Fyer in Nigeria

The Fyer have only been reported in Nigeria
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

It is likely that the Fyer origin story is very similar to that of other Chadic language groups in Nigeria’s Plateau State. They may have originally migrated with the Ngas people from the Lake Chad region to Maiduguri in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria and then relocated to what is now Bauchi. From the early 1800s, Fulani jihadists began to force non-Muslim groups south. Tribal groups such as the Fyer were pushed into the hill country of the plateau.

The Fyer people are few in number compared with the Ngas, a populous neighboring people group. But the Fyer retain their own culture with their Fyer language. Many can speak Hausa, the most populous language of Nigeria. Some also speak English and some Ngas.

Fyer people are located in Mangu Local Government Area in Plateau State, Nigeria. This is in the center of the Nigerian nation.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Agriculture is the main occupation of the Fyer people. They raise cattle and other livestock and grow crops, including cotton, ground nuts, millet, tomatoes and yams. The government has introduced advanced irrigation schemes to increase production. Some Fyer people may work in tourism as Plateau State is described as “The Home of Peace and Tourism”.


What Are Their Beliefs?

A small percentage of the Fyer people have become Christians. The majority follow African Traditional Religion where they believe that natural physical entities such as animals, plants, and even inanimate objects possess a spiritual essence.


What Are Their Needs?

Without access to Scriptures, the Fyer cannot build their lives on God’s promises. Their ability to know God is limited. Their language and culture may also be threatened by the relatively small size of their population. For this reason, community leaders may be interested in language development to preserve their language. Workshops are available that would expose participants to language vitality and potential short-term development and translation projects.


Prayer Points

Pray that leaders will attend a workshop to help them assess the vitality of their language and decide if they wish to pursue language development.
Pray that the Fyer will engage with Scripture that they may be able to understand in other languages, for example Hausa, English or Ngas. Pray that the Holy Spirit gives them understanding despite any language barriers, so that the good news may be the power of God for salvation of the Fyer. (Romans 1:16)
Pray for the few who follow Christ, that they will be channels of God’s eternal blessing and love to their families and neighbors. May they be full of God’s Spirit of love, boldness and wisdom (2 Tim 1:7).
Pray that God’s Spirit will lead the Fyer into all truth, removing the veil that would otherwise keep them from saying ‘yes’ to Jesus Christ.


Scripture Prayers for the Fyer in Nigeria.


References

Fyer | Ethnologue Free
Fyer language - Wikipedia:
A Sociolinguistic Profile of the Rom (Tambas) [tdk] Language of Plateau State, Nigeria (sil.org)
PeopleGroups.org – Fyer


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Fyer
People Name in Country Fyer
Alternate Names
Population this Country 51,000
Population all Countries 51,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 2
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 4  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
PeopleID3 11785
ROP3 Code 103094
Country Nigeria
Region Africa, West and Central
Continent Africa
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 6  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Plateau state: Pankshin LGA, Fyer district.   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Country Nigeria
Region Africa, West and Central
Continent Africa
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 6  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Plateau state: Pankshin LGA, Fyer district..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016

No people group map currently available. Use the above button to submit a map.



Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 1.00 %)
12.50 %
Ethnic Religions
57.50 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
30.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Fyer (51,000 speakers)
Language Code fie   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Unknown
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Fyer (51,000 speakers)
Language Code fie   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Fyer

Primary Language:  Fyer

Bible Translation Status:  Translation Needed

Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


Joshua Project logo    Terms of Use   Privacy Policy   Contact Us   Copyright © 2024