1880 the Ovo was kept at the Obuga. Aguleri people reverted to governance by Ndichie (council of elders). This form of rulership lasted for years until the rise to power by Onyekomolo Idigo 1840-1910).

The European encroachment on the Niger, the military aggression that resulted from the bid of the then Royal Niger company to expand its operations and the activities of the Christian missionaries not only helped to consolidate the reign of Ogbuanyinya Idigo as the natural leader of Aguleri but extended his power and influence to far and beyond.

On the death of Ogbuanyinya Idigo, the elders of Aguleri resolved in consideration of his enormous contributions to Aguleri, to crown one of his children as the Eze of Aguleri, thus Nwanne (1900-1910), one of his sons was presented with the Ovo-eze in accordance with Aguleri tradition. Thus he became Eze Idigo I. After the demise of Eze Nwanne, Raphael Anakwuba Idigo (1910-1960) was given the ovo as Eze Idigo II. When he died, the people of Aguleri handed the Ovo to Eze Alphonsus Ezeudu Idigo (1960-1995) finally Eze C.N. Idigo R. (1995 till date) was enthroned.

Ovo Alusi:
This Ovo varies from one community to another. The holder of this usually is a chief priest to a deity. So each community can have as many Ovo Alusi as there are deities in the community.

Family Ovo:
This is the Ovo that is owned by a family both extended and nuclear families. The Ovo is usually under the custody of the eldest man of the family. Family meetings are held in the man’s house hence the Ovo dwells there. Again it is believed that the eldest man communes with the ancestors. This family Ovo is the staff of office of the eldest man.
This Ovo unlike in some parts of Igboland where institutional Ovo is bought, family Ovo is not bought, it is rather hereditary. At the death of the family head who was the holder of the family Ovo, the next in rank takes over. Thus Metuh remarks, nobody can posses an Ofo in the life time of his master.

Ovo Obodo:
Here, ovo is personified. In this case, a person becomes an Ovo for the community. He must be the oldest man in the community. This is common in Aguleri. When such a person joins his ancestors, the next oldest becomes the Ovo. His longevity is seen as God’s blessing. People go to him for oral history, narrations, etc. In Aguleri today, Ogbuanyinya Anago Akwuobi born in 1907 is the Ovo Obodo. He prays over kola-nut in any gathering of the people. He is seen as being very close to the ancestors. His words in any matter are final. He is called Okpala Aguleri.

Uses of Ovo
The holder of an Ovo is the eyes of the gods in African traditional religion and must be consulted before any major decision is taken. For instance the Ovo Obodo Aguleri, and the custodian of Ibobo must be consulted before any war is embarked upon by Aguleri people.

In the Catholic Church, the lay consults the Priest who in turn consults the bishop who consults the Pope. These are all Ovo in different guises. 
Thus Ejizu remarks, Ofo serves in most religious contexts as medium of communication with the transcendent. It means that ovo signifies in religion the relationship between man here on earth and the unseen powers.
Ovo is also used in covenant (Igba ndu). Covenant is an undertaking between two or more persons so that nobody is afraid of the other. The people in question stretch their hands towards the Ovo and say whatever they agree upon.

In socio-ethical contexts, Nwaorgu remarks, Ofo is used as sacred sanction in all important meetings of a group attesting to the truth affirming one’s innocence and sincerity, punishment of offending members of the group through cursing, denial of rights, ostracizing and expulsion, coronation of Ezes, Ozors etc. Traditional naming ceremony, covenant, relationships including marriage, settlement of disputes and determination of age seniority and community leadership.

As a matter of fact, Nwaorgu gave a wonderful resume on the uses of ovo. It means that Ofo serves as a multi-purpose symbol.
Ovo on the political role serves as a mandate for leadership, it empowers a person above others. One can then be authorized to make promulgation of liturgical and agricultural seasons as well as major events of the year. Here one thing that comes to mind is the Isato Umuekete’s proclamations.

Ihuomadinihu:
My bad,i was suppossed to write Abi of Cross rivers. Anyway,the legbo thing tire me. I was informed that Imoke does not see himself as an Igbo man. Is just fascinating how igbo features can be found in non South east groups.

Liyel Imoke - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liyel_Imoke
Mobile-friendly - Liyel Imoke is an Igbo from Agbo Clan in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State. His father, Dr. Samuel Imoke was a medical doctor who became a cabinet minister and leader of Parliament in the former Eastern Region. Liyel Imoke was born on 10 July 1961 at Ibadan in the then Western Region of Nigeria.

