Kogi State is a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

in the North Central region of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the

Federal Capital Territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...

, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by

Niger State Niger is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. Niger state has three political zones, zone A,B and C. The state's capital is at Minna. Other major cities are Bida, Kontagora and Suleja. It was ...

, to the southwest by the

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

and Ondo states, to the southeast by the states of Anambra and

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Én ...

, 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 In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river ( main stem); ...

State" due to the fact that the confluence of the

River Niger The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali ...

and the River Benue occurs next to its capital, Lokoja. Of the 36 states of Nigeria, Kogi is the thirteenth largest in area and twentieth most populous with an estimated population of about 4.5 million as of 2016. Geographically, the state is within the

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

Guinean forest–savanna mosaic The Guinean forest-savanna mosaic is an ecoregion of West Africa, a band of interlaced forest, savanna, and grassland running east to west and dividing the tropical moist forests near the coast from the West Sudanian savanna of the interio ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas o ...

. Important geographic features include the key rivers with the

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesBenue coming from the northeast before the two rivers meet in Kogi's centre and bisect the state southward. Kogi State has been inhabited for years by various ethnic groups, including the Ebira, Gbagyi, and Nupe (mainly the Bassa Nge, Kakanda, and

Kupa The Kupa () or Kolpa ( or ; from la, Colapis in Roman times; hu, Kulpa) river, a right tributary of the Sava, forms a natural border between north-west Croatia and southeast Slovenia. It is long, with its border part having a length of and ...

subgroups) in the state's centre; the

Agatu Agatu is a Local Government Area of Benue State, North Central Nigeria. It was created in 1996. It used to be the Agatu district of the old Otukpo division. The headquarters of the local government is at Obagaji; it is one of nine local governme ...

, Basa-Komo, Idoma,

Igala The International Gender and Language Association (IGALA), is an international interdisciplinary academic organization that promotes research on language, gender, and sexuality. Claire Maree is its current president. History The association was ...

, and Igbo in the east; and the

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba consti ...

(mainly the Okun, Ogori, Oworo, and

Magongo Magongo may refer to: * Magongo, Nigeria, in Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area *Magongo, Kenya Magongo is a town in Mombasa County, Kenya. It is an outlying township 10 minutes northwest of Mombasa Island, situated on the Nairobi road. Magongo i ...

subgroups) in the west. Kogi is also religiously diverse as about 45% of the state's population are Muslim with about 40% being

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

and the remaining 15% following traditional ethnic religions minorities. In the pre-colonial period, the area that is now Kogi State was split up between various states with some states being tiny and village-based as others were part of larger empires like the Nupe Kingdom which held much of now-western Kogi State until the early 1800s when the Fulani jihad annexed the kingdom and placed the area under the Sokoto Caliphate. In the 1900s and 1910s, British expeditions occupied the area and incorporated them into the

Northern Nigeria Protectorate Northern Nigeria ( Hausa: ''Arewacin Najeriya'') was a British protectorate which lasted from 1900 until 1914 and covered the northern part of what is now Nigeria. The protectorate spanned and included the emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate ...

with its capital as Lokoja until 1903. The protectorate later merged into

British Nigeria Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. British influence in the region began with the prohibition of slave trade to British subjects in 1807. Britain an ...

before becoming independent as Nigeria in 1960. Originally, modern-day Kogi State was a part of the post-independence Northern Region until 1967 when the region was split and the area became part of the North-Western State, Kwara State, and

Benue-Plateau State Benue-Plateau State is a former administrative division of Nigeria. It was created on 27 May 1967 from parts of the Northern Region and existed until 3 February 1976, when it was divided into two states - Benue and Plateau. The city of Jos Jos ...

. After Benue-Plateau and the North-Western states were split in 1976, Kogi became a part of the new Benue and Niger states along with Kwara. Western Benue State, southeastern Kwara State, and far southern Niger State were broken off to form the new Kogi State. Economically, Kogi State is largely based around

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

, mainly of

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

cashew The cashew tree (''Anacardium occidentale'') is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America in the genus '' Anacardium'' that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as , but the dwarf c ...

groundnut Groundnut may refer to: * Seeds that ripen underground, of the following plants, all in the Faboideae subfamily of the legumes: ** ''Best Basketball Player'', Obinna Udunni ** ''Arachis villosulicarpa'', a perennial peanut species ** '' Vigna subt ...

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm '' Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its co ...

, and

yam Yam or YAM may refer to: Plants and foods *Yam (vegetable), common name for members of ''Dioscorea'' * Taro, known in Malaysia and Singapore as yam * Sweet potato, specifically its orange-fleshed cultivars, often referred to as yams in North Amer ...

crops. Other key industries are crude oil extraction and the livestock herding of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...

