NGAH CHIEFDOM TRADITIONAL RULERS ARE COMMITTED TO REFORM THE CHIEFDOM The lower-cadre traditional rulers within the hierarchy have absolute trust and loyalty in the Ngah Chiefdom for the effort of HRH CHUN NGAH, ALH. YUSUF ADAMU AMWE and view the reforms as good for society and justice; they were therefore open to the intervention as well. The acceptance is strengthened by the fact that the reform makes the rulers more competent to discharge their responsibilities that are deeply rooted in their religion and culture. HOW NGAH CHIEFDOM DISPUTE-RELATED RECORDS ARE KEPT There is only one central computer-based data collation and storage unit. It is located at CHUN NGAH palace in the office of the secretary to the traditional council Akwanag West Development Area, Rinze where the district heads, village heads and ward heads (at the lower level) send in their manual data. It has no internet connection. Initially, it was difficult to get traditional rulers to keep even the manual records because of the low literacy level and the fact that they are not used to the process, but with the support of the present Chun Ngah Alh. Yusuf Adamu Amwe he was able to introduce data base management system to upgrade his chiefdom to the new era. HOW NGAH CHIEFDOM TRADITIONAL JUSTICE SYSTEM WORKS FOR WOMEN Most times, women lay their complaints through the wives of the traditional rulers. The wife of the traditional ruler serves two roles: First, she counsels and encourages the female complainants and facilitates access to the traditional ruler. The counselling and encouragement gives the women complainants the confidence to speak up. Second, she can herself mediate in some disputes, especially those involving women.

THE MAJORITY LOCATION OF MADA PEOPLE IN NIGERIA

THE GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF MAJORITY MADA PEOPLE IN NIGERIA MAP OF NIGERIA AND MAP OF MADA

Chun Mada

PRESS RELEASE. Following the successful selection exercise conducted on Tuesday, 12th January, 2016 to select the new Chun Ngah, His Excellency, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, Governor of Nasarawa State on the advice of the State Council of Chiefs on Tuesday, 12th January, 2016 has approved the appointment of Alhaji Yusuf Adamu Amwe as the new Chun Ngah on 2nd Class status and a member of the Nasarawa State Council of Chiefs with effect from today, Tuesday, 12th January, 2016. 2. Before his present appointment as CHUN NGAH, His Royal Highness who was born in 1948 at RINZE, has a Master of Education Degree from University of Jos and was a former Executive Chairman of Akwanga Local Government Council and currently a Member of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board. Almakura hails Mada Nation for Contributions to Development of Nasarawa His Excellency Umaru Tanko Almakura has lauded the Mada Nation for their contributions to the development of Nasarawa State, and the huge support they have given the administration. Governor Almakura made this known as he received the Mada nation under the leadership of Chun Mada HRH Samson Gamu Yare and an entourage which included the His Excellency the Deputy Governor Hon. Silas Ali Agara, Sen. Philip Aruwa Gyunka, Hon Peter Mbucho , Hon. Kasim Mohammed Kasim, Prof. Johnathan Ayuba, Hon. Yakubu Kwanta and a host of Mada sons and to say “Thank You” to the Governor for providing the dividends of democracy to Akwanga and the Mada nation in general. The Governor commended for the huge support they had been giving the administration and for the very peaceful nature of the people , declaring them the ‘Pillar of Peace of Nasarawa state’ HRH Chun Mada Samson Gamu Yare appreciated the efforts of the administration in uplifting and developing Akwanga as well as the appointment of many Mada sons and daughters in the administration. As a mark of their appreciation HRH the Chun Mada decorated Gov. Almakura as the “Key Pillar of Nzeh Mada". Nasarawa State Nasarawa State Nasarawa State Roads Nasarawa State Nasarawa State

