A HISTORY OF THE HAUSA MIGRANT COMMUNITY IN BENIN, 1906-2022

Abstract

This paper focuses on the history of the Hausa migrant community in Benin since 1906, when the earliest migrants came to Benin as hunters, traders and herders. The paper explores the three waves of Hausa migration to Benin from the pre-colonial through colonial to the post-colonial periods. The extant literature has concentrated on the history of the Hausa migrant community in the towns and cities in North-Central and Southern Nigeria, while the Hausa migrant group in Benin has received marginal attention from historians. The overarching thrust of this paper is that the new waves of Hausa migration to Benin in the post-colonial era were more dynamic as they engaged in diverse social, economic and political activities that contributed to fostering good inter-group relations between the Hausa and Benin host communities. It argues that the Hausa migrants have established good inter-group relations with the indigenous Benin community, as there has not been any significant violent conflict between the two groups. This paper relies heavily on primary data utilizing archival materials and oral interviews are complemented by secondary sources. It analyses both sources using historical narratives, thus contributing to the growing literature on the role of migrant groups in fostering inter-group relations in Nigeria.