The Church at Wusasa

Kola — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 12:25:54 +0000

Today, I want to tell you about Wusasa. I never did tell you about my visit to that little village of one square mile, three miles outside Zaria City in Kaduna state, Nigeria. I was there in July.

This set of pictures is that of the very first church in Northern Nigeria, according to sources, built by missionaries after they were evicted from the Islamic Zaria City not just by the Emirate council, but by the British administrators who did not want to offend the indigenous Northern rulers and upset Indirect Rule.

Due to this policy, development in the region became forever stymied with Wusasa rather than Zaria producing the many firsts in indigenous breakthroughs in Northern Nigeria. The first Northern Nigerian to qualify as a medical doctor (Dr. R.A.B Dikko), the first Nigerian pharmacist (Mallam S.M.Audu), pediatrician (Professor I.S. Audu), BSc in Economics (Amb John M. Garba), among very many impressive others were born, lived in, or educated in Wusasa. Even General Yakubu Gowon (the first Northern Nigerian Head of State) was raised in the city, and the tour guide showed us his father’s house right behind the Wusasa church.

The church (St. Bartholomew’s) was built with local materials and by local architects. It has been attacked twice by Islamic extremists during the Northern Nigerian riots, and was even set on fire during those times. The mud materials of the building however withstood the assault, and even got stronger. Oh, one more thing: Prince Charles of Britain visited the church a few years ago and has been instrumental to its rennovation. Now the church has a rug over all the concrete seats, and dozens of fans on its walls. But it retains much of its outward appearance as the oldest church building in Northern Nigeria, and an important one as well to the history and development of the region.

Special thanks to Zainab Shelley who took me there, and a pastor of the church who gave us a detailed and guided tour on arrival.

Zaria

Kola — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:04:10 +0000

The city of Zaria, about an hour from Kaduna is an ancient settlement founded by the Hausa-Fulani Emirate. Occupied by moslems, headed by an emir and surrounded by a wall thicker from its looks than five feet. Five times every day, devout moslems from the “city” come out to the central mosque in front of the emir’s palace to pray. We arrived there at such a time and such couldn’t do more than mere pacing and a little sight-seeing. From what we learnt later, the suspicions of the emir of the old city of the christian missionaries led to the founding of the first church in Northern Nigeria at a place a few miles out of the city gates. An interesting story.

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The Church at Wusasa

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