River Benue (in Makurdi With both Bridges)

Makurdi is the capital of

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 ...

, located in central

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 o ...

, and part of the

Middle Belt The Middle Belt (also spelt Middle-Belt or Central Nigeria) is a term used in human geography to designate a belt region stretching across central Nigeria longitudinally and forming a transition zone between Northern and Southern Nigeria. It is ...

region of central

. 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.

History

Makurdi was established in 1927. In 1976, it became the capital of Benue State. This city was one of the sites of the

End SARS #EndSARS is a decentralised social movement, and series of Demonstration (political), mass protests against police brutality in Nigeria. The slogan calls for the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a notorious unit of the Ni ...

protests in 2020.

Demographics

The major ethnic groups are the Tiv, Idoma, Igede, Jukun, Wurkum, Agatu, Etulo, Alagbo,

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

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 constitute ...

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...

, and

Nupe Nupe may refer to: *Nupe people, of Nigeria *Nupe language, their language *The Bida Emirate, also known as the Nupe Kingdom, their former state *A member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African Amer ...

Education

Makurdi is home to

Benue State University Benue State University is a state-owned university in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. In 2006, student enrollment was over 19,000 served by 7 faculties, 23 departments. The university offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs with a catalog ...

;

University of Agriculture, Makurdi The University of Agriculture, Makurdi (UAM) is a higher education institution in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. The university was established in 1988, following the recommendations of a 1987 federal government White Paper on Higher Education cu ...

; Nigeria Army School Of Military Engineering, Makurdi; and Akawe Torkula Polytechnic, ATP, Makurdi. There are secondary schools located in Makurdi including Government Secondary School, North-Bank, Special Science Senior Secondary School, Tilley Gyado College, North-Bank
Mount Saint Gabriel Secondary School
Government College, and Government Girls' Secondary School.

Climate

Transport

Makurdi is located on the banks of Benue River, a major tributary of the

Niger River 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 ...

. It is on the main narrow gauge railway line running north from Port Harcourt. There are regular bus services linking Makurdi to neighbouring towns. Until a road rail bridge was built in 1932, a

train ferry A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ...

was used to cross the Benue river. There is an airport in Makurdi.

Military

Makurdi contains the base for the

Nigerian Air Force The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is the air branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the youngest branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is one of the largest in Africa, consisting of about 15,000 personnel and aircraft including eight Chinese ...

MiG 21 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nickna ...

and SEPECAT Jaguar aircraft squadrons and the Nigeria Army's 72 Special Forces (SF) Battalion Agriculture Benue State is predominantly an agricultural area specialising in

cash crops A cash crop or profit crop is an agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate marketed crops from staple crop (or "subsistence crop") in subsiste ...

and

subsistence crops Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...

Resources

Limestone and marble can be found in the area.

References

{{Authority control Nigerian Air Force State capitals in Nigeria Benue River Local Government Areas in Benue State Cities in Nigeria