Dating Back to History (the white paper of the commission of inquiry into the 1894 crisis), Jos was originally called Gwosh, in the Izere language spoken by the Afusari, the first settlers in the area, which was a village situated at the current site of the city. The earliest known settlers of the land that would come to be known as Nigeria were the Nok People (circa 100 BC) , who were skilled artisans from around the Jos area who mysteriously vanished in the late 1st millennium. It was the Hausas who arrived there after that wrongly pronounced Gwosh as "Jos", and it stuck.
The area known as Jos today was housed by indigenous ethnic groups who were mostly farmers. The British colonisers used direct rule for the indigenous ethnic groups on the Jos Plateau since they were not under the Fulani Emirates, where indirect rule was used. The Fulani empire controlled most of Northern Nigeria except the Plateau province and the Berom, Mwaghavul, Ngas, Tip, Jukun and Idoma ethnic groups.
In the pre-colonial era, as a state which was an important centre for Tin mining and is the trading of the state as commercial activities are steadily increasing, it has a high influx of other ethnic groups such as the Hausas from the North, Southeast Igbos, and Yoruba from the country's Southwest, as at the discovery of tin by the British. Tin mining has led to the influx of migrants, mostly Igbos, Yorubas, and Europeans who constitute more than half of the people of Jos. This " melting pot" of race, ethnicity, and religion just like Lagos, is what makes it recognized as one of the most cosmopolitan city in Nigeria. For this reason, Plateau State is known in Nigeria as the "Home of Peace and Tourism"
After the British discovery of tin deposits in the state, the population grew rapidly. Both tin and columbite were extensively mined in the area up until the 1960s. They were transported by railway to both Port Harcourt and Lagos on the coast, then exported from those ports.
After the independence, Jos is still known for its tin deposits, and is still often referred to as "Tin City." It was made capital of Benue-Plateau state in 1967, and became the capital of the new Plateau State in 1975. Jos has become an important nation administration, commercial and tourist centre.
The Jos city is divided into three Local Government Areas of Jos North, Jos South, and Jos East. The city properly lies between Jos North and Jos South. Jos East houses the prestigious Nation Center for Remote Sensing. Jos North is the state capital and the area where most commercial activities of the state takes place, although due to the recent communal clashes, a lot of commercial activities are shifting to Jos South. The Governor's office is located in an area in Jos North, which has a significant slum called "Jise" in Berom language, "Gise" in Afizere (Jarawa) language or "Tundun-Wada" in Hausa language, while his Deputy's office is located in Jos South.
Jos houses prestigious institutions like the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), the highest academic awarding institution in Nigeria, the National Veterinary Research Institute, The Police Staff College, and The NTA Television College of thee Nigerian Film Corporation. The Jos South houses the University of Jos and it's teaching hospital. The city has formed an agglomeration with the town of Bukuru to form the Jos-Bukuru metropolis (JBM).
Like every other African countries, having earmarked one third of the landmass to establish conservation areas in the state, according to the mandate established in 1972 under the administration of the then Governor of Benue-Plateau, Joseph Gomwalk in alliance with the organisation of African Unity to African heads of state, it has become a major attraction in the state, attracting tourist from within and outside the country.
Some of the worthy tourist attractions are: The Park, which has become a home to to various species of wildlife including Lions, Rock pythons, Marabou Storks, Baboons, Honey Badgers, Camels, as well as Variant Flora. Other beautiful sights to see include The Golf course, Jos Stadium, Riyom Rock, and Assop Falls.
Welcome to the "Home of Peace and Tourism"✌
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