Ihuomadinihu:
My bad,i was suppossed to write Abi of Cross rivers. Anyway,the legbo thing tire me. I was informed that Imoke does not see himself as an Igbo man. Is just fascinating how igbo features can be away from the South east.

He is doing so for political expediency.. he used to and how will see himself as Igbo

zimoni:
Amen. This year shall be a fulfilled one.

All the best.

I love your spirit

We shall prosper

Ijn

pazienza:
Abi LGA is in Cross rivers state. Liyel Imoke is from there, they have towns like Itigidi, Igbo Ekureku there.

Their language is called Agbo/Legbo, it sounds pretty much like Igbo, but strain your ears as much as you can, you can't even understand a single word of what they are saying, yet it sounds Igbo. They use to be in Afikpo division of the Eastern region.


Some of their names sound Igbo, yet their language is not even Igboid. So strange I tell you.


Once met one of them in Aba, she claims that learning Igbo language is easy for an Agbo/Legbo person, cos of some similarities.

I have been and stayed in abikiliki also and I stayed for three months but I couldn't understand what they were saying coming from Nnewi ..will you say that they are not igbo

Radoillo:
Sunny Neji is from Ogoja. Ogoja people are certainly not Igbo. We must be careful about assigning ethnicity to people based on how their names sound. God knows I have seen more Ogoni people with Igbo-sounding (or even Igbo-derived) names than I care to remember.

As for Imoke, the name of his ethnic group is Legbo or Agbo. They have a lot in common with Igbos, being a neighbouring group. Theire language, however, is nowhere near Igbo or Igboid. Igbo language is closer to Idoma than to Legbo. Of course, there are Igbo loanwords in Legbo, but the language is still very distinct.

If you have been to abakiliki and towards ogoja which I doubt you have been to ..you will understand that we have Igbo speaking clans in ogoja around itigidi axis so I talk what I know

Mind you not all ogoja are Igbo but we have Igbo speaking clans ..minute anyway just like in Benue

Pls do not misunderstand me

If I were you ..why don't you do the research on the name nneji before jumping into conclusion

pazienza:
The Legbo/Agbo thing is so confusing. Their Wikipedia page states that they are Igbos, but. looking at the language, it doesn't look Igboid. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abi,_Nigeria

They are Igbo and izzi clan

zimoni:
I Wish You Best of Luck.

Life is good.

Life is good ...that's lg motto

Happy new year for us

Yerwa:
Can anyone enlighten me,I would like to know if igbos are found in other African countries or any African country that speaks a different dialect of Igbo other than the one spoken in Nigeria against the backdrop of that for example Yoruba can be found in Benin and Togo,Fulani can be found in Niger,Cameroon etc.
Thanks

Yes

Igbo are found in sierra Leone and Igbo is an official language in equatorial Guinea

Then we have Igbo slaves is Americas and carribeans

Ihuomadinihu:
Some people have argued that Imoke is not Igbo. The funny thing is that these Akwa/Cross rivers igbos speak clearer igbo than South east igbos. I've seen many of them around.

Imoke is Igbo even in Wikipedia.. even the name imoke is an igbo name

So don't just argue them ..ignore them

What of sunny nneji.. is that an efik name

zimoni:
I had to quote you.

You really need help.

Hatredness causes High Blood Pressure.

Life is good.

Cheers.

But what he said was true from his experience and mine ..I can second that

Ihuomadinihu:
This might be true. I was watching the calabar carnival and i saw a particular local govt(Abi lga of Calabar) that performed what we all know as Ohafia war dance.

We have Igbo in cross river state and imoke is from there and frank nneji is also from Igbo speaking cross river

BERNHARDT:
THE IGBO ARE THE ONLY TRIBE SOME COMPANIES EMPLOY HERE IN EUROPE BECAUSE THEY WORK HARD AND MAKES MORE PROFIT FOR BOTH COMPANY AND THEMSELVES, WE LOVE THEM HERE,AND OUR GIRLS AND WOMEN EVEN NOW PREFER IGBOS THAN US AS THEY SAY IGBOS ARE ALSO BEST IN SATISFYING THEM,GOD BLESSED THE IGBOS IN ALL WAYS ROUND.

