There are five Nigerian states commonly mistaken to be Hausa but they have their own languages. Although these states speak Hausa as a form of regular pidgin, they have their languages.
Nigeria has 400 ethnic groups and 450 languages, many people are grouped under three broad groups, Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba, even though they aren’t from those ethnic groups.
In 1993, General Sani Abacha created six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. These zones were created for economic, political, and educational resources to be distributed across the zones.
People from the North Eastern and Central states are often victims of this misnomer and preferred to be called the middle belt.
Here are five states which many people believe speak Hausa but have their ethnic groups.
- Adamawa
This is one of the largest states in Nigeria. It is located in the North Eastern region of Nigeria and has a significant Christian population as well as a lot of Muslims. Adamawa also has a large Igbo population, and Fulfulde is the most widely spoken language, though there are many other languages.
- Kaduna
The city of Kaduna as of 2006 was the eighth-largest city in the country.
There used to be a lot of crocodiles in the Kaduna River, it is believed that the word Kaduna comes from the Hausa word “Kada,” which means crocodile. A different explanation for the name’s etymology is the name was gotten from the Gbagyi word “Odna”. There are between 59 and 63 different ethnic groups that call Kaduna State home, including the Bajju, Kataf, and Gbagyi-Gbari.
- Plateau
The twelfth-largest state in Nigeria is Plateau State. It is situated close to the centre of Nigeria and consists of hills that encircle the Jos Plateau. There are more than 40 ethnic groupings in the state. Berom, Afizere, Amo, Anaguta, Aten, Bijim and Bogghom, are just a few of the ethnic groups in Plateau.
- Kogi
Kogi State is located in the North Central part of Nigeria. It is the only state in Nigeria with ten bordering states. It is named the Hausa word for river. It was created in 1991 from portions of the Benue, Niger, and Kwara States. Given that there is a confluence of the Rivers Niger and Benue close to the state’s capital, Lokoja, it is known as the “Confluence State.”
Yoruba, Igala, and Ebira are the three primary languages (Okun) spoken in Kogi. Nupe, Kakanda, Kupa, Bassa Nge, and Basa Komu are further languages are other languages spoken in Kogi. Igbo is also spoken in border regions.
- Bauchi
Bauchi is the fifth-largest state in terms of area out of the 36 and it is situated in the North Eastern political zone. There are North Bauchi languages and South Bauchi languages and a total of 55 different ethnic groups, including the Hausa, Fulani, Gerawa, Sayawa, Jarawa, Bulewa, Kare-Kare, Kanuri, Warjawa, Zulawa, and Badawa.