OriginandMeaningofBORNOZK N

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ORIGIN AND MEANING OF BORNO
Article · November 2017
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Author: Babagana Abubakar
E-mail: babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com
PERMANENT ADDRESS: ALHAJI BUKAR KUYA HOUSE, FEZZAN WARD,
MAIDUGURI, BORNO STATE, NIGERIA.
Tel: +2348062220179 (08062220179) Skype: babagana.abubakar
ORIGIN AND MEANING OF BORNO
INTRODUCTION:
The name “Borno” was from the name “Bornu” and the name “Bornu” was coined
from the Arabic word Bahar and the name Nuhu literally written as “Bahar-Nuhu”
As indicated above “Bahar-Nuhu” is a combination of two Arabic words; Bahr

(Arabic: ‫ )بحر‬meaning Sea and Nuhu referring to Prophet Nuhu alaihis-salaam
in Arabic (Holy Quran) referred to as ‫ ( نوح‬Nūḥ ) who is also referred to as Noah
in the holy Bible (Injila) and the holy Atorah (Old testament). In the Hebrew
language Prophet Nuhu is written as ‫ נביא נח‬or ‫ הנביא נוהו‬, in the Hindi
language is spelled as पैगंबर नुहु / नूह while in the Chinese is written as 先知
女胡 or 诺亚 and in the Ethiopian (Amharic) he is known as ነቢዩ ኑህ or
ኖህ .
So literally Bahar-Nuhu means the “Sea of Nuhu”.
“BAHAR + NUHU” = SEA OF NUHU (SEA OF NOAH)”

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1 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

However, the name Bahar –Nuhu transformed over time to become Bornu and later Borno.
Bahar-Nuhu => Bahrnu=>Barnu =>Bornu=>Borno