MADA NATION

Mada Sei Gyir It is not certain that Mada people of this part of the world migrated because of Religious persecution, Tribal wars or in search for greener pasture. It is also not certain that Mada people of this part of the world came in bits through different directions as claimed by these traditions. In fact, there is no legal valid backing authority that can authenticate any of these claims. From all indications, all these claims are mere emphatic statement that does not hold weight. Perhaps research may throw more lights as new evidence becomes in future. Mada Theory of Migration This is one of the most authentic and acceptable traditions about the origin of Mada people of central Nigeria. Stories from Mada fore-fathers in the remotest time has it that Mada people of the area under study came from the north (the direction they call Shu- the is where the sun rises from), and have remained here up to date. This claim by the ancestor parents is strongly backed up by the migration trends from the north. The claim also has a link with Nok culture which is said to have existed for many. The Nok Theory In 1928, archaeologists discovered evidence of human occupation in the small tin-mining village of Nok in the present Plateau State. The artifacts discovered has evidence of organized human society who are said to have occupied the area of central Nigeria, notably the former Benue Plateau State and part of Kaduna State which is know today as Southern Kaduna as far back as 500 BC. Other scholars put the age of Nok culture at 100 BC. This tradition suggests that Mada people have lived in the area under study for 500 years before Jesus Christ was born. That is to say that Mada people have been living in the area under study for the past 2,512years now. Nok civilization is the earliest known civilization which is said to have flourished extensively in the area under study from the 5th century BC into the early centuries AD, and spread from this point to the whole of Africa and there after. The people here were the first known manufacturers of iron, between the 5th and early 3rd centuries BC. Their sculptures represent animals and human figures which are depicted with heads that are usually tubular, conical and spherical. The people raised crops and cattle ad their means of livelihood, and seem to have paid particular attention to personal adornment. Creation and Maintenance Mada as a nation was created by means of migration and maintained by war. The household ideology of each clan remained a central feature of its structure to date. Mada nation is a conglomeration of clans joined together by a totemic (totem) tie believe to have been grouped into six ancestral lines they call Nci-Nci (lineage). These lineages had helped in exerting positive influence among the neighboring lineages by bringing them together as a people of the same cultural identity. Bows and arrows and farm produce were its twin foundation. Therefore, wherever a Mada Man go, he goes with his bow and arrows. There was not any history of inter-tribal wars between Mada and other nations, except that of slave raids which was always un-successful due to the braveness of the people, and topographic condition of the land. Even during the slave era, it was the Mada man who will sell his brother to the Hausa slave traders on the ground that he is witch. This explains the absence of the history of conquest or foreign rule in Mada land up to date. However, there existed clannish rivalries between the Mada people themselves. In one of our conversation briefings, Baba Kogi Tukura, the most elderly living male of Gbugyar clan at his time stated that: The rivalries were resulted from the tradition of religious (Nhrizei cult) belief system that any person who does not belong to one’s Nci (lineages), is regarded an enemy and Monkey, and should be killed out rightly. Other reasons were those of seizure of wives and the struggle for farmlands. Population, Area and Location The population of Mada people in the area under study is not known. However, it has been proved that the people have the highest population of people of ages between 15 and 64 years old, the age rang that is conventionally considered a working age. The next highest population is the people under the age of 15years of age, while those in age 65 years old under above are the lowest. That is to say Mada people in the area under study have high dependency ratio that needs to be supported by working population. The region under study is a land of great diversity. There are vast grassy plains, and tall mountains in the Northern part of the region. There are also many clans with the same cultural background. Who speak one language with diverse dialectical variations (more than thirty five). There are also small villages where daily life is carried with mixed cultural influence. During the last fifty decades. Mada land