Confluence Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Lokoja, Kogi State with a 25,000 seating capacity. It is the home ground of Kogi United and Confluence Queens in the Nigeria National League and Nigeria Women Premier League respectively. It was used as a temporary venue for the home games of Niger Tornadoes during the 2016 Nigeria Professional Football League. The Tornadoes permanent home stadium, however, remains Bako Kontagora Stadium. [1] [2]
The stadium was built in 1998 and upgraded to improve its standard in 2008.
Confluence Stadium is mostly used for football matches and occasionally for state and national ceremonial events, such as religious, political and social events.
Kogi State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by Niger State, to the southwest by the Edo and Ondo states, to the southeast by the states of Anambra and Enugu, and to the east by Benue State. It is the only state in Nigeria to border ten other states. Named for the Hausa word for river (Kogi). Kogi State was formed from parts of Benue State, Niger State, and Kwara State on 27 August 1991. The state is nicknamed the "Confluence State" due to the fact that the confluence of the River Niger and the River Benue occurs next to its capital, Lokoja.
Lokoja is a north-central city in Nigeria. It lies at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers and is the capital city of Kogi State. While the Yoruba (Oworo), Bassa Nge and Nupe are indigenous to the area, other ethnic groups, including the Kupa-Nupe, Hausa, Ebira, Igala, Igbo, Bini/Edo, and Tiv have recently established themselves. Lokoja is projected to be the third fastest growing city on the African continent between 2020 and 2025, with a 5.93% growth rate. It was listed as a second class township by the 1917 township ordinance of the colonial administration, indicating that Lokoja is an old city.
Idah is a town in Kogi State, Nigeria, on the eastern bank of the Niger River in the middle belt region of Nigeria. It is the headquarter of the Igala Kingdom, and also a Local Government Area with an area of 36 km2. Idah had a population of 79,815 at the 2006 census.
Okene is a town in the Nigerian state of Kogi. The town is based in a Local Government Area of the same name. Okene runs along the A2 highway. It had an area of 328 km2 and a population of 320,260 at the 2006 census.
Niger Tornadoes Football Club is a soccer club based in Minna, Nigeria. They play in the Nigerian Professional Football League. Their home stadium is Bako Kontagora Stadium. They have also played their home games at Confluence Stadium in Lokoja.
Nasarawa United Football Club is a soccer club based in Lafia, Nasarawa, Nigeria. They play in the Nigeria Premier League.
The Ebira people are an ethnic-linguistic group of North central Nigeria. Most Ebira people are from Kogi State and Nasarawa State. Their language is usually classified as Nupoid and within the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. Until the separation of Kogi State from Kwara State, Okene was seen as the administrative center of the Ebira-speaking people in Kogi state, located not far from the Niger-Benue confluence. Since the formation of the state, the Ebira Ta'o people are predominantly found in five local governments in Kogi state, namely Adavi, Ajaokuta, Okehi, Okene and Ogori/Magongo. They are also found in large numbers located in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Nasarawa in Toto LGA. Also, the Eganyi are found in Ajaokuta LGA. And the Etuno can be found in Igarra town of Agorimagongo, Okehi and Okene each with their administrative headquarters. Ebira Koto is found in Kogi and Koton Karfe LGA, Bassa LGA, Lokoja in Kogi and Abaji LGA in the Federal Capital Territory, Akoko-Edo LGA, Edo State.
Prince Abubakar Audu was a Nigerian career banker and politician who was the first civilian governor of Kogi State. He ruled Kogi State twice. His first tenure was from January 1992 until November 1993 and the second from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2003. He died due to a bleeding ulcer before the announcement of the election results on 22 November 2015, while seeking to be re-elected as governor on the platform of Nigeria's ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC).
Andella Ibrahim is a Nigerian footballer.
Babanawa FC was a Nigerian National Division One football club, based in Anyigba, Kogi State and play their home games in Lokoja. They were owned by Col. Ahmadu Usman Suleiman (rtd), making them one of the few Nigerian teams not run by a state government. In 2003, they were relegated to the amateur league under "suspicious" circumstances involving player ineligibility, and took the NFL to court to protest, ultimately losing. The team was resurrected in 2005 after acquiring Globe Stars FC and elected to play their games at Onikan Stadium. In 2006 they played their home games in Gboko and Makurdi before returning to Kogi State for the 2007 season. They withdrew from the League in the 2011 season after not making their first three games.
Jonathan Tunde Ogbeha is a Nigerian politician and retired brigadier general who served as the administrator of Akwa Ibom State and then of Bendel State during the military rule of General Ibrahim Babangida (1985–1993). After the return to democracy in 1999, he was elected senator for the Kogi West constituency of Kogi State from May 1999 to May 2007. A biography on Ogbeha titled "Jonathan Tunde Ogbeha: A Noble Path" was written by Innocent Nzeke Waniko, a journalist, and presented publicly on 1 September 2017. The book chronicles the early life and comprehensively captures the life and career of Ogbeha.
Kogi United is a Nigerian football club that play in the second-tier division in Nigerian football, the Nigeria National League. They use the 25,000-capacity Lokoja Confluence Stadium for their home games. Hummel is their kits sponsor.
The Federal University Lokoja, popularly known as Fulokoja or by its acronym, FUL, is a federal university in the confluence city of Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria. Lokoja lies at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers.
The Okun people are a Yoruba speaking people found majorly in Kogi, but with settlements in Kwara, Ekiti, and Ondo states of Nigeria. Their dialects are generally classified in the Northeast Yoruba language (NEY) grouping. They are collectively called "Okun", which in Okun dialects could mean "Sorry", "Well-done", or as an all-encompassing greeting. Similarly, this form of greeting is also found among the Ekiti and Igbomina groups of Yoruba people. It is also a mode of greeting among the Ijesa people of southwestern Nigeria.
Confluence Queens F.C. sometimes referred to as Wada Queens and Kogi Confluence Queens is a Nigerian women's association football club based in Lokoja, Kogi State. They play their home games at Confluence Stadium, and compete in the Nigeria Women Premier League, the highest tier of female football league system in Nigeria.
Denis Nya is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for NPFL club, Akwa United.
The 2019 Nigeria Women Premier League began July 24, 2019. The league was earlier scheduled to start in February, but due to logistic reasons and commencement of other competitions, it was postponed to March, May then later July. Prior to the start of the league, a congress was held in Abuja on June 27, with representatives from Nigeria Football Federation. Due to failure of some teams to pay their indemnities, the agreed date at the congress was shifted from July 17 to July 24.
The World War Cenotaph in Lokoja, Nigeria is a remembrance arcade for fallen heroes. It is located along Murtala Mohammed way, besides federal medical centre in Lokoja, the colonial Nigeria administrative center and headquarters of the Royal Niger Company.
The Mount Patti Hill is a 1503 foot-tall mountain and tourist attraction in Lokoja, Nigeria. It is famous for being the place where British journalist and writer Flora Louise Shaw gave Nigeria its name.
The 2019–2020 Nigeria Professional Football League was the 49th season of the top-flight division of the Nigerian football league system and the 30th season since its rebranding as the 'Professional League'. The league started on 3 November 2019 but was cancelled in July due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with no champions and no teams relegated. Enyimba were the defending champions, after winning the Super 6 play-offs the previous season