Niger State is the homeland of the Nupe (Nupoid branch of Niger-Congo) and one of the most linguistically diverse 'Northern' states.
Major languages#
- Nupe — ~2 million speakers; Nupoid; Bida axis.
- Hausa — universal lingua franca.
- Gbagyi (Gwari) — Suleja, Paiko.
- Kamuku — Kontagora; Kainji-branch.
- Bariba — Borgu axis.
Minor and endangered languages#
- Reshe — Kainji-area river islands.
- Dukawa, Acipa, Pongu — small Kainji languages.
- Hun-Saare (Duka) — Wushishi LGA.
Lingua francas#
Hausa across the state; Nupe in the Bida axis; English in schools.
Notable literary and political moments#
- The Bida brass-casting guilds preserve a technique (cire perdue) traceable to the 16th-century Nupe court — one of the longest-running metallurgical traditions in West Africa.
Sources & further reading#
- Ethnologue: Languages of Nigeria (SIL).
- Roger Blench, *An Atlas of Nigerian Languages* (3rd ed., 2019).
- Ayo Bamgbose, *Language and the Nation* (1991).
- UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.