Some school of thoughts referred Borno to as Bahar Nur (Sea of Light), this is
because of the importance of this Sea itself to humanity as a whole. Meaning
everything about this Lake is full of blessings including its dried soils or
seabed.
Reason of calling Borno as Bahar Nuhu:
In accordance to the history of Nuhu as in the holy books (Quran, Bible and Torah)
that during era of Prophet Nuhu the entire World was once submerged by sea
water. Existing archaeological evidences also proved that the entire World (Earth)
was once under water with no dry spot left. The history also stated that the water
disappeared after sometimes probably days, months or years. So after this great
flood Lands reappeared, mountains reemerged, Valleys resurfaced, rivers and seas
came back to live, but land locked Lakes like the Lake Mega Chad and later Lake
Chad referred to as the Bahar-Nuhu remains filled up with semi saline/potash like
tasting water due to its landlocked and very low physical depression nature with
no connectivity for exit of its water through any lower land tributaries like rivers,
Seas or Oceans instead the Bahar-Nuhu retains its water from the prophet Nuhu era
though characterized with constant physical shrinking of its surface water since
then through direct sinking of the water in to the ground and through Evapo-
Transpiration (Water to Air conversion through natural heat and wind systems).
One can logically prove this part of history by observing at the physical geography
of the presently shrinking “Bahar-Nuhu” (Lake Chad) located at Coordinates
13°0′N 14°0′E, which shrank to its present size of just 1,350 km2 (520 mi2) as at
2005, from its full capacity of 25,000 km2 in the 1940s and approximately 560,000
km2 some 6000 years back. This scenario shows that the lake is shrinking and
keeps shrinking as such that one would be tempted to ask the question why the
water is just shrinking without history of replenishing, thereby leaving behind the
only option responsible for this was through the Sea water invasion water overland.
Though history shows that the Lake Chad kept shrinking, but the impacts of the
ongoing climate change is also a stimulant to its faster shrinking since the last 70
years ago. Climate change makes people to change in behaviors, culture and in
policy makings while trying to adapt and mitigate against this change. Adapting
and mitigating to this climate change made some countries to be building Dams
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along the courses of the few feeder rivers to the Lake, in order to improve their
irrigation activities and for hydro-electric power generations; for example, the
construction of the Lagdo dam at Coordinates 8°53′N 13°58′E in the
republic of Cameroon in the late 1970s along the Lagdo Reservoir had led
to extra ordinary shrinking of the Bahar-Nuhu in the last 40 years.
F IG .1: A S KETCH OF ANCIENT B AHAR -N UHU (L AKE M EGA C HAD ) THOUSANDS OF YEARS BACK :
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F IG .2: A NASA SATELLITE I MAGERY INDICATING THE VARIOUS P OSITIONS OF THE SHRINKING
L AKE C HAD OVER THE YEARS :
The inhabitants of this Bahar-Nuhu environment are mostly the Kanuri people of
the ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire who settled here since the 7th century but with
their ancestors living in the area for thousands of years earlier, probably during the
period when the Lake water was fast receding and producing newer Lands &
territories enabling creating newer settlements and agricultural fields (B.
Abubakar,2017). This Kanuri people that established a very long relationship with
this Bahar-Nuhu were the first to discover that the Lake water was actually a body
of water that gathered since the time of prophet Nuhu (peace be upon him); thus
making them to call it with the name “Bahar –Nuhu” in the first place.
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FIG.3: SHOWING A POLITICAL MAP OF THE LAKE CHAD:
These historical, logical and scientific facts altogether explains the reason why the
soils (grounds) of most part of the lands of the present day Borno state especially
places like Monguno, Mafa, Maiduguri, Guzamala, Gajigana, Marte, Ngala,
Dikwa, Konduga,Bama, Gajiram and also including others in Yobe state like
Damaturu, Mamudo, Damagum as far as Nguru, Geidam and Potiskum are all
looking darkish or Muddy-Ash like in nature in terms of their physical
appearance or soil -colours thereby indicating that all these places mentioned
above were ones part of the Bahar-Nuhu muddy seabed. Hence Soils from these
areas are very fertile for farming because they are somehow made of decomposed
marine remains full of phosphorous. In some locations within the area these dark
soil does not form the top layers, but when digging one meets strata of layers and
this dry dark muddy marine remains forms part of them.
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FIG.4: A PHOTO SHOWING THE PRESENT WATERS OF THE LAKE CHAD:
Furthermore One can notice this dry darky marine soil better in some locations like
Monguno,Baga, Kukawa, Marte,Ngala and others especially when travelling with a
vehicle across the Plain lands of these places like in the farmland areas , open
fields and bushes where this dried muddy like dark soils sticks on the wheels (tires)
and bottom portions of the vehicle involved can be clearly be observed.
Additional prove happened on the 4th May 1987, in the village of Dufuna presently
located in Fune local government area of Yobe State-Nigeria, that lies between the
cities of Potiskum and Gashua when a local farmer with the name of Mallam
Ya’u, discovered an ancient Canoe while digging a well in quest of water when he
hit a hard object at about 4.5 meters which later turn out to be one of the World’s
oldest canoe ever found in history.
The town of Dafuna shares no common boundary with the present day remaining
Lake chad waters as it is located at approximately 280 km away from the present
day bank/shores of the Lake, Dafuna has no known history of a nearby major
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flowing river and its present inhabitants are not Canoe makers or fisher men either.
But surprisingly this ancient Canoe discovered buried underground for this long
and in this semi desert environment was Radio-Carbon dated to be over Six
thousand years (6000) old, making it the World’s second oldest Canoe ever found
in history. In fact, it is only the ‘Pesse canoe’ which is Carbon dated to the early
mesolithic period between 8040 BC and 7510 BC presently in the Drents Museum
of Assen in Netherlands –Holland that is older.
FIG.5: THE DAFUNA CANOE AT VARIOUS STAGES OF EXCAVATION (A, B, & C):
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B C
FIG.6: THE 6000 YEARS + DAFUNA CANOE AFTER EXCAVATION:
Note* : Please note that the Dafuna Canoe is not the Prophet
Nuhu’s alaihis-salaam (Noah’s) Canoe (Noah's Ark) as referred
to in the holy books, but rather the Dafuna Canoe is used here
to prove the fact that there was the great flooding during
Prophet Nuhu’s era (lifetime).
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WONDERS AND MYSTERIES OF BAHAR-NUHU:
1. Despite the fact that greater portions of the original Lake had completely
dried up with some spots even been transformed in to desert or semi desert
environment, but yet this Lake still keeps providing the people of the area
and beyond with employment opportunities and the best of natural resources
including water, sea foods, potassium nitrate and others.
FIG. 7: A POLITICAL MAP OF MODERN BORNO STATE A AND GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

