Kogi state, nicknamed the confluence state, is a state in the North-central region of Nigeria.
The state is bordered by ten states in the country;
* Ekiti and Kwara to the East
* Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to the North
* Nasarawa state to the North-east
* Niger state to the North-west
* Edo and Ondo states to the South-west
* Anambra and Enugu states to the South-west
* Benue state to the West
Apparently, it is the only state in the country, Nigeria to border ten other states. On the 27th of August, in the year 1991, it was named after the Hausa word for river Kogi. Kogi state was formed from the parts of Benue Niger state and Kwara state. It got the nickname: Confluence State because of the fact that the confluence of the River Niger (which bisects a wooded savanna region) and that of River Benue occurs next to its capital which is Lokoja. Out of the 36 states in Nigeria, Kogi state is the thirteenth largest state in the country. As at 2016, it was the twentieth most populous state with an estimated population of about 4.5 million.
PEOPLE: Kogi state comprise of three main ethnic groups and languages, namely;
* Igala; the major ethnic group in the state
* Ebira
* Okun, a Yoruba group
Others include;
* Bassa Nge of Bassa local government area LGA
* Kupa and Kakanda speakers (who are a people of Nupe extraction under Lokoja local government area)
* Bassa-Komo which is also of Bassa Local Government Area
* Oworo people (a Yoruba group)
* Igbo
* Ogori Magongo
* Idoma.
Over the years, Kogi state has been inhabited by various ethnic groups in different area of the state;
* Centre of the state: the Ebiras, Gbagyis, and Nupes (mainly the Bassa Nge, Kakanda, and Kupa subgroups)
* East of the state: the Agatus, Basa-Komos, Idomas, Igalas, and Igbos
* West of the state: the Yorubas (mainly the Okun, Ogori, Oworo, and Magongo subgroups)
In terms of religious diversity, Kogi state harbors about three religion. About forty-five percent of the state's population are Muslims, about forty percent are Christians and fifteen percent are traditionalists.
HISTORY: Kogi state was created in 1991 from parts of Kwara state and Benue state of Nigeria. As presently constituted, the state consists of the people of the Kabba province of the Northern Nigeria.
SIGHTS: The Kogi State Tourism and Hotels Company limited was established to promote tourism in the state. The state government plans and utilizes the high potentials of tourism including the development of historical landmarks at Lokoja. Prominent tourist centers in Kogi state are;
* Colonial relics such as Lord Lugard's house
* Mount Patti
* World war cenotaph
* Ogidi; an African town with formations of Igneous Rock mountains and a traditional art and craft industry
* Confluence of River Niger and River Benue
* Natural land features such as hills and terrains that serve as hiking trails
* Ajaokuta steel company limited is the largest Stella industry in Nigeria, present in Kogi state
* Obajana Cement Factory is also one of the largest cement factories in Africa, housed in Kogi state.
RESOURCES: The main source of economy in Kogi state is agriculture. The state produces varieties of cash crops such as cotton, coffee, cocoa, palm oil, cashew, groundnut, and food crops such as yam, rice, melon, maize, cassava(manioc), sorghum, and beans.
In addition to agriculture, mineral resources such as iron ore, found in large quantities on the Agbaja Plateau which is located to the north of Kogi state capital, Lokoja, petroleum, tin, coal--which is mined for national distribution from the Okaba fields in the northern Udi-Nsukka Plateau which is located at the East of the Niger river--, limestone and marble which is quarried at Jakura, located about twenty miles North-west of Kogi state's capital, Lokoja are sources of economy to the state.
Named for the Hausa word for river —kogi — , Kogi State was formed from old Kwara and Benue states , with its numerous cultural values, beliefs and great artistry works which stem from its diverse heterogenous ethnic groups and tribes , natural endowments of plateaus, hills and terrains which stretches far and wide across the state with its vast , arable and fertile lands.
The confluence of two of Africa's most important rivers — Niger and Benue , located in the middle belt of Nigeria , it is the most centrally located state as it shares boundaries with ten other states in Nigeria . A gateway state , its capital Lokoja , is an ancient historical town which once served as the colonial administrative headquarters for the British during the colonial times .
Kogi State is abundant in mineral and human resources and is rich in coal , limestone , iron , tin, petroleum and agricultural resources as well. 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 . In the pre – colonial period , the area now known as Kogi State was divided amidst other states with some settlements being underpopulated forming village based and hamlets as others were part of larger empires like the Nupe kingdom which held most of now western Kogi state until the early 1800s when the Fulanis jihad annexed the kingdom and placed the area under sokoto caliphate. In the 1900s and 1910s , as a result of British expeditions , the area was occupied and further incorporated into the Northern Nigeria protectorate with its capital as Lokoja until 1903.
The protectorate later merged into British 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 divided and it became part of the north western state , Kwara and Benue –plateau state . After Benue – plateau and the north western states were also divided in 1976 , the now Kogi became a part of the new Benue and Niger states , south eastern Kwara and far southern Niger states were broken off to form the new Kogi State. And due to this historical divisions , modern day Kogi state is indeed a confluence of diverse ethnicity and cultural heritage as it comprises of the Igalas, Ebiras, ,Kabbas, Gbagyis , Nupes ( which are Bassa nge , kakanda and Kupa subgroups) in the state center , the Agatus , Bassa komo , Idomas, and Igbo in the north east and the Yoruba ( mainly the Okun , Oworo , Ogori and the Magongo groups ) in the west . Kogi is also religiously diverse with majority practicing Islam , a substantial population practicing Christianity with the rest following traditional ethnic religion .
The new state was a reunion of people who had shared a common history and had existed as one for over 7 decades before being severed by the 1976 states creation exercise, as it was created on the 27th of August 1991 under the administration of Babangida , which seek to put the state on a threshold of social and economic growth. The area which today forms Kogi state was a colonial formation then known as Kabba province which had suffered neglect since independence , hence it was the need for development on all rounds that prompted the then president to create the state alongside other eight , a state out if Kwara and Benue bringing together families who had separated by the 1976 creation exercise to a happy reunion.
Economically , the state is largely based around agriculture mainly of coffee, cashew, groundnut , cocoa , oil palm , and yam crops , maize, rice and melon alongside animal husbandry . Kogi state has both the 23rd highest human development index and GDP in the country.
Tourist Attractions
Fun facts about Kogi State
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