Girka (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

and Ajami غرك) is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Kaita Local Government

Katsina State Katsina State ( ; 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤢𞥁𞤭𞤲𞤢) is a state in the northwestern geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is bordered to the west by Zamfara State, to the east by Kano and Jigawa states, and to the south by Kaduna St ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. The word 'Girka' in Hausa may literally mean 'to base (something on).' It may also mean 'the spiritual activities of Bori.' The latter meaning has nothing to do with Girka village etymologically nor historically. Girka 'Sauri' is the title of Maigari (the

Village Head A village head, village headman or village chief is the community leader of a village or a small town. Usage Brunei In Brunei, village head is called or in the Malay language. It is an administrative post which leads the community of a ...

). This title is derived from a Hausa word to 'hasten'. Sauri Isa ruled Girka from 1945 until his demise in 1984. Currently, his son leads the traditional affairs of the village for nearly four decades. The current Sauri is the official representative of Sarkin Sulluɓawa, the District Head of Kaita. Centuries after its establishment, there are still several historical sites in Girka such as a magic tree, which people around it believe it has some

jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...

s that can frighten anyone who dares go near it at noon.History of Girka and its Current Development. Timola Bolaji NYSC Corps Member Batch 2012/2013. Katsina Printing Press. Katsina Nigeria. There are also the remnants of 'Girka Pond' that used to be a large pond where the Sarkin Sulluɓawa (the mayor of Kaita), would annually go for regal fishing. There are some smaller hamlets under Girka such as Maƙaurachi, Tarkama, Jankerma, Allemi and many more scattered hamlets. Kaita local authority has built many primary schools in Girka village and its hamlets. Some international organisations such as

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

and

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

have assisted in either building new schools or renovating the old ones. In 2009, Kaita local government has built a junior secondary school in Girka village. This allows hundreds of children to avoid travelling three or more miles everyday to attend secondary school classes in either Kaita or Dankaba village. Girka people are mostly farmers but they also engage themselves in other small scale businesses. There are still a few Kaita Local Government councillors from Girka village.

References

Populated places in Katsina State {{katsina-geo-stub