OF B ORNO AREA IN N IGERIA ( B ):
A B
2. Foods cultivated on the shores of this Lake referred to as the Firgi (Furyi)
areas or the Sade (Sad3) areas in general have the best tastes and best
grades in the entire African markets and yet they are mainly organic
foods because they are mostly grown on the natural marine sediments
deposited by the Bahar-Nuhu all over Borno, Yobe,Kanem and the Wadi
areas of Chad as earlier said. In fact, this explains the reason why the
Borno beans popularly known in the Nigerian Markets as the “Krenuwa
beans” remains the best and the most expensive beans in the West
African market.
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3. Due to the natural unique nature of the saline/potash like taste of the of
the Bahar-Nuhu water made fish from this salty lake generally known as
the “Baga Fish” or the lake Chad Fish to be one of the best tasty fishes in
the world, though their relatively expensive because of their high
demands in the market.
Same applies with other agricultural products produce cultivated on the a
the Bahar-Nuhu dried lands such as beans, potatoes, millet, guinea corn,
water melon, onions, wheat, cucumbers, cattle and many others
F IG . 8: A PHOTO SHOWING FARMING IN THE F IRGI (A) AND A KIND OF TRADITIONAL FISHING IN
THE L AKE C HAD (B):
A B
4.Anthropologist said that the Kanuri people of Kanembu and Buduma extraction
living around the Lake chad were the first people in history to invent the art
/skill/technology of Canoe making using ordinary grass (Grass-Canoe) instead of
the normal tradition of making Canoe using tree trunks which ends up producing
heavy Canoes with limited capacity of passengers and limitations on usages in
shallow waters. In addition, the Kotoko people who are another tribe around the
Lake Chad and still patronizing the lake for fishing activities are also known flat
bottom Boats which is regarded as one of the best in history.
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FIG.9: A PHOTO OF KANURI MEN PADDLING ON THEIR GRASS MADE
CANOES ON THE BAHAR-NUHU:
5.Though the Bahar-Nuhu is one of the popular lakes in Africa, but it

remains the Lake with the highest attraction of people of diverse
nationalities coming for fishing activities, farming on the dried shores of the
lake, potassium extraction and other related activities. It attracts more
people engaged in fishing activities than even the great Lake Victoria itself.
People from over 20 countries are regularly coming for fishing in the Lake
Chad across its territories in Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon. The
citizens of Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Central Afrique, South
Sudan, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Guinea and many others established their
presence here. Surprisingly even the people of the popular Argungu river in
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Kebbi state of Nigeria, also mostly travels to “Doron Baga” (Lake Chad) for
fishing instead of continuous fishing in the popular Argungu river that is
even recognized by UNESCO a World heritage site other popular rivers in
or around Kebbi state includes the Yawuri, Rima,Niger and others.
POLITICAL HISTORY OF BORNU:
The name Bornu became popular at the international and diplomatic levels or to
the outside World when the Sayfawa Dynasty was formed by “Sayf ibn DhiYazan”
also known as Sef DhuIfazan ( Sef son of DhuIfazan) in the 9th century ,when
the name Bornu was coined to form the name of the dynasty referred to as the
Kanem-Bornu which became the strongest and most popular Empire in African
history, this made the name Bornu rang Bell that made sound that was heard
almost all over the World since thousand years back. Bornu still remains a name in
many history books of the Europeans, Middle East and Africans. The Sayfawa
Dynasty lasted for over 800 years before it was replaced by the Elkanemi Dynasty
in the early 19th century.
Table 1: List of some popular Mais (Sayfawa Dynasty) of the
Kanem-Bornu Empire:
Names of some popular Kanuri kings (Mais) Period of Reign
(1) Mai Hume 1086–1097
(2) Mai Dunama Dibbalemi 1221–1259
(3) Mai Ali Gajideni 1472–1504
(4) Mai Idris Katakarmabe 1504–1526
(5) Mai Idris Alauma 1571–1603
(6) Muhammad Bukalmarami 1603-1617
(7) Muhammad VII Erghamma 1737-1752
(8) Ali IV ibn Haj Hamdun 1755-1793
(9) Dunama Lafiami 1808-1810
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(10) Mai Ibrahim 1817-1846
FIG.10: PHOTO OF THE AMOUR OF MAI IDRIS ALOMA AND THAT OF HIS HORSE:
TABLE 2: LIST OF SOME POPULAR SHEHUS OF THE BORNU EMPIRE:
1. Shehu al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî 1814- 1835

