Contributions of Hausa Traders to the Ilorin Economy Since the Beginning of the 20th Century
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Date
2019-12
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Arewa House, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Abstract
The Hausa people who inhabit the north-western and north-central parts of Nigeria were not strangers to Ilorin as the earliest settlers among them had become natives in the town over centuries. Thus, there are people of Hausa origin among the indegenes of Ilorin. The primary focus of this study is not this class of Hausa, but the group of Hausa who started migrating to ilorin from the beginning of 20th century and those who started coming to Ilorin from 1940's and 1950's. Whereas the former group settled down permanently in the town, the latter shuttled between Ilorin and Hausa land, plying their trade. This study examines the of this class of Hausa to the economic development of the town. Thus, it is revealed in this study that the Hausa merchants virtually dominated the cattle trade from the early decades of 20th century as well as trade in sheep, goat, dried fish and dried meat, beans and other grain commodities. Trade in pepper, tomato and onion are also examined in this work. This study also discusses the importance of Land lord and middle man system in the Hausa's involvement in the commercial activities of the town. The aim of this research is to document Hausa traders involvement in the trade in food commodities in Ilorin, making use of comparative research methodology, sourcing information from well-informed informants on the topic as well as drawing from varieties of written sources available.
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natives, cattle trade, Hausa merchants, commodities, Land lord
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