It will be nice if you can explain this notion.

Buhari wants to implement a socialist economy with money from Niger Delta after chasing away their son

How possible can that be

He is not winning anyway

This man has just lost idea ..this is modern times

We are not socialist

He is encouraging laziness

How I wish the APC can make their useless threat come true


Igbo will be so favored
Countdown to that

bigtimemugu:
now listen let me educate yea dat talk trash, i worked in a filling station for complete 4years as a pump attendant,station suporvisor, and finally a station manager before i resigned or fired. there are lots of ways to earn legitimate money on dat job, and there are lots of othe ways to get unlegitimate raw cash too.
it all depends on u.NOTE : MY ENTRY SALARY WAS 3500 AS @ 2004 .I DEY MOVE CLEAN MECEDEZ E200 AS @ 2010 WITH 2 TOYOTA HIACE BUS.
FOR UNLEGITIMATE MEANS:
1.u need to be psychologically alert to discover the mugu who will claim big boy , he will relax in his car demanding u open his /her tank and dispense 5k fuel ,already u shld knw dat such a lazy fool does nt knw the capacity of his tank and so can nt srongly argue y his tank was not full @ 5k, the maga dont even knw his car consumption rate, u strike by not wiping the meter ofcos hez so stupid dat he does nt bother to look up the meter. 15liters previous dispensed quantity is what he will hav to pay for being stupid.next time he /she shld pocket his /her big boy during economic meltdown.
2.figure pronouciation: some illitrate will prounce 14.500 liters as 14500k allow him to say the figure and then u concure &wipe it off immediately.he will pay to avoid embarrassment.
3.claim there is no change always: by the time u sum up all 20,50,10,& 5 naira change with u , u will av ur TF for the day.
4.we dont dispense on keg here sir, but if u wish to fill ur 50liters on the boot ,additional 500 for my risk sir, oya fill amm!
5.watch out for hausa trailer drivers on the diseal pump,most of them infact all of them are stack illitrate , oga put am for 500 liter aw much per liter , the mugu dey see 100 naira per liter on the screen him Go ask u aw much . sharp guy codedly!! if u can buy up to 500 , i will giv u 150 per liter . the mugu go say abeg 140 put 1000 liter.40x1000 〓4000. most of the hausa drivers made figure error mistake. they can comfortably give u 100,500 against 10,500. is nt ur fault western education is evil. and beside dem don sell NAMA (cow) finish money full motor .
6. MAKE UNA WAIT I DE COM MY BA3 LOW ......

That's another eye opener ....people look at job based on pay ...no its based on fringe benefits

I have worked in a firm that pas

babyosisi:
Abi o
At least they are not saying a goat or nama ate it but where is it?
Only Buhari and his chi can tell us

Does he have a chi

DaBullIT:
If that was done , Nigeria would be exporting poultry products world wide , direct your hate at clueless and beg to join the wagon of change , offer valid while space still available

Nairaland is a funny place to be I swear ....lol

Stancollins:
I think Buhari has swallowed a long pestle and he must sleep standing...
....
....
....

Lol

enkay11:
Abeg, where amaechi? Its been a while we heard him talk. What has he got to say about buharis certificate issue?

He had been dumb founded and edo one speech less while rochas has gone back to the trenches

Who's left ?

Oh buhari the last man standing

Let me go back to my slim shady and D 12 track

All I know is I can't fight or die for any politics

Rest in peace dear
This hurt ..why must police keep looking people

How can you put a checkpoint on a high way on a free way with cars cruising on 100km

This is wrong ..who trains the police men

May they rest in peace

That fowl seems to be lucky
.now they said the roads are not good
If you fix the road ..police Mount checkpoints


RIP

D9ty7:
Well, I don't think the millitary said they have Buhari's certificate or anything. All they said was that, they have everyone's records, either serving or retired. There is possibility that Buhari's certificate, even the photocopy is not with them. Just saying tho.
I think Buhari should request for his papers from the millitary if truly he has one. I am not taking sides, but according the the millitary, upon request and if due process is followed, you can get you papers/certificate or wareva.

Lord Rahl will need his journey book to get the certificates ..whose blood will he use for the ink

Yeye just de smell anyhow

A beg show your certificate joor.. acoustic APC tell am

But were they hypnotised when the selected Buhari

I pity anarchist Amaechi though

Nov2:
So sorry I actually misquoted u.

