Kogi | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nicknames: | |
 Location of Kogi State in Nigeria | |
| Coordinates:7°30′N6°42′E / 7.500°N 6.700°E /7.500; 6.700 | |
| Country |  Nigeria |
| Date created | 27 August 1991 |
| Capital | Lokoja |
| Government | |
| • Body | Government of Kogi State |
| • Governor | Usman Ododo (APC) |
| • Deputy Governor | Salifu Joel (APC) |
| • Legislature | Kogi State House of Assembly |
| • Senators | C:Natasha Akpoti (PDP) E:Jibrin Isah (APC) W:Sunday Karimi (APC) |
| • Representatives | List |
| Area | |
• Total | 29,833 km2 (11,519 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 13th of 36 |
| Population (2006 census) | |
• Total | 3,314,043[1] |
• Estimate (2022) | 4,466,800[2] |
| • Rank | 24th of 36 |
| • Density | 111.09/km2 (287.71/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Kogite |
| GDP (PPP) | |
| • Year | 2021 |
| • Total | $23.88 billion[3] |
| • Per capita | $4,593[3] |
| Time zone | UTC+01 (WAT) |
| postal code | 260001 |
| ISO 3166 code | NG-KO |
| HDI (2022) | 0.625[4] medium ·9th of 37 |
| Website | www |
Kogi State is astate in theNorth Central region ofNigeria, bordered to the west by the states ofEkiti andKwara, to the north by theFederal Capital Territory, to the northeast byNasarawa State, to the northwest byNiger State, to the southwest by the states ofEdo andOndo, to the southeast by the states ofAnambra andEnugu, and to the east byBenue State. It is the only state in Nigeria to border ten other states. Named for theHausa word for river, the state was formed from parts ofBenue State,Niger State, andKwara State on 27 August 1991.[5][6] The state is nicknamed the "Confluence State" as the confluence of theRiver Niger and theRiver Benue occurs next to its capital,Lokoja.
Of the 36states of Nigeria, Kogi is thethirteenth largest in area andtwentieth most populous with an estimated population of about 4.5 million as of 2016.[7] Geographically, the state is within thetropicalGuinean forest–savanna mosaicecoregion. Important geographic features include the key rivers with theNiger flowing from the northwest and theBenue coming from the northeast before the two rivers meet in Kogi's center and bisect the state southward.
Kogi State has been inhabited for years by various ethnic groups, including theEbira,Gbagyi,Nupe (mainly theBassa Nge,Kakanda, andKupa subgroups), andOko in the state's centre; theAgatu,Basa-Komo,Idoma,Igala, andIgbo in the east; and theYoruba (mainly theOkun,Ogori,Oworo, and Magongo subgroups) in the west. Kogi is also religiously diverse, with about equal percentages ofChristians andMuslims along with a substantial minority of adherents oftraditional ethnic religions.
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 theNupe Kingdom which held much of now-western Kogi State until the early 1800s when theFulani jihad annexed the kingdom and placed the area under theSokoto Caliphate while the eastern half of the modern state was the ancientIgala Kingdom. In the 1900s and 1910s, British expeditions occupied the area and incorporated them into theNorthern Nigeria Protectorate with its capital asLokoja until 1903. The protectorate later merged intoBritish Nigeria before becoming independent asNigeria in 1960. Originally, modern-day Kogi State was a part of the post-independenceNorthern Region until 1967 when the region was split and the area became part of theNorth-Western State,Kwara State, andBenue-Plateau State. After Benue-Plateau and the North-Western states were split in 1976, now-Kogi became a part of the newBenue andNiger 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 aroundagriculture, mainly ofcoffee,cashew,groundnut,cocoa,oil palm, andyam crops. Other key industries arecrude oil extraction and thelivestock herding ofcattle,goats, andsheep.[8] Kogi has theninth highestHuman Development Index andsixteenth highestGDP in the country.[9]
Theclimate 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 sfrom November to March. The dry season is very dusty and cold as a result of the north-easterly winds, which bring in theharmattan.[10] 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.[11]
In October 2022, Kogi State witnessed one of the worstflood disasters 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".[12]
In 2012, floods ravaged the state of Kogi and others in Nigeria. A total of 623,690 displaced people were accommodated in 87 camps across the state during the period. Roads wereunmotorable due to the flood. Many school buildings became refugee camps. Houses were submerged. Property and infrastructure was badly affected. Crops in farm fields were seriously damaged.[13][14] The flood caused deaths, loss of property and destruction of farmland and produce estimated at N63.4 billion in nine local government areas of Kogi state.[15]
Kogi State is the only state in Nigeria that shares a boundary with ten other states.[16]
The state is famous for its productivity in business and agriculture, cultural diversity, hospitable citizens and beautiful landmarks.
