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. 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 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.
Tiv are a Tivoid ethnic group. They constitute approximately 5% of Nigeria's total population,and number over 15 million individuals throughout Nigeria and Cameroon. The Tiv language is spoken by about 15 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 Abuja States. 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 Tiv people. They depend on agricultural produce for commerce and sustenance.
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 on the south bank of the Benue River. In 2016,Makurdi and the surrounding areas had an estimated population of 365,000.
Chief Abdul-Ganiyu "Gani" Oyesola Fawehinmi,,SAN was a Nigerian author,publisher,philanthropist,social critic,human and civil rights lawyer,and politician.
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 Akulisten (1938–1988) was elected governor of Benue State,Nigeria in October 1979 and reelected in October 1983,leaving 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) to make a mark in the educational landscape of the nation. Founded in June,2005,it is a model University that is technologically driven,has strong passion for academic excellence,emphasises character development and puts God at the centre of all learning.
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.
Festus Egwarewa Keyamo SAN FCIArb is a Nigerian lawyer,columnist and human rights activist. In April 2018,Keyamo was appointed as the director of Strategic Communications of the 2019 re-election bid of President Buhari.
Haliru Akilu is a Nigerian general who was Director of National Intelligence and Director of Military Intelligence at various times in the 1990s.
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.
Muiz Adeyemi Banire SAN Ph.D is a lawyer and activist. Muiz Banire formed the United Action For Change which serves as a pressure group and think tank with the drive to build a society where people are valued and treated equally,enjoy their rights as full citizens.
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 2019 Benue State gubernatorial election occurred on March 9,2019. Incumbent PDP Governor Samuel Ortom won re-election for a second term,defeating APC Emmanuel Jime and several minor party candidates.
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—will be held three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections. Incumbent PDP Governor Samuel Ortom is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third term.
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.