But still your postulations and submissions are wrong anyway

But do you think it is wise for him not to present his certificate for sighting

HzRF:
Lolzz

Na formula 1?

No they have graduated to formulae 2.0 racing

Lol

Drifters on course

armadeo:
[/b]


And bike men. Anywhere u see them the pump is hoof. My motto.

As a driver there are few test you should conduct and know your tank

My car uses a filled tank of 4k and 1k fuel is quarter empty thank ..2 k should take the tank half almost

But always notice the stations that bike keke and likes always go to
Their nozzles are manageable

VickyyB:
Shutup. Wayward daughter indeed.

You men need to control your stùpid manliness and wayward self. As old as the ning nong, he chose a teenage girl.

No man loves old Toto...we love it fresh from the oven

HzRF:
Lolzz
The members of the screening committee suppose to be mentally and educationally screened
How can a final year drop out and a graduate equal in educational ranking... Many are mad few are roaming about

It is called drifting ..the roamers are drifters

Lol

Nov2:
Am not saying his hand re clean Ok, but just thinking y is dis just surfacing now this sud have being thrash out a long time ago at least dis not d first time he is contesting. My question is what did he use to contest when he did?

.

Nowenuse:
I also agree with some points u made here, but not all.
First of all i will disagree to any extent if u say that a middlebelt man shines shoes. I have never seen that all my life or heard of it. The worse kind of job our people may do is ride okada or gatemen (and there are also southernerns too i have found doing this, so many infact). But hardly can u ever find a Plateau, Kogi or Benue man carrying thay shoe shinning kit and walking on the road.
U can hardly find a middleblt man hawking yam, carrot or sugar cane on wheel barrow. It is extremely rare or impossible.

After secondary sch, some of our boys from the rural areas move to southern cities especially, to do anything good their hands can lay on for them to be able to generate some money to go back to their states to finance their farming or further their education. But the normal hausa man u will find doing shoe shinning in the south probably has never come close to the four walls of a school and has no intention of that.


Secondly pls, many middlebelters do not speak hausa or substitute hausa for their languages.
All Benue & Kogi people (tivs, idomas, igede, igalas & ebiras), they do not speak hausa naturally nor understand it, unless they have lived in the core-north.
It is those of us from Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba, southern kaduna & parts of Niger state that do speak & understand hausa as a second language (but still not all of us). I am from Plateau and there are some places u will go in my state that the people there dont understand hausa.
The reason we adopted hausa as a second language after our own native languages was due to the extremely ethnically diverse nature of out region.
In my state Plateau alone we have over 40 indigenous ethnic groups and over 50 distinct language groups. In southern kaduna alone there are over 55 distinct language groups. Nasarawa over 30 ethnic groups, Niger state over 35 ethnic groups and Taraba (the most ethnically diverse state in Nigeria) over 60 distinct ethnic groups.
Each of us have our own distinct languages & cultures, and as colonisation set in, we had to start interracting with ourselves.
English language or pidgin did not come to out region as early as the Niger deltan minorities who are at the coastlands and had greater priviledges of contact with the colonialists n foreigners.......plus the hausa fulanis who were the rulers of the old northern region which we were under never encouraged education early.
These are some of the reasons why we adopted the hausa language as a lingua franca, because it was the closest majority language to us. And the hausas had already establiished great trading routes even extending to other surrounding african areas, and some of our people made use of these trading routes.

Another reason that made us learn to speak hausa was the SUDAN CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES who came to evangelise most of our people. They came and saw the great ethnic diversity of our region and they deemed it very difficult and cumbersome to evangelize and make bibles/gospel materials available to each of us in our own distinct languages, so they decided to evangelize to us in hausa and left the hausa bible and hausa gospel materials to us. And this was how we startes using hausa in our churches and the society to an extent.

Prior to our christianization, our fore fathers never worshipped their idols in hausa language but in their own native languages.
As for our own muslim brothers, most of them received islam via hausa land, so hausa came in through that way too.
Remember, that this is applicable only to those of us from Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa, Niger, Southern Kaduna and Adamawa.
As for Kogi, Benue and Kwarans, hausa language was never able to penetrate them cos they were closer to the south and their ethnic groups are larger. They are not ethnically diverse. Most of them even learn to speak yoruba or igbo as second languages.

I am impressed with this explanations

Pls.