2. Shehu Umar Ibn Muhammad El-kanemi 1835- 1853
3. Shehu Darman el-kanemi 1853- 1880
4. Shehu Hashim Ibn Muhammad El-kanemi 1885- 1893
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5. Shehu Abubakar Garbai El-kanemi 1902- 1922
6. Shehu Sanda Kura 1922- 1937
7. Shehu Sanda Kyari Ibn Muhammad El-Amin El-kanemi 1937- 1967
8. Shehu Umar Garbai Ibn Bukar 1968 1974
9. Shehu Mustapha Umar Ibn Umar El-kanemi 1974- 2009
10. Shehu Abubakar Garbai Umar El-kanemi 2009 to date.
FIG.11: PHOTOS OF SOME OF THE KANURI SHEHUS; LATE SHEHU UMAR ABUBAKAR GARBAI IBN IBRAHIM ELKANEMI
(A), LATE SHEHU UMAR IBN MUHAMMAD ELKANEMI ALSO KNOWN AS SANDA KYARIMI”(B) ,LATE SHEHUDR.
MUSTAFA UMAR IBN ELKANEMI (C), AND SHEHU ABUBAKAR IBN UMAR GARBAI (D) :
A B C D
However, the Bornu Empire internal unrest in the year 1893 when Rabih
Zubayribn Fadlallah seized power and transferred the capital from Kukawa to
Dikwa. During this war the center of power of Borno became almost mobile by
keep relocating the capital of Borno to different locations for safety as a result
places like Monguno, Marte, old Maiduguri and eventually Yerwa where all
capitals within a short while.
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FIG.12: PHOTO SHOWING THE SHEHU’S PALACE (BORNO KING) IN MAIDUGURI CITY, NIGERIA:
The French, then expanding in West Africa, defeated and killed Rabihat at Kousri
now in Northern Cameroon republic and the French also installed Shehu Sanda
Kura, a member of the old Bornu dynasty, as the first Shehu of Borno in Dikwa in
1900. Later in 1901 they replaced the Shehu with his brother Umar Abubakar
Garbai. Based on a treaty between the French, Germans and the British, the old
Bornu was split up and Dikwa became part of the German colony of Cameroon.
The British invited Umar Abubakar Garbai to become ruler of the British portion,
and he moved in 1902 first to Monguno and later to Maiduguri. Later Dikwa was
transferred to the British, resulting in two Shehus, the Shehu of Borno based at
Maidgurui and the Shehu of Dikwa based at Dikwa.
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FIG.13: PHOTO OF THE HORSE OF THE SHEHU OF BORNO (DECORATED IN SILVER WEARS):
The Borno Emirate council is a traditional Nigerian state formed at the start of the
colonial rule. The traditional Emirate of Borno maintains a ceremonial rule of the
Kanuri people, based in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
So this Bornu Empire enjoyed using the name of Bornu derived from Bahar-Nuhu
for millennium and they remain proud of the name.
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MODERN BORNO:
After Nigerian independence in 1960, Borno remained fairly autonomous until the
expansion of the number of states in Nigeria to 12 in 1967 under the administration
of General Yakubu Gowon. In 1975 the name Bornu was used to create the new
state of Bornu which was later coined to become Borno of today comprising of
both the present day Borno and Yobe states and until the year 1991 when the state
of Yobe was separated from Borno. But still the neghbouring communities to
Borno like the Hausas and the Fulanis still call the people from these two states
(Borno & Yobe) as Dan-Borno (Son or citizen of Borno).
F IG .14: A MAP SHOWING THE POSITION OF K ANEM -B ORNU (A) IN THE PRE - COLONIAL ERA AND
SOME ELDERS OF THE K ANEM -B ORNU DURING THE C OLONIAL E RA (B):
A. B.
Geography of Modern Borno:
The geographical location of the present day Borno is at Coordinates: 11°30′N

13°00′E with an Area of 70,898 km² and population of approximately 7 000 000
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(Seven million). It remains a center of commerce, culture, home of Durbar as well
as center of learning/scholarship.
Cultures/Tribes of present Borno:
Presently Borno has many indigenous tribes, but the Kanuri formed 70 % of its
total population, other ethnic groups of Borno includes the Shuwa-Arab,
Mandara, Tuwo, Marghi, Babur, Gwoza, Chibok, Wula, Bolewa, Kare
kare,Kanakuru, Guduf ,Wula and some few others.
NATURAL CONNECTIONS OF BORNO WITH THE SOUTH

