Mangu: An emerging commercial town

Abstract

This paper is the outcome of a local study of the two Mangus then a part of the old Pankshin division of Benue-Plateau State, Nigeria. The local study was a special school project embarked upon by final year students of the then Gindiri Teachers College Machut 5 Lere, a fellow student and resident of Mangu town, gave the writer very valuable insight into the nature of trading activities in the Mangu market. Mr. Elisha Mangwvat gave us very useful information on export trade in the Mangu market. Alhaji Muazu from Mangu cannot be forgotten for his talk on trade and the names of some people who practice it on a commercial scale e.g. M. Hirse. Sunday 6 , a school pupil, was instrumental in our study of Mangu Hausawa on the major divisions of the town and the names of some commercial farmers. The aim of the project was to study the emerging Mangu market, the basic outline of which this paper has retained. The presentation is narrative and descriptive being a study conducted by a final year secondary student. Thus while retaining the content and character of the study, the aim of this presentation is to capture the outlook of the market as it was emerging at that time. This will help benchmark some aspects of the earliest dynamics of the Mangu market to the year 1973. We have provided some annotations to reflect, among other things, major changes since the decade of the study.