Benue River, previously known as the Chadda River or Tchadda, is a major tributary of the Niger River. The size of its catchment basin is 319,000 km2. Almost its entire length of approximately 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) is navigable during the summer months. As a result, it is an important transportation route in the regions through which it flows. The name Benue comes from Binuwe, meaning 'Mother of Waters’ in the Batta language.
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 is a Tivoid language spoken in some states in North Central Nigeria, with some speakers in Cameroon. It had over 5.2 million speakers in 2024. The largest population of Tiv speakers are found in Benue state in Nigeria. The language is also widely spoken in some Nigerian states namely, Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa, Cross River, Adamawa, Kaduna, and Abuja. It is by far the largest of the Tivoid languages, a group of languages belonging to the Southern Bantoid languages.
Tiv are a Bantu 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.
Ebonyi State is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by Benue State, Enugu State to the west, Cross River State to the east and southeast, and Abia State to the southwest. Named for the Abonyi (Aboine) River—a large part of which is in the state's south—Ebonyi State was formed from parts of Abia and Enugu state in 1996 and has its capital in Abakaliki.
Taraba is a state in north-eastern Nigeria, named after the Taraba River, which traverses the southern part of the state. It is known as "Nature's Gift to the Nation". Its capital is Jalingo. The state's main ethnic groups are the Fulani, Mumuye, Mambilla, Jukun, Kuteb, Karimjo Wurkun, Yandang, Ndola, Ichen, Jenjo, Tiv, Tigon, and Jibu. The northern part is mainly dominated by the Fulani, Wurkun and Mumuye. The southern part is dominated by the Jukun, Chamba, Tiv, Kuteb and Ichen. The central region is mainly occupied by the Fulani, Mambilla, Ndola, Tigon, Jibu, Wurbo, and Daka people. There are about 80 distinct ethnic groups and their languages in the state.
Jigawa State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the northern region of the country. Jigawa was created on 27 August 1991, under the General Ibrahim Babangida military administration. Jigawa State was formerly part of Kano State and was located in the northeastern-most region of Kano State, and it forms part of Nigeria's national border with the Republic of Niger. The state capital and largest city is Dutse. Jigawa state has 27 local governments.
Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962, it acquired the territory of the British Northern Cameroons, which voted to become a province within Northern Nigeria.
Makurdi is the capital of Benue State, located in central Nigeria, and part of the Middle Belt region of central Nigeria. The city is situated along the Benue River. In 2017, Makurdi's urban population was 517,342.
Gboko is a Local Government Area in Benue state, North-central Nigeria. It is headquartered in the town of Gboko.
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.
Guma is a Local Government Area of Benue State, North Central Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Gbajimba.
Katsina-Ala is a Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Katsina-Ala where the A344 highway starts. It is also the location of an important archeological site where artifacts of the Nok culture have been found.
Tarka is a Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Wannune.
Ukum is a Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. It has an area of 1,514 square kilometres (585 sq mi) and a population of 216,930 at the 2006 census. The biggest yam market in the world, Zaki Biam Yam Market, is located in Ukum, and Zaki Biam is also the biggest town in the local government.
Buruku is a Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Buruku.
The Katsina Ala is a river in central Nigeria, located within its Middle Belt. It serves as a major tributary of the Benue River in Nigeria. The source of the river is found in the Bamenda highlands in northwestern Cameroon. It flows 320 kilometres (200 mi) northwest in Cameroon, crossing the Nigeria–Cameroon border into Nigeria.
Benue North-East senatorial district well known as zone A within Benue State covers seven local government areas which include Katsina-Ala, Logo, Ukum, Konshisha, Vandeikya, Kwande and Ushongo. There 84 electoral wards and 1,389 polling units as of 2019 election. The headquarter of Benue North-East senatorial district is Katsina-ALa. The current representative is Senator Gabriel Suswam.
The Benue State House of Assembly is the legislative arm of the government of Benue State of Nigeria. It is a unicameral legislature with 32 members elected from the 23 local government areas of the state. This makes the number of legislators in the Benue State House of Assembly 32.
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.
Nigeria 