became increasingly dominated by traders. However today, the most lucrative businesses in the area under study are owned by them. However, Mada of Nasarawa State of Nigeria is a second largest tribe in the State. The region covers 23 percent of the state’s total land area and contains a population of about 113,430 (2006 census). This include none indigenes residing there. As is well-known, Mada people are found in the central area of that part of Nigeria known as middle belt region. However, they claimed to be indigenes of Nasarawa State where they have Chiefdom. This Chiefdom is surrounded by the neighboring Chiefdom like the Ninzo and Numana Chiefdom in the North; Wamba Chiefdom in the East; Eggon Chiefdom in the South; and Gwandara Chiefdom in the West. The chiefdom has a strong link with these neighboring Chiefdom in terms of culture, language and tradition. A.J. Phillips (1943). (Unpublished) stated that: a careful study at the language spoken by the people of these Chiefdoms shows that they have cultural and linguistic relationship. In his report titled Mada district re-organization No 1248/17, paragraph 10 of 28th august, 1944, to the secretary Northern province Kaduna, Mr. A.J. Phillips, who was the Officer I/C Southern Division (on tour) of Plateau province wrote: "Mada people live in villages that are scattered over an area of about 600 square miles (approximately 1000 square kilometers). Cohesive factors which helped in strengthening tribal unity are: *All kindred speak same language, though regional differences in dialects have naturally evolved in the course of time. The language spoken in Ninzo District today is almost certainly a dialect of Mada language. Similarities in dress (Tsafi rites) and customs also suggest that the Ninzo and Nunku people have a common origin. In Nunku District, there are two main dialects which for convenience may be termed Northern and Southern. The Northern dialect is spoken by the following clans(Nci): Gbuwon, Kpender, Kuku, Lala, Njeto, Njida, Nkeshe, Nkwo, Renghan, Rinze, Runkuchu and Tsu, while the Southern dialect is spoken in Gbugyar, Kedan, Kejah, Kemwa, kenghaan, Kenzuei, Mochu, Ncho, and Njigban. Other clans not listed here were in Mada central District when Mada and Eggon were one entity. *All kindred practice the same tsafi rites, and also have the same religious belief. There was inter-marriage between families. *All kindred had in the last century, a common enemy- the Keffi slave raiders and later, Jema’a Emirate. *Villages did not invariably go to each others for help. However elders relate that sometimes a village could send out a call for help against the Keffi warriors. *The absence of a central chief, or a council welding authority over the tribe as a whole. *Other factors include inter-village warfare which was mostly rife as a result of traditional religious practices of Nci. *The struggle for farm land and that of stealing of wives Nunku here is referring to all Mada." Mr. Phillips traced those factors that tended to weaken tribal strength as: 1.The absence of a central chief or council welding authority over the tribe as a whole. 2.Inter-village warfare which was rife as a result of traditional religious practices of Nci (lineage) practice. 3.Stealing of wives. It is a know fact that Mada people were not politically united, yet, they were strong militarily and socially. This could be due to their unique nature of autonomy, independence, and cultural background. Therefore, their military system was oriented more towards defensive. Urbanization About 85 percent of Mada population in the area of study today lives in rural areas, counting Mada settlement in the area of study among the least urbanized centers. However, the Mada region in Nasarawa State is the most rapidly urbanizing center among it neighboring chiefdoms. Mada’s major cities are Kegbeh (Akwanga), which housed the Local Government headquarters), and Uduwon (Andaha) the seat of traditional stool). These were the primary destinations for the vast majority or migrants. Gudi and Moroa River attracted more immigrants toward the end of 20th century by the railway lines that went through the land. One other city they sprang up in the early eighties and thereafter is Rinzeh which is one of the first markets in Mada land, and of recent (2002), the seat of Akwanga West Development Area. The Mada ethnic group is made up of thirty-five clans with slight dialectical variations in the pronunciation of certain words. Each of the thrity-five clans are represented below. Click on the button to find out more about the clan, the Village/Clan Head, and the people of that clan. Ncinci (The Mada Clans Nduwan Kemwa Tsu Ninghaan Kedan Jah Gbunjeh Ancho Nkangbo Gbohon Gbukun Gbugyar Katanza Mochu Kaigbe Ntsakpe Richeh Nzwai Nchukpe Njugbon Ngadan Rhengan Nkwo Gbunchu Njetou Kpandar Rinze Nchakpa Njida Kambre Lalla Koko Ngban Nneh Nibhun