, goats, and

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sh ...

. Kogi has both the 23rd highest

Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index of life expectancy, Education Index, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the Educational system, education system), ...

and GDP in the country.

Geography

The

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologica ...

of the state has an annual rainfall total of between 1,100mm and 1,300mm. The rainy season lasts from April to October each year while the dry season last from November to march. The dry season is very dusty and cold as a result of the north - easterly winds, which bring in the

harmattan The Harmattan is a season in West Africa that occurs between the end of November and the middle of March. It is characterized by the dry and dusty northeasterly trade wind, of the same name, which blows from the Sahara over West Africa into th ...

. Between 2001 and 2014 the built up area increased by 10.68% and seven (7) adaptation strategies were employed by farmers in changing planting dates and change crop variety at 31%, 22% and 21% respectively in response to change in rainfall.

Flooding

In October 2022, Kogi State witnessed one of the worst

flood disaster A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

in the history of the state. This is according to the state governor, Yahaya Bello, who said that "flooding has affected the nine LGAs which borders the Niger and Benue rivers to include, Lokoja, Kogi-Koto, Ajaokuta, Ofu, Igalamela-Odolu, Bassa, Idah, Ibaji and Omala".

Adjacent States

Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria) The Federal Capital Territory, commonly known as the FCT, is a federal territory in central Nigeria. Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, is located in this territory. The FCT was formed in 1976 from parts of the states of old Kaduna, Kwara, N ...

– to the north * Nasarawa State – to the north east *

Benue State 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 7 states created at that time.The state derives its name from the Benue River which is t ...

– to the east *

Enugu State Enugu State ( ig, Ȯra Enugu) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi, Ebonyi State to the east and southeast, Abia State to the south, and Anambra State to the west. T ...

– to the south east *

Anambra State Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi St ...

– to the south *

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

– to the south west *

Ondo State Ondo State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Oǹdó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State ...

– to the west *

Ekiti State Ekiti State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkìtì) is a state in southwestern Nigeria, bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the northeast by Kogi State, to the south and southeast by Ondo State, and to the west by Osun State. Named for the Ekiti ...

– to the west * Kwara State – to the west *

– to the north Kogi state is the only state in Nigeria which shares a boundary with ten other states.

History and people

The state was created in 1991 from parts of Kwara State and Benue State.

is the majority ethnic group in the state. The state as presently constituted, comprises the people of the Kabba Province of Northern Nigeria. One of the first ''

Qadi A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a ''sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minor ...

'' in the Kogi State was

Faruk Imam Justice Faruk Imam Muhammad (born 15 July 1942 in Bida, Nigeria) was a judge at the Kogi State Judiciary from January 1990 to 2007. Prior to this appointment, he was a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, from January 1975 to September 1 ...

. There are three main ethnic groups and languages in Kogi:

, Ebira, and Okun (a

Group) with others such as Bassa Nge of Bassa L.G.A,

and Kakanda speakers, who are a people of Nupe extraction under Lokoja L.G.A., Bassa-Komo which is also of Bassa Local government area, Oworo people (A

Group), Igbo, Ogori

, and Idoma. The name ''

'', was coined in Lokoja by Flora Shaw in the hill of Mount Patti, the future wife of Baron Lugard, a British colonial administrator, while gazing out at the

river Niger The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali ...

Local government areas

Kogi State consists of twenty-one (21) local government areas. Which are: * Adavi * Ajaokuta * Ankpa * Bassa * Dekina * Ibaji * Idah *

Igalamela-Odolu Igalamela-Odolu is a Local Government Area in Kogi State, Nigeria. It is bordered by the Niger River in the west and Enugu State in the east. Its headquarters are in the town of Ajaka in the north of the area at. The northeasterly line of equa ...

* Ijumu *

Kabba/Bunu Kabba/Bunu is a Local Government Area in Kogi State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Kabba on the A123 highway in the southwest of the area at. It has an area of and a population of 145,446 at the 2006 census. The postal code of ...

* Koton Karfe * Lokoja * Mopa-Muro * Ofu * Ogori/Magongo * Okehi *

Okene 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. The predominant people ...

* Olamaboro * Omala *

Yagba East Yagba East is a Local Government Area in Kogi State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Isanlu on the A123 highway, and is populated mainly by the Okun people. It had an area of 1,396 km and a population of 140,150 during the 200 ...