AMERICAN COUNTRIES OF
BRAZIL, COLOMBIA, VENEZUELA, PERU, GUYANA AND

OTHERS:
Recent research discovered that fine Marine dust particles are generated
from the beds of the dried ancient Lake Mega Chad in a depression created
by the dried lake around the Wadai area presently located in the republic of
Chad, this depression is known as the ‘Bodele depression’ located close to
the Enedi mountains. This dust is very rich in minerals and they are
amazingly transported by nature to the South American Aamzon forests, in
fact the Lake Chad sustains the Amazon forest itself.
The entire Bodele depression and the Lake Mega Chad were under the
Bornu territories. In fact, the Bornu territory (Kanem-Bornu empire) at its
peak of expansion in the 14th to the 17th centuries under the reigns of Mais
(Kings) Dunama Dibalmi (Dibalemi) to Mai Idris Alauma (Alooma) occupies
parts of Six countries in Africa namely Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger,
Libya and Sudan.
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FIG.15: MAP OF ANCIENT KANEM-BORNU EMPIRE INDICATING THE ORIGINAL BOUNDARIES IN RED
COLOUR:
PROCESS IN WHICH THE BORNO MAGICAL DUSTS TRAVELS TO THE

AMERICAS:
Geographically Bodele is located at 16°57′22.4″N 17°46′51.2″E. The

Depression is located in the northern part of Chad (Parts of ancient Bornu),
around the rugged granite uplands of the Tibesti Mountains which has
extinct volcanic peaks that reach an altitude of 11,204 feet (3,415 meters).
The Ennedi and Wadai plateaus stands along the eastern border with Sudan
which has peaks that reach 1,969 feet (600 meters) in between lies the
Bodele depression which is an ancient lake bed of Bahar-Nuhu with very
rich nutrients made of marine sediments.
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Fig.16: An Ariel description of the geography & WIND SYSTEMS of Bodele & the Lake Chad:
The World has wind systems that originates in one part of the World
carrying surrounding dust particles with them from the place of origins
graduating in to a strong wind referred to as the Jet streams travelling
thousands of miles across very high altitudes in Space and end up
depositing these particles in another part of the World through rain, snow
falls and others. The same principles apply with the Bodele depression
when Wind sweeps the dust between the Tibesti and the Ennedi Mountains
in Northern Chad which is channel across the depression resulting in Dust
storm graduating in to jet stream and subsequently getting settle on the
Amazon rainforest of South America. The dry bowl that forms the
depression is marked by a series of ephemeral lakes, many of which were
last filled during wetter periods of the Holocene. Dust storms from the
Bodélé occurs on an average of about 100 days per year. In accordance to
the NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites, indicated that these storms move
across the Bodélé Depression at about 47 km/h (29 mi/h)— two times
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faster than previously believed. Diatoms from these fresh water lakes, once
part of the Mega-Lake Chad, now make up the surface of the depression
and are the source material for the dust, which, carried across the Atlantic
Ocean and rains over the great Amazon rainforest which is also known as
the Amazon Jungle in South America which has an Area of 5,500,000 km2
(2,123,562 mi2).
Fig. 17: An imagery showing how the magical Dust from the Bodélé begins transforming in to
Jetstream:
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FIG. 18: A SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWING THE MAGICAL DUST FROM THE BODÉLÉ DEPRESSION IN AFRICA CROSSING TO THE
AMAZON RAINFOREST IN SOUTH AMERICA :
:: :
Dust from the Bodele depression contains fossilized fish apatite – a mineral
rich in fertilizing phosphorus a nutrient essential for photosynthesis. This
magical dust is made up decomposed fish and similar marine animals
sediments, the Bodele dust is from the decomposed fish sediments that
lived within the ancient Bodele lake which was once part of the Lake Mega-
Chad, meaning that the present day Lake Chad of just 1800 km2 in size in
2001 and now located at Coordinates 13°0′N 14°0′E with Surface area of
1,350 km2 (520 mi2) as at 2005, was once so big that it even included the
Bodélé Depression forming part of its Seabed. But the Bodele portion of
this Lake Mega-Chad dried up over the last 10,000 years to form the
present day dry dusty lands of the Bodele made up very rich marine
sediments and its located in the heart of a very dry and very unviable desert
in Africa called the Sahara Desert ,but yet keeps fertilizing the very viable
Amazon rainforest in South America with phosphorus from the biogenic
sources (such as fish bone) which is more soluble than inorganic sources
(such as in rock) for a very long time( thousands of years) resulting in the
emergence of this mighty Amazon jungle.
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FIG.19: SHOWING A SUB-FOSSIL SKELETON OF A 1.15 METRE NILE PERCH FOUND IN THE BODÉLÉ DEPRESSION:
The dry bowl that forms the depression is marked by a series of ephemeral
lakes, many of which were last filled during wetter periods of the Holocene.
Dust storms from the Bodélé occur on an average of about 100 days per
year. In accordance to the NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites, indicated that
these storms move across the Bodélé Depression at about 47 km/h (29
mi/h) Diatoms from these dried lake bed, once part of the Mega-Lake Chad
or the Bahr –Nuhu these dust carried keeps showering as rain water over
the Amazon forest spread across various South American countries
including Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana,
Suriname and French Guiana among others.
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F IG .20: S HOWING A M AP OF THE A MAZON RAINFOREST OF S OUTH A MERICA (B) AND PHOTO
SHOWING A BIRD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE A MAZON FOREST (A):
A B
As described above, this Dust exported naturally from Bornu (Bahar-Nuhu)