NZEH MADA : A Reflection on MADA peoplle and their culture

Nzeh Mada: A Reflection On A People and Their Culture By Obed Minchakpu

The Easter period of every year has now become a significant period for the Mada people of central Nigeria. This is because in the past two years, this ethnic nationality has had to celebrate its age-long cultural festival, the Nzeh Mada Festival, that had for decades been abandoned due to intractable leadership crisis in the land. However, with the resolution of the leadership crisis by the Nasarawa State Government two years ago, the cultural festival was revived and the second edition was held in the month of April last year at Akwanga, a town in Nasarawa State. This festival attracted attendance from not only the people of Mada ethnic extraction but also from many persons of high standing from different parts of Nigeria. Among the dignitaries at the event last year were the Nasarawa State Governor, Alhaji Tanko Almakura, and other very important personalities like Mr. Labaran Maku, a former Minister of Information, Alhaji Yusuf Agabi, a former Director in one the federal ministries; Group Captain Zakka Rabo Zaggi, a former Airforce Officer, Mike Abdul, a former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Dameshi Luka, yet another former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State; Silas Agara, the current Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, and other dignitaries like Prof, Onje Gye-Wado, a law professor, and a also a former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State; and, Solomon Ewuga, another former Minister. This is apart from traditional rulers from different ethnic groups within and outside Nasarawa State. Furthermore, other notable personalities who also graced the events are Prof. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, Executive Secretary, National Institute For Cultural Orientation (NICO) and many others from all strata of Nigeria's cultural spectrum. Prof. Ayakoroma, who was the Guest Speaker at the event, presented a paper titled: "Developing a Festival Brand: Towards a Blueprint for Nzeh Mada in Nasarawa State." The festival was a weeklong event which had an exhibition of Mada Cultural artifacts, a Colloquium, a Gala nite, a street carnival known as "Bwar", and a Dinner nite, that brought many Mada families together. It was very interesting that many families living in cities like Lagos, Abuja, Jos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, etc. had time to be in Akwanga to participate in the festival. Having witnessed and participated in the festival, I deemed it appropriate to highlight some of the issues that were the focal points of the events, share my thoughts about some views expressed by some personalities during the event, and reflect on the positive aspect of the festival. In so doing, I will be contributing to the ideas that may assist the organizers of the festival by creating a festival brand that will attract not only local and national attention, but will also draw attention from across the world. I believe that the Nzeh Mada Festival has the potential of becoming a major festival brand in Nigeria's tourism industry and can meaningfully contribute to the efforts being made towards building a strong and virile national economy for our country. The first event of the festival was the exhibition that began on Tuesday, 31st March, 2015 and ended Sunday, 5th April, 2015. And as the exhibition lasted, many Mada artifacts were on display. The Curator, Dr. Solomon Manzunche of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, was at hand to interact with Guests and visitors to the exhibition. He articulately introduced the items on display and their usage in the past by Mada people. The exhibition was no doubt, Mada History and Culture on display. This is very commendable and should be sustained. Efforts should be made to carry out archeological excavation of ancient Mada settlements so that more of such artifacts can be found. These excavated sites would also, no doubt become tourist sites in the future if undertaken. More so, visits to such sites would boost the rural economy of Mada people living around such settlements. Of significance too, is the need to get the services of archeology departments in our various universities towards this direction. The purpose is not only to uncover more Mada artifacts, but to also date them so that we get to understand and appreciate the level(s) of development of our people in ancient past. One other significant event at the 2015 Nzeh Mada Festival is the Colloquium which held on Friday, 3rd April, 2015. During the Colloquium, Prof. Ayakoroma, presented a paper that dwelt on a Blueprint for developing a festival brand. His paper touched on the theme of the festival: "Festival of Reconciliation and Consolidation." Prof. Ayakoroma in his paper said, "The theme of this year's Nzeh Mada Festival, "Festival of Reconciliation and Consolidation," is very apt, considering the wave of ethnic and inter-ethnic clashes in many parts of the country." In other to do justice to the paper, the learned Professor first set out to define terms used in the paper which include: "Ethnicity, ethnic nationality or group, festivals, socio-economic development and branding." Ayakoroma, in summation, defines these terms thus: "Ethnicity is the state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition. On the other hand, an ethnic group or ethnic nationality is a section of the population, which by virtue of sharing common cultural characteristics, separate the people from others within that population. People are all acculturated or socialized into the ethnic groups they belong. In other words, it is a group of people having common language and cultural values. These common values are enhanced through continuous interaction between the people, who make up the group; and the ethnic groups are created mainly through inter-marriages, inter-mingling or assimilation." These definitions clearly set the stage