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.
Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 among the seven states created at that time. The state derives its name from the Benue River which 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 States to the South; and has an international border with Cameroon to the South-East. It is inhabited predominantly by the Tiv, Idoma, Orring and Igede. Minority ethnic groups in Benue are Etulo, Igbo, Jukun peoples etc. Its capital is Makurdi. Benue is a rich agricultural region; popularly grown crops include: oranges, mangoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, soya bean, guinea corn, flax, yams, sesame, rice, groundnuts, and Palm tree.
Lokoja is a 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 of Nigeria, including the Kupa-Nupe, Hausa, Ebira, Igala, Igbo, Bini/Edo, and Tiv have recently established themselves. Projected to be the third fastest growing African continent city between 2020 and 2025, with a 5.93% growth. It was listed a second class township by the 1917 township ordinance of the colonial administration. This shows that Lokoja is an old city.
The Igala people are an ethnicity located in the region south of the confluence of the Niger and Benue Rivers. They are located in an ecologically diverse region of Nigeria, ideal for farming a wide array of crops, and have been influenced by many surrounding cultures. The Igala kingdom is ruled ceremonially and culturally by the Attah and has a long history of political warfare with neighboring groups along the Benue. Igala people worship the supreme being Ojo, as well as their divine ancestral spirits. Masquerades are an important aspect of Igala art and is prime example of how the kingdom was influenced by neighboring communities. Igala art dating centuries back, also feature in Nigerian body decoration and cultural architecture. Igala are a majority ethnic group in the southern and eastern lands of Kogi State and a major tribe in Kogi state politics. In times past, the Igala have held key state government positions. While the present kingdom has diminished in size, Igala people and their culture have been an integral part of the formation of the communities along the Niger river, with many communities claiming origins from Idah, the ancestral home of the Igala. Minorities of the group exist in Edo.
There are over 525 native languages spoken in Nigeria. The official language and most widely spoken lingua franca is English, which was the language of Colonial Nigeria. Nigerian Pidgin – an English-based creole – is spoken by 30 million people in Nigeria.
The Kingdom of Nri was a medieval polity located in what is now Nigeria. The kingdom existed as a sphere of religious and political influence over a significant part of what is known today as Igboland prior to expansion, and was administered by a priest-king called an Eze Nri. The Eze Nri managed trade and diplomacy on behalf of the Nri people, a subgroup of the Igbo-speaking people, and possessed divine authority in religious matters.
Aguleri is a medium-sized town located within the Anambra Valley in the southeastern quadrant of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is a country on the west coast of Africa. Aguleri is the largest town in the Anambra North local government area of Anambra State in Nigeria, bordered by Umueri, Anam, and Nando in the west; Anaku, Omor, Ifite Ogwari, Igbakwu, and Umueje in the east; Iggah, Ojjor, Asaba, and Ogwurugwu communities of Uzo Uwani lga in Enugu state in the south; and in the north, it borders Obele, Odeke, and Eshonwa communities of Ibaji lga in Kogi state. Census figures put the population of Aguleri at close to 900,000 people. Aguleri has a landmass of about 380 square kilometers.
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 was the headquarters of the former Idoma Province, 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.
Anẹ Igáláà, also known as the Igala Kingdom, was a pre-colonial West African state, located at the eastern region of the confluence of River Niger and River Benue in the Middle Belt or North-central of Nigeria. The kingdom was founded by the Igala people, with the "Àtá" Serving as the Igala Emperor, national father and spiritual head, and the capital of Igala land is at Idah. The Igala Kingdom influenced and has been influenced by the Yoruba, Idoma, Igbo and Jukun, and is likely made up of descendants of these groups who settled and mixed with the native Igala populations.
Eri is said to be the original legendary cultural head of the Umu-eri groups of the Igbo people. Eri established a community in the middle of Anambra river valley in Aguleri where he married two wives. The first wife, Nneamakụ, bore him five children. The first was Agulu, the founder of Aguleri, the second was Menri, the founder of Umunri / Kingdom of Nri, followed by Onugu, the founder of Igbariam and Ogbodulu, the founder of Amanuke. The fifth one was a daughter called Iguedo, who is said to have borne the founders of Nteje, and Awkuzu, Ogbunike, Umuleri, Nando and Ogboli in Onitsha. As one of the children of Eri, Menri migrated from Aguleri, which was and still is, the ancestral temple of the entire Umu-Eri. His second wife Oboli begot Ọnọja, the only son who founded the Igala Kingdom in Kogi State.
Idoma 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.
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.
Ado is a local government area of Benue State, Nigeria and was created in 1991. 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, Ijigbam, 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.
Opanda Kingdom was an ancient African kingdom located in what is now Nigeria.
The Eloyi are an ethnic group of central Nigeria. About 100,000 people identify themselves as Eloyi. They are related to the Idoma ethnic group.
Anaku is one of the administrative divisions of Anambra State, South-Eastern Nigeria. The town lies 6°15' North of the Equator and 6°44' East of the Greenwich Meridian. It is bordered by "Omabala," the native name of the Anambra River, which is a tributary of the River Niger (North), Aguleri, Ezu River (South), Omor and Umuerum communities (East).
Idoma International Carnival is an annual event held in Otukpo in Benue State, Nigeria.
The Bassa Nge are an ethnic group in Nigeria that traces its history back to 1805. They originally inhabited Gbara which was formerly the capital of the Nupe Kingdom. The Bassa Nge migrated from their homeland in Bida due to a dynastic feud in about 1820. They are formerly the largest of Nupe groups, with a population of about 15,000 in 1820 before they dispersed throughout Nigeria.
The Igbo-Igala wars refer to a series of conflicts that took place between the Igbo people and the Igala people of Nigeria during the 18th and 19th centuries. These wars were characterized by intense military engagements, territorial disputes, and clashes over resources and political dominance. The conflicts occurred in the southeastern region of Nigeria, primarily in the areas now known as Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Kogi and Delta states. These wars led to the drastic Battle of Nsukka.