to the Amazon rainforest in South America throught the through the Jet-
stream in every three months keeps sustaining the mighty Amazon
rainforest which accounts for more than 30% of the world’s total rainforest
and stands as one of the main oxygen-generating sources for the entire
globe by providing approximately 20% of earth's oxygen (O2 ) needs and
also keeps providing food, medicines, shelter and protection to a large
portion of the World’s biodiversity including threatened species as well as
humans, animals, microorganisms and many others in addition to its role of
continues absorption of Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) in the Atmosphere and
providing economic incomes for many of the South America countries
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BAHAR-NUHU AND RELATED NATURAL RESOURCES:
Potassium and Sodium Carbonate were historically the major minerals

extracted or obtainable within the Bahar-Nuhu territory, but the Bahar-Nuhu
area is now proving to be much richer than earlier thought. Today it is no
longer news that this area is richly blessed with petroleum and Uranium
natural mineral resources.
Petroleum in the Bahar-Nuhu: The Agadem oilfield in Niger republic with an
area of 27,516.2 square kilometres (10,624.1 sq mi), the Bilma oil block,
Manga oilfields, Aborak oilfield, the Tenere oil block as well as the Tintouma
oilfield near Madama all in Niger republic located within the Bahar-Nuhu
historical territory are collectively estimated to be holding a total petroleum
reserves of about 11.7 billion barrels as at 2017. In addition, the Agadem
oilfield along also holds approximately 10,000,000,000 cubic meters
(3.5×1011 cu ft) to 16,000,000,000 cubic meters (5.7×1011 cu ft) of natural
gas reserves.
FIG.21: DIGNITARIES AT THE COMMISSIONING OF THE NIGER OIL REFINERY IN ZUNDER REPUBLIC OF NIGER (A) AND
AN OIL INSTALLATION OPERATING IN ONE OF THE ASSOCIATED OIL FIELDS (B):
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Additionally, all the oilfields in the republic of Chad especially those of the
“ERHC “are all located within the Bahar-Nuhu historical territory around the
the Kanem-Prefecture, as at today the oil reserve estimate in this Bahar-Nuhu
part of Chad is around 19 billion barrels as at 2017 plus approximately
21,000,000,000 cubic meters of natural gas reserve.
So in view of the above the Bahar-Nuhu area of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and
Niger is believed to be holding between 85 to 134 billion barrels of petroleum
reserves and approximately 120,000,000,000 cubic meters to
160,000,000,000 cubic meters of natural gas reserves.
FIG.22: GEOLOGICAL MAP OF CHAD, NIGERIA, NIGER AND CAMEROON SHOWING THE POTENTIALS OF FOSSIL FUEL
RESERVES IN THE CHAD BASIN AREA WITHIN THE ANCIENT BAHAR-NUHU TERRITORY:
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Uranium in the Bahar-Nuhu: The Bahar-Nuhu area is today supplying 11 %
of the world’s total annual mining output of highest-grade uranium ores. This
is because almost all the areas where Uranium is discovered in the republic of
Niger which is the fourth leading Uranium producing nation in the World
ranging from that of Azelik, Madaouela, Arlette, Ariege, Artois & Tassa/Taza ,
Imouraren and Akouta all falls within the Bahar-Nuhu dried portions. The
cumulative production of this mineral in this area as at the year 2011 was
summed at 114,346 tU part of which about 62,000 tU was from underground,
and 52,000 t from the open pit mining.
Water Reserves in the Bahar-Nuhu: Despite its limited surface area the
Bahar-Nuhu underground (under seabed) holds a huge reserve of
underground water which is ranked as one of the biggest water reserves of
the world. This was confirmed by Researchers from the British Geological
Survey and University College London who mapped for the first time the
aquifers, or groundwater, across the African continent and the amount of
water they hold. This proves the reason why free flow boreholes is still
existing in places like Monguno, Marte, Guzamala, Baga as well as Diffa, Kanem
and some parts of north western Cameroon which were parts of the banks of
the Bahr-Nuhu.
CONCLUSION:
Bahar- Nuhu which is an entirely body of water that gathered thousands of