for a proper appreciation of the paper. Having defined these terms, Ayakoroma went on to disclosed that there are well, "over 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria, with over 500 distinct languages indigenous to the people." He was quick to however, explain that: "What one understands from all of these is that the actual number of ethnic groups in Nigeria is not definitive. Somehow, the ethnic groups are further divided into majority and minority ethnic groups." Ayakoroma lists the majority ethnic groups as: Hausa/Fulani, Igbo, and Yoruba. His list of the minority ethnic groups include: Bini, Egbira, Ibibio, Idoma, Ijaw, Ikwerre, Jukun, Kanuri, Nupe, Tiv, and Urhobo. The Professor also while focusing on Nasarawa State, lists the Mada, Agatu, Aho, Alago, Chesu, Eggon, Gbagyi, Gwandara, Kantana, Rindre, and Migili, as also belonging to the group of minority ethnic groups in Nigeria. One issue raised in Prof. Ayakoroma's paper that I disagreed with while contributing to the discussion on his paper at the event, is his claim that a significant feature of minority ethnic groups is that they are prone to being antagonistic. Let me quote him here: "Tension and conflicts are regularly manifest amongst minority ethnic nationalities. The minority ethnic nationalities are more dangerous than the major ethnic nationalities, because the activities of the big ones can easily be monitored, while smaller ethnic minorities cannot easily be figured out; some of them are hardly known outside their domains. When such conflicts erupt, their consequences are grave and very difficult to manage," Prof. Ayakoroma said. I do not subscribe to this view, as doing so would amount to stereotyping minority ethnic nationalities. Conflicts are not the exclusive preserve of persons of minority ethnic extractions, as every human creation has the instinct of becoming violent. It is because of this that one of the commandments God gave to Moses is that: "Thou shall not kill." I will rather say that, the domineering and oppressive nature of most of the majority ethnic nationalities has been the main factor that has contributed to the violent attributes of the minority ethnic groups. In Physics, one of Newton's laws of motion states that, "For every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction." We can comfortably say here that when a people group is pushed to the wall, there is no doubt that persons from such a people group can react violently against those oppressing them. Further more, we know that the Newton's law of motion quoted above correlates with Marxist philosophy, a philosophy whose tenets are anchored on inspiring a movement of workers towards propelling them to become the vanguards of the revolution of the oppressed against capitalist bourgeoisie. The workers as the mobilizing force of the oppressed are catalysts to revolutionary changes not because of their violent nature, but because oppression has forced them to become a force that can propel such a revolution against the oppressors. While It is true that there are times minority ethnic nationalities are pitched against each other in conflict situations, but I completely disagree with Prof. Ayakoroma that this is a phenomenon that is restricted to minority ethnic groups. The fact is, majority ethnic nationalities do also have conflicts between them, and most often, drag minority ethnic groups into such conflicts. For instance, during Nigeria's first republic, the political class in northern Nigeria engaged themselves in a class struggle for political power with the political class in the south east geo-political zone, when the first military coup d'état was staged by a group of Igbo military officers led by Major Chukwuma Ezeogwu. It was this conflict between the Hausa/ Fulani and the Igbo military political classes from the two majority ethnic nationalities that brought about the outbreak of hostilities that led to the Nigerian/Biafran war. The sad thing is that ethnic minorities were dragged into the war too. Against this backdrop therefore, the attempt by Ayakoroma to isolate violence as an attribute of minority ethnic nationalities cannot be accepted as a serious treatise on cause(s) of ethno-religious violence in Nigeria. In spite of the disagreement with Ayakoroma on this vital issue raised in his paper, I still agree with him that cultural festivals have the ability to become catalysts for positive development. For instance, the Nzeh Mada festival, as earlier mentioned, can become a tool that can generate income for our people. When we have historical tourist sites, tourists who come to watch the Nzeh Mada can visit these sites and in doing so, can enrich our peasants through buying their wares like baskets, mats, pots, hoes and different items not commonly found elsewhere. Having said this, suffice it to stress that the Nzeh festival is a veritable tool for socio-economic and political development of the Mada nation. So also, the Nzeh Mada festival can also serve as an instrument of social cohesion and unity of the Mada ethnic nationality. This too, can become a tool for the rejuvenation of our dying language. And this is possible if emphasis is laid on motivating our people to speak, write, and read in the Mada language. We must all note that our language is our symbol of cultural identity, it unveils our history as a people, and binds us together as one people under the banner of God. It is against this backdrop that I want to commend the organizing committee of this festival for doing us proud as a people by sustaining it. No doubt, as we continue to stage one festival after the other in years to come, our ethnic nationality would become the envy of others and a pride to generations of our children yet unborn. Best wishes as you all celebrate our cultural identity and uniqueness as as people living under the banner of God. Bless you all! 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The Photograph of HRH Alh. Yusuf Adamu Amwe , the Chun Ngah of Akwanga West Dev. Area Rinze

