Indigenes of the Bassa-Nge ethnic nationality in Kogi state have unanimously agreed to revert their name back to Nupe, their original origin.
The resolution was taken at a special national delegates conference held in Gboloko , Bassa local government area of the state Wednesday. T he conference was organised by Bassa-Nge Development Union (BNDU) and it was well attended by the people of Bassa-Nge kingdom.
Addressing newsmen after exhaustive deliberations and input from various associations, resolutions from branches , villages , chiefdoms and various branches of BNDU across the country , the national president of the union, Mohammed Bako, stated that members of the BNDU have unanimously resolved and agreed that the people hitherto known as Bassa-Nge should henceforth be known and addressed as Nupe people from Kogi state .
He said: “From today, 4th Day of December , 2021, the concerned people shall be known and called the Nupe of Kogi state, just like our kindred located majorly in Niger and Kwara states and other parts of the country. We remain irrevocably part of the Nupe kingdom and Nupe nationality worldwide,” he said.
The president BNDU added that the socio cultural and development association hitherto known as Bassa-Nge Development Union along with its registered Board of Trustees shall be changed to Niniji Development Association (NDA).
He added that the resolutions only apply to the concerned persons who have endorsed the reversal.
Bako went memory lane on the effort put in place to achieve the feat and said in 1957, the late Christopher Mowo Lakpini and late Pa. Ajakpo advocated in their memo to the Willinks Minority
Commission and minority rights in Nigeria that the Bassa-Nge people should be known and addressed as Nupe.
He added that the union in 1976 also set up a committee headed by Professor Samuel Amdii to visit Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Umoru Sanda Nayako on a fact finding mission regarding of Bassa-Nge status in Nupe Kingdom, noting that the committee was warmly welcomed and had fruitful discussion with him.
“In 1986, the union deliberated and resolved that the name Bassa-Nge was inappropriate. Necessary documents were prepared by the union and were duly signed by the community leaders comprising BNDU, Bassa-Nge Students Association (BNSA) and the traditional leader (Etsu) to revert back to Nupe and this is how we became a member of Nupe Foundation,” he said.
