INTER-GROUP RELATIONS IN ZAMFARA: A CASE STUDY OF GUSAU TOWN

This paper is a study of intergroup relations in Zamfara in the 20th century with special reference to Gusau town. The study shows a case in which the area has established a long association as a host to a number of Nigerian ethnic groups. The work attests the impacts of the gests on the socio-economic and infrastructural transformations of the town. It also uncovered the relevance of the gests communities in the area both as government workers (civil servant) and as ordinary businessmen such as artisans, traders and craftsmen as well as a numbers of professionals such as lawyers, medical practitioners, bankers etc. The paper furthermore shows that being Gusau town as an important trading center, in pre-colonial period, it graduated into an important commercial center during the colonial period, The paper attests that the post-independence period equally saw the emergence and growth of new and existing enterprises and number of processing industries. These developments not only increased the population of skilled and semi-skilled gests. Finally, it also helped greatly in foregoing intergroup relations in the study area.