years back gradually shrank to produce arable lands suitable for both
settlement and agricultural activities. The Kanuri people were one of the
first settlers in the area and first to discover that the Bahar-Nuhu was
formed during the great flooding of prophet Nuhu era. Over time in some
1200 years back the Kanuri people formed a dynasty they named after the
Bahar-Nuhu known in history as the Kanem-Bornu and later the Bornu
Empire. The name Bornu is found a place in many European,
Mediterranean and the Arab history books. However, the size of the Bahar-
Nuhu continuous to decline so as the political size of Bornu as such that the
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size of Bahar-Nuhu of approximately 560,000 km2 in some six to ten
thousand years back gradually declined to just 1,350 km2 or 520 mi2 as at
the year 2005 so is with the political Bornu which is now a state in Nigeria
with an Area of just 70,898 km² and a population of approximately 7 000
000 (Seven million). Despite the declines political Bornu now Borno remains
as major center of commerce, culture and home of Durbar as well as center
of learning/scholarship. While the Bahar-Nuhu continues to supply
resources and employment opportunities to million and keep exporting its
magical marine sediment Dust to the Amazon Forest in America which
accounts for more than 30% of the world’s total rainforest and stands as
one of the main oxygen-generating sources for the entire globe by
providing approximately 20% of earth's oxygen (O2 ) needs and also keeps
providing food, medicines, shelter and protection to a large portion of the
World’s biodiversity including threatened species as well as humans,
animals, microorganisms and many others in addition to its role of
continues absorption of Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) in the Atmosphere and
providing economic incomes for many of the South America countries
Page

References:
1. Karen A. Hudson-Edwards, Charlie S. Bristow, GiannantonioCibin,
Gary Mason, Caroline L. Peacock, "Solid-phase phosphorus speciation
in Saharan Bodélé Depression dusts and source sediments," Chemical
Geology, Volume 384, 25 September 2014, Pages 16-26, ISSN 0009-
2541, dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2014.06.014.
2. Koren, Ilan; Yoram J. Kaufman (2004). "Direct wind measurements of
Saharan dust events from Terra and Aqua satellites". Geophysical
Research Letters (American Geophysical Union) 31 (6).
Bibcode:2004GeoRL..3106122K. doi:10.1029/2003GL019338.
Retrieved 2007-01-01.
3. "Washington R., and Todd M.C., Atmospheric Controls on Mineral
Dust Emission from the Bodélé Depression, Chad: The role of the Low
Level Jet, Geophysical Research Letters 32 (17): Art. No. L17701,
2005.
4. Mills MM, Ridame C, Davey M, LaRoche J, GeiderRJ(2004) Iron and
phosphorus co-limit nitrogen fixation in the eastern tropical North
Atlantic. Nature 429:292–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar53.
5. Measures CI, Landing WM, Brown MT, Buck CS(2008) High-resolution
AL and Fe data from the Atlantic Ocean CLIVAR-CO2 repeat
hydrography A16N transect: Extensive linkages between atmospheric
dust and upper ocean geochemistry. Global Biogeochem Cycles
22:GB1005.
6. Cook KH, VizyEK(2006) Coupled model simulations of the West
African Monsoon system: Twentieth- and twenty-first century
simulations. J Clim 19:3681–3703.
7. Koren, I., Kaufman,Y., Washington, R., Todd, M., Rudich, Y., J
Vanderlei, M., and Rosenfeld, D. (2006). The Bodele depression: a
single spot in the Sahara that provides most of the mineral dust to
the Amazon forest, Environmental Research Letters, 1 (014005),
8. "Dust to gust". EurekAlert!. AAAS. 28 Dec 2006. URL accessed 2006-
12-29.
9. New Earth Science Journal Highlights the Work of Climate and
Radiation Branch Scientists". Climate News. NASA GSFC. 1 Nov 2006.
URL accessed 2006-12-29.
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10.R. Washington, M. C. Todd, G. Lizcano, I. Tegen, C. Flamant, I. Koren,
P. Ginoux, S. Engelstaedter, A. S. Goudie, C. S. Zender, C. Bristow and
J. Prospero, Links between topography, wind, deflation, lakes and
dust: The case of the Bodélé depression, Chad, Geophysical Research
Letters Vol. 33, L09401, doi:10.1029/2006GL025827, 2006.
11.Prospero, Joseph M et al. "Environmental Characterization of Global
Sources of Atmospheric Soil Dust Identified with the Nimbus 7 Total
Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (Toms) Absorbing Aerosol Product".
Reviews of Geophysics. 40(1). Feb 2002.
12.Bouet C, et al.(2007) Mesoscale modeling of aeolian dust emission
during the BoDEx 2005 experiment. Geophys Res Lett 34:L07812.
13."Indigenous Peoples Seek Presence in Post-2015 Development
Agenda | Inter Press Service
14.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_rainforest
15.https://www.google.com/search?q=bodele+dus+satelite+imagery&rl
z=1C1GCEU_enNG913NG913&sxsrf=ALeKk02gKXoJ-
5ATkWq5fO61_lRY52A75g:1625384271964&source=lnms&tbm=isch
&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjyj52h9MjxAhUItxQKHbdSBr0Q_AUoAXoECAE
QAw&biw=1440&bih=700#imgrc=_035TGOpvcPZaM
16.https://www.google.com/search?q=geographical+map+of+kanem+b
ornu+empire&sxsrf=ALeKk02rx1FyCfRTWCGAAkaThOZuMOH4HQ:16
25461369716&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj6tKa8k
8vxAhWi8uAKHV8nAIkQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1440&bih=757#im
grc=pnhB2Bo9YvqeZM
Page

