An exploratory demographic study of the Nupe of Niger State : the case of Sakpe village

Abstract

This pioneer survey, conducted in Sakpe Village in April 1977, obtained data on the basic demographic characteristics of a selected typical Nupe Village. Sakpe village is situated in a remote forest area of Niger State in the North of Nigeria and is predominantly a traditional Moslem, farming community. The village lacks basic socio-economic amenities like pipe-borne water and preventive health services. Prior to this study, little was known about the demographic characteristics of the Nupe people. The only available demographic information was based largely on the Nigerian population censuses and there is no sound basis for estimating demographic parameters from the results of these censuses which have often been defective and unreliable. Thus, the Sakpe study is an attempt to fill the gap in the existing knowledge on the demography of the Nupe people. In this respect, the study has succeeded in deriving various demographic measures such as the Crude Birth Rate, Age-Specific Fertility Rates and Mortality Rates. Related demographic factors such as marriage and breast-feeding practices were examined and basic household data were also collected. Despite the many original contributions of the study, the small number of cases preclude further detailed analysis.