The Factor of Trade in the Diplomatic Relations Between Nupe People and the Ilorin Emirate

Abstract

Several scholars who wrote on migration have put forward many reasons why people move from one place to another. These include but not limited to political, social, cultural and religious factors. Scholars of Nupe history have recorded several push and pull factors that were responsible for the Nupe migration into places around the world. However, little or no attention has been placed on the factor of trade in the Nupe migration into Ilorin. This paper therefore, intends to examine the place of trade in the Nupe diplomatic relations with the people and authority of the Ilorin Emirate. These among other things relate to identification and appreciation of values of the relations between Nupe and the Ilorin Emirate. Since this study is on the relations of the two cosmopolitan communities, it will be useful in pointing sources of mechanism valuable to sustain effective policy of peaceful co-existence, crisis management and global peace. This study adopted historical research method, which involved the use of archival materials, oral evidences, and text content analysis. The study concluded that trade (with involvement in activities such as caravan trade, agriculture, currency production etc.) played prominent roles in the Nupe migration, integration and diplomatic relations into Ilorin Emirate.