Author-BABAGANA ABUBAKAR
UNCCP (Switzerland), UNCC(Spain). Masters, B.Sc ., Fellow African Scientific Institute
Page

DEDICATION:
This article is dedicated to my late father “Alhaji Bukar Kuya” .
FIG. X: A Photo of late Alhaji Bukar Kuya:
Page

THE
END
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ORIGIN AND MEANING OF BORNO

Article · November 2017

64th International Astronautical Congress 2013 View project

Oceans View project

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ORIGIN AND MEANING OF BORNO

As indicated above “Bahar-Nuhu” is a combination of two Arabic words; Bahr

“BAHAR + NUHU” = SEA OF NUHU (SEA OF NOAH)”

1 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

Bahar-Nuhu => Bahrnu=>Barnu =>Bornu=>Borno

2 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

3 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

4 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

5 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

6 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

7 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

FIG.6: THE 6000 YEARS + DAFUNA CANOE AFTER EXCAVATION:

8 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

FIG. 7: A POLITICAL MAP OF MODERN BORNO STATE A AND GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

9 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

10 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

5.Though the Bahar-Nuhu is one of the popular lakes in Africa, but it

11 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

POLITICAL HISTORY OF BORNU:

Names of some popular Kanuri kings (Mais) Period of Reign

(1) Mai Hume 1086–1097

(2) Mai Dunama Dibbalemi 1221–1259

(3) Mai Ali Gajideni 1472–1504

(4) Mai Idris Katakarmabe 1504–1526

(5) Mai Idris Alauma 1571–1603

(6) Muhammad Bukalmarami 1603-1617

(7) Muhammad VII Erghamma 1737-1752

(8) Ali IV ibn Haj Hamdun 1755-1793

(9) Dunama Lafiami 1808-1810

12 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

TABLE 2: LIST OF SOME POPULAR SHEHUS OF THE BORNU EMPIRE:

1. Shehu al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî 1814- 1835

13 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

14 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

15 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

16 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

Geography of Modern Borno:

The geographical location of the present day Borno is at Coordinates: 11°30′N

17 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

Cultures/Tribes of present Borno:

NATURAL CONNECTIONS OF BORNO WITH THE SOUTH

BRAZIL, COLOMBIA, VENEZUELA, PERU, GUYANA AND

18 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

PROCESS IN WHICH THE BORNO MAGICAL DUSTS TRAVELS TO THE

Geographically Bodele is located at 16°57′22.4″N 17°46′51.2″E. The

19 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

20 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

21 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

22 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

23 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

As described above, this Dust exported naturally from Bornu (Bahar-Nuhu)

24 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

Potassium and Sodium Carbonate were historically the major minerals

25 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

26 Babagana Abubakar (babaganabubakar2002@yahoo.com) +2348062220179

Bahar- Nuhu which is an entirely body of water that gathered thousands of