SPEECH BY HRH ALH. YUSUF ADAMU AMWE THE CHUN NGAH OF AKWANGA WEST DEVELOPMENT AREA, RINZE

A SHORT SPEECH PRESENTED BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS ALHAJI YUSUF ADAMU AMWE (CHUN NGAH) AKWANGA WEST DEVELOPMENT AREA RINZE, NASARAWA STATE ON 27TH DAY OF MAY, 2017 AT RE: GRAND FINALE OF THE INTERACTIVE FORUM ON COMMUNITY POLICING AND THE NATIONAL SECURITY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SERVING SECURITY OFFICERS / AGENCIES , FALLEN HEROES, DISTINGUISHED RETIREES, TRADITIONAL RULERS AND PUBLIC OFFICE HOLDERS REGARDING SECURITY ISSUES. PROTOCOL First of all, I thank you immensely for honouring me with this prestigious award. I dedicate it to my governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Umaru Tanko Almakura, the Chairman Traditional Council of Emirs and Chiefs of Nasarawa State, His Royal Higness Alhaji Mustapha Agwai I, the Commissioner of Police Nasarawa State and his team and all the security Agencies in Nasarawa State for beimg worthy partners. Please permit me to congratulate the Federal Government under president Muhammadu Buhari , the gallant Nigeria Armed Forces and the modern Nigeria Police. They are making us proud by restoring peace and dignity to Nigerians. They are successfully fighting the insurgents and the canker worm-corruption and fixing our economy. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity you have given me to say something about the security challenges facing my community. I have put the story of the security challenges facing my community into a short essay. I have left out a lot of details, some of them not very pleasant, for your imagination Last February a well-known native doctor was kidnapped. The kidnappers refused to take any ransom. A few days later his dead body was found. Two months later, a Chinese was kidnapped from a road construction site. He managed to free himself and escape miraculously. This month the mother and a sister of the member representing us at the Nasarawa State House of Assembly were kidnapped and released only after a payment of ransom. All these took place in my chiefdom. My palace is situated in Rinze which has a large population. Some years back Rinze had a police station that had many police men and women. It had an armoury and patrol vehicles. Somehow all those have disappeared. We now have only one ASP, one Inspector, and one Sergeant. To our dismay, only the ASP has a gun. I have been speaking with Nasarawa State Commissioner of police and the DPO in charge of Akwanga Local Government Area. It seems their hands are tied. I have only the vigilantes who take the advantage of the absence of police to make arrests, detain offenders and even prosecute them. All I want to say is that we need a standard police station with armoury and patrol vehicles. Security is not anything to be joked with. I wish to congratulate the organizers of this forum for a job welldone. More grease to your elbows. Thank you and God bless. Because of the effort made by HRH Alh. Yusuf Adamu Amwe the CHUN NGAH of Akwanga West Development Area of Nasarawa State Nigeria for controlling the security challenging facing his community and maintaining peace in all area of his community the chairman senate committee on police affair presented a certificate of Award to him as the Distinguished Royal Father of the Year 2017 on Effective Security Vigilance and Community Development in nigeria at the National Security Award Recognition for Outstanding Serving Security Officers/ Agencies, Retirees, Fallen Heroes and Public Office Holders Regarding Security Issues on 27th May, 2017 at the Nigeria National Merit Award House Maitama (FCT), Abuja