Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a 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.
Tiv are a Tivoid ethnic group. They constitute approximately 2.4% of Nigeria's total population,and number over 5 million individuals throughout Nigeria and Cameroon. The Tiv language is spoken by over 5 million people in Nigeria,with a few speakers in Cameroon. Most of the language's Nigerian speakers are found in Benue,Taraba,Nasarawa,Plateau,Cross rivers,Adamawa,Kaduna,and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. The language is a branch of Benue–Congo and ultimately of the Niger–Congo phylum. In pre-colonial times,the Fulani ethnic group referred to the Tiv as "Munchi",a term not accepted by the Tiv people.
Chief Abdul-Ganiyu "Gani" Oyesola Fawehinmi,,SAN was a Nigerian author,publisher,philanthropist,social critic,human and civil rights lawyer,and politician.
Gboko is a Local Government Area in Benue state,North-central Nigeria. It is headquartered in the town of Gboko.
Senator Joseph Sarwuan Tarka (1932–1980) was a Nigerian politician from Benue State and a former minister for Transport and then Communications under General Yakubu Gowon. He was one of the founding members of the United Middle Belt Congress,a political organization dedicated to protecting and advocating for the country's Middle Belt.
Aloysius Iyorgyer Katsina-Alu was a Nigerian jurist and lawyer who served as Chief Justice of Nigeria from 2009 to 2011.
Aper Aku (1938–1988) was elected governor of Benue State,Nigeria in October 1979 and reelected in October 1983,he left office after the military coup in December 1983 which General Mohammadu Buhari came to power.
University of Mkar,Mkar is a private Christian institution established by the Church of Christ in Sudan among the Tiv (NKST). Founded in June 6,2005.
Samuel Ioraer Ortom is a Nigerian politician,businessman,administrator and philanthropist. He was a Minister of State Trade and Investments in Nigeria during the presidency of Goodluck Jonathan. Ortom was elected governor of Benue State as a member of the All Progressives Congress in 2015,though later defecting to the People's Democratic Party. He was re-elected as governor on 29 May 2019. Ortom's tenure ended on 29 May 2023,succeeded by a Catholic priest of the opposition party,Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia.
Arewa House is centre for research and historical documentations under Ahmadu Bello University,Zaria,located in Kaduna,Kaduna State,in Northwest Nigeria. It is also serves as a center for historical documentation and research of the Ahmadu Bello University,Zaria,Nigeria. Dr. Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu is the current Director of the House.
James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse,Tor Tiv V from Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State in central Nigeria is a Nigerian academic who is the Paramount Ruler/King of Tiv Nation and president,Tiv Area Traditional Council and chairman,Benue State council of Chiefs. He previously served as the vice chancellor of the University of Agriculture,Makurdi and the pioneer vice chancellor of the Federal University,Dutsin-Ma respectively before succeeding Alfred Akawe Torkula,Tor Tiv IV,who ruled from 1991 until his death on 22 November 2015.
His Royal Majesty,Begha U Tiv,Orchivirigh Dr. Alfred Akawe Torkula,was the fourth Tor Tiv,the supreme ruler of the Tiv people and Chairman of the Benue State Council of Traditional Rulers. He ascended the throne on the principle of rotation (ya na angbian) among the two sons of Tiv,Ichongu and Ipusu. He was a Ihyarev man and son of Ichongo,and became the 2nd Tor Tiv to have come from the Ichongo extraction. He ruled from 14 January 1991 to 22 November 2015.
Kwagh-hir is a multipart culturally edifying art form of the Tiv people of central Nigeria which became popular in the 1960s. It is a dramatic public performance telling moral stories of past and current events,and incorporates puppetry,masquerading,poetry,music,dance and animated narratives to portray its moral themes. It is used by the Tiv people to reinforce traditional beliefs and convey other worldly tales to educate,socialize,provide secular entertainment and address societal issues.
Saidu Musa Abdullahi mostly known as SMA is a Member of the Federal House of Representative,representing Bida/Katcha/Gbako federal constituency assumed office in June 2019.
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.
Innocent Achanya Otobo Ujah is a Nigerian Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,the current Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Health Sciences,Otukpo,Benue State and a past president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).
The 2021 Nasarawa massacre was an attack by Fulani herdsmen gunmen on Tiv civilians that occurred on December 20,2021,in the state of Nasarawa,Nigeria. The herdsmen killed approximately 52 people according to eyewitnesses in 12 different villages,although the death toll was initially put at least 20 by the Tiv Development Association.
Matthew Alaji Opaluwa Oguche Akpa II is the 28th ÀtáÍgáláof the Igala Kingdom in the Middle Belt of Nigeria.
The Tiv religious beliefs or Jighjigh u nan u Tiv,comprises the traditional and spiritual beliefs of the Tiv people. In the 21st century,most Tiv people are Christians,but some traditional practices are observed by some Tiv people.