* Yagba West

Tourism

Tourist attractions in Kogi State include the colonial relics (such as Lord Lugard House), Mount Patti,

World War Cenotaph 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 N ...

, the confluence of Rivers Niger and Benue, Ogidi (An African town with formations of

Igneous Rock Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or l ...

mountains and a traditional art & craft industry) and natural land features hills and terrains that serve as hiking trails . Being a 2-hour drive from Abuja some tourists come for day trips. Kogi State Tourism and Hotels Company limited was established to promote tourism in the state. The state Government plans and Harness the high potentials of tourism including the development of historical landmarks at Lokoja.

Transport and communications

Kogi State connects the Federal Capital Territory with 22 Southern States. Being in close proximity to the federal capital territory,

Abuja International Airport Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is an international airport serving Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. It is the main airport serving the Nigerian capital city and was named after Nigeria's first President, Nnamdi Azikiwe ...

serves as the national and international gateway for air travelers from and to the state. Good telecommunications services are available in the state.

Agriculture and resources

Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. There are many Farm produce from the state notably

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced fr ...

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn ( North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. ...

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated a ...

, rice and melon. Mineral resources include coal, limestone, iron, petroleum and tin. The state is home to the largest iron and steel industry in Nigeria known as Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and one of the largest cement factories in Africa, the Obajana Cement Factory.

Education

Kogi state is home to the Federal University, Lokoja, Federal University (Lokoja), Kogi State University Anyigba, Confluence University of Science and Technology Osara, Federal Polytechnic, Idah, Federal Polytechnic Idah,Kogi State Polytechnic (Lokoja), Federal College of Education (Okene), College of Education (Ankpa), College of Agriculture Kabba, Kogi state college of education, technical (Kabba) and the Private Salem University, Lokoja, Salem University, Lokoja. There are a college of nursing and midwifery in Anyigba and Obangede, School of health tech in Idah and ECWA School of Nursing in Egbe.

Sports

Kogi State has produced sprint (running), sprinters such as Sunday Bada and other sportsmen, who have contributed to the growth of sports worldwide. Kogi United and Babanawa F.C. are football (soccer), football teams based in the state. Other sports, such as Swimming (sport), swimming, team handball, handball, and table tennis are actively promoted in the state. The Kogi state Sports Council had a track record of Directors and great personnel team Who at one time or the other had worked with the vision of putting the State fully on the world map. Among them are personalities like Mr. Francis Umoru, Mr. Mohammed Emeje, ''Mr. Benjamin O. Ameje'', Mr. A. Ogido, Mr. Joel J. Abu and others. Among other sportsmen produce by the state is Shola Ameobi, an Ayetoro Gbede born Ijumu, Football in England, English footballer, currently playing for Bolton Wanderers F. C., Bolton Wanderers as a Forward (association football), striker, late Sunday Bada 400 Metres Olympic Champion from Ogidi in Ijumu Local Govt. of the state.

Senate

Three Senators have always represented Kogi state since the return of democracy in 1999 at Senate with Kogi East, Kogi West and Kogi Central producing one each.

Notable people

*Halima Abubakar, Nollywood Actress. * Segun Adaju, entrepreneur, CEO Consistent Energy Limited and President, Renewable Energy Association Nigeria (REAN). * Smart Adeyemi, Senator representing Kogi West senatorial district. * S. A. Ajayi, A Nigeria statesman, who helped negotiate Nigeria's independence. former minister of forestry, minister of education, * Tolulope Arotile (1995–2020), Nigerian Air Force female helicopter pilot. * Abubakar Audu, first civilian and two-term governor of the state (1992–1993 and 1999–2003). * Yahaya Bello, Governor of Kogi State (2016 until date). * Joseph Benjamin (actor), Joseph Benjamin, Actor. * Darey - Darey Art Alade. * Ibrahim Idris, former governor of the state (2003-2011). * Joseph Makoju, former GM NEPA. * Jaywon, Musician. * Mercy Johnson, Nollywood Actress. * Dino Melaye, former Senator from Kogi West. * Oladele John Nihi, former President National Youth Council of Nigeria 2019 - 2020. Vice President West Africa, Pan-African Youth Union (2021 until date) * Bayo Ojo, a former Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. * Edward David Onoja, former Chief of Staff to Governor Yahaya Bello 2016 - 2019. Deputy Governor of Kogi State (2019 until date). * Praiz, songwriter, Artiste. * Idris Wada, former governor of the state (2011-2016). * Folashade Yemi-Esan, head of the civil service of the federation.

References

External links

Website
{{Portal bar, Nigeria Kogi State, States of Nigeria States and territories established in 1991 Natural disasters