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Benue is a State in the North Central region of Nigeria. It has an estimated population of about 4,253,641 in the 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 and was among the seven states created at that time. The state derives its name from the Benue River initially called Ber-nor, a compound word in Tiv language which means river or lake of hippopotamus the name Ber-nor was corrupted to BENUE by colonial masters, the river is the second largest river in Nigeria after the River Niger. The state borders Nasarawa State to the North; Taraba State to the East; Kogi State to the West; Enugu State to the South-West; Ebonyi and Cross-Rivers State to the South; and has an international border with Cameroon to the South-East. It is inhabited predominantly by the Tiv, Idoma and Igede people. Minority ethnic groups in Benue are Etulo, Igbo, hausa and Jukun people etc. Its capital is Makurdi. Benue is a rich agricultural region; common crops cultivated in the state include oranges, yams, mangoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, soya bean, guinea corn, flax, sesame, rice, groundnuts and palm trees.
The Idomas are people that primarily inhabit the lower western areas of Benue State, Nigeria, and some of them can be found in Taraba State, Cross Rivers State, Enugu State, Kogi State and Nasarawa State in Nigeria. The Idoma language is classified in the Akweya subgroup of the Idomoid languages of the Volta–Niger family, which include Igede, Alago, Agatu, Etulo, Ete, Akweya (Akpa) and Yala languages of Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Enugu, and Northern Cross River states. The Akweya subgroup is closely related to the Yatye-Akpa subgroup. The bulk of the territory is inland, south of river Benue, some seventy-two kilometres east of its confluence with River Niger.
There are over 520 native languages spoken in Nigeria. The official language is English, which was the language of Colonial Nigeria. The English-based creole Nigerian Pidgin – first used by the British and African slavers to facilitate the Atlantic slave trade in the late 17th century – is the most common lingua franca, spoken by over 60 million people.
The Nigerian National Assembly delegation from Benue comprises three Senators representing Benue South, Benue North-East, and Benue North-West, and 11 Representatives representing Apa/Agatu, Kwande/Ushongo, Oju/Obi Vandeikya/Konshisha, Buruku, Ado/Ogbadigba/Opkokwu,Katsina-Ala/Ukum/Logo, Gboko/Tarka,Makurdi/Guma,Gwer/Gwer-west and Otukpo/Ohimini.
Otukpo is a town in Benue State, Nigeria located in the Middle Belt Region of Nigeria. It is also the eponymous name of a subgroup of the Idoma people. Otukpo is the headquarters of the Otukpo Local Government Area. It is the headquarters of the Idoma Nation, and remains an important town in Idomaland, an area mainly populated by the Idoma speaking people, though with numerous local dialects spoken in the diverse reaches of Idoma land. Otukpo Idoma language is the umbrella lingua.
Yala is a Local Government Area in Cross River State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Okpoma in the east of the area at 6°35′35″N8°38′01″E.
Idoma (Ìdɔ́mà) is the second official language spoken in Benue State in southeast-central Nigeria, by approximately one million people. The Idoma language is made up of the dialects of Agatu, Edumoga, Otukpo, Otukpa, Orokam, Akpa Agila, Utonkon, Igede, Etilo, Iyala. The Idoma people are predominantly hunters, farmers and fishermen. They are bordered to the north by Nasarawa, south by cross river, east by Taraba and west by Enugu and Kogi States.
The Idomoid languages are spoken primarily in Benue State of east-central Nigeria and surrounding regions. Idoma itself is an official language spoken by nearly four million people including the subgroups of Igede, Uffia, Otukpo, and Orokam.
Apa local government area was first created on 23 March 1981. It became defunct on 31 December 1983, and was later re-created in August, 1991. The local government is located in the northwestern part of Makurdi, the capital of Benue State. It is bounded to the North by Agatu local government, to the East by Gwer West, to the South by Otukpo and to West by Omala local government area of Kogi State.
Agatu is a Local Government Area of Benue State, North Central Nigeria, created in 1996. It was formerly part of the Agatu district in the old Otukpo division. The headquarters of the local government is at Obagaji. Agatu is one of nine local government areas in the southern senatorial zone of Benue State, which is mainly occupied by the Idoma people. The majority of the resident population are farmers.
Ado is a local government area of Benue State, Nigeria and was created in 1989. It is one of the 9 local government areas in the southern senatorial zone which is mainly occupied primarily by the Idoma and Igbo people of Benue State. The administrative headquarters are at Igumale, situated on the railway line transversing the north-south of Nigeria. The area contains mineral and natural resources in commercial quantities such as limestone, kaolin, petroleum and coal. It is a culturally rich and diverse area comprising the Agila/Apa, Ulayi, Ijigban, Utonkon and Igumale, Ekile communities. It was one of the first areas in Idoma to have contact with European missionaries, hence it had the first missionary school in the Idoma area. The Catholic Missionaries first came to Utonkon in Ado in 1922 where they established the St. Paul's Catholic Church (Parish) in Utonkon, the home of HRH, Late Amb. Dr. Edwin Ogebe Ogbu, the Ochi'doma III of Idoma, Hon. (Chief) Dennis Ekpe Ogbu, The Ogakwu K'Idoma, and Justice George I. Uloko (Rtd) a former Chief Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission, Nigeria. Utonkon is the location of the defunct Apa State University and Igumale is the location of the Benue state cement factory.
Ohimini is a Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Idekpa-Okpikwu. Ohimini was created out of the present Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State. The major district under the Ohimini Local Government is Onyagede, which shares a boundary with Kogi State, and it has the following villages: Amoke, Enumona, Ogodu, Awume, Ikpoke, Ogoli, Ogande, Ugofu, Ipolabakpa, Umonomi, Iyaya, Okpikwu, Agadagba, Oglewu, and Idekpa, the capital.
Idoma may refer to:
Eloyi, or Afu (Afo) or Ajiri, is a Plateau language of uncertain classification. It is spoken by the Eloyi people of Agatu LGA and Otukpo LGA of Benue State and Nassarawa State in Nigeria.
Alago, or Idoma Nokwu, is an Idomoid language spoken by the Sub-Saharan peoples of Nigeria. The alago people were originally one with the Idoma people of mordern day Benue state in Nigeria. However, the Alago people are believed to have broken up with their Idoma counterpart around 1200 AD.
Idoma International Carnival is an annual event held in Otukpo in Benue State, Nigeria.
The Agatu attacks and massacres occurred in Agatu, Benue State, began in late February 2016 and continued for several days into March.
The 2023 Benue State gubernatorial election took place on 18 March 2023, to elect the governor of Benue State, concurrent with elections to the Benue State House of Assembly as well as twenty-seven other gubernatorial elections and elections to all other state houses of assembly. The election — which was postponed from its original 11 March date — was held three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections. Incumbent PDP Governor Samuel Ortom was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third term. Hyacinth Alia — a suspended Catholic priest — gained the office for the APC by a 33% margin over PDP nominee House of Assembly Speaker Titus Uba.
The 2019 Benue State House of Assembly election was held on March 9, 2019, to elect members of the Benue State House of Assembly in Nigeria. All the 30 seats were up for election in the Benue State House of Assembly.
Godday Odagboyi Samuel is a Nigerian politician. He was a member of the Federal House of representatives representing Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency of Benue state in the 9th National Assembly.
References
- ↑ Agatu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
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