There are three main ethnic groups and languages in Kogi:Igala people,Anebira, andOkun, with others such asBassa Nge ofBassa L.G.A,Kupa andKakanda speakers, who are a people ofNupe extraction underLokoja L.G.A.,Bassa which is also ofBassa, Lokoja and KotoLocal government areas,Oworo people,Igbo,OgoriMagongo, andIdoma.
The nameNigeria, was coined in Lokoja byFlora Shaw in the hill ofMount Patti, the future wife ofBaron Lugard, aBritish colonial administrator, while gazing out at theriver Niger .[17]
She,Flora Shaw is the daughter of an English father, Captain George Shaw, and a French mother, Marie Adrienne Josephine, a local ofMauritius (née Desfontaines; 1826–1871).
Kogi is a multi-ethnic state with over multiple indigenous languages spoken in the state. The main language isEbiraIgala then and (Okun). Other common languages includeNupe,Kakanda,Kupa,Bassa, Kupa,Bassa Nge,Hausa, Osayen.[18]Ogori in Kogi central speak Oko language.
The Okun language is spoken in theKogi West Senatorial District andIgbo is spoken inIbaji andIgalamela-Odolu local government areas of the state.
Kogi is religiously diverse with about 45% of the state's population areMuslim with about 40% beingChristian and the remaining 15% followingtraditional ethnic religions minorities.
Sheikh Aminu Sha'aban was turbaned as theImam of Lokoja in December 2019.[19]
The Ecclesiastical Province of Lokoja with the AnglicanChurch of Nigeria led byArchbishop Daniel Abubakar Yisa covers Kogi andNiger States and includes the six Dioceses ofIjumu (2008) led by BishopPaul Olarewaju Ojo (2018),Kabba (1996) led by Bishop Steven Kadoye Akobe (2010),Lokoja (1994) led by BishopEmmanuel Egbunu (2004),Ogori-Magongo led by BishopFestus Davies (2009),Okene (2008) led by BishopEmmanuel Onsachi (2017) andIdah led byBishop Joseph Musa (2005).
The Catholic Church includes theDiocese of Idah (1968) with 56 parishes under BishopAnthony Ademu Adaji (2009) and theDiocese of Lokoja (1955 as Kabba) with 43 parishes under BishopMartin Dada Abejide Olorunmolu (2005), bothsuffragans of theArchdiocese of Abuja.
Kogi State consists of twenty-one local government areas. Which are:
Tourist attractions in Kogi State include; The Azad's palace of the Ohinoyi of Ebira land, the colonial relics (such asLord Lugard House),Mount Patti,World War Cenotaph, the confluence of Rivers Niger and Benue,Ogidi (An African town with formations ofIgneous Rock mountains and a traditional art & craft industry) and natural land features hills and terrains that serve as hiking trails.
Some tourists visit on day trips from Abuja, which is a two-hour drive away. Kogi State Tourism and Hotels Company Limited was established to promote tourism in the state. The state government plans and harnesses the high potentials of tourism including the development of historical landmarks at Lokoja.[20]
Kogi State connects the Federal Capital Territory with 22 Southern States.
Federal Highways are:
Other major roads include
The River Niger and Benue are both navigable waterways.
Being in close proximity to the federal capital territory,Abuja International Airport serves as the national and international gateway for air travelers from and to the state. Good telecommunications services are available in the state.
Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. There are manyfarm products from the state, includingcoffee,cocoa,palm oil,cashews,groundnuts,maize,cassava,yam,rice andmelon.
Mineral resources includecoal,limestone,iron,petroleum andtin. The state is home to theAjaokuta Steel Company Limited, the largest iron and steel industry in Nigeria and theObajana Cement Factory, one of the largest cement factories in Africa.
Kogi state is home to theFederal University (Lokoja),[21]Kogi State University[22] Anyigba, Confluence University of Science and Technology Osara, Kogi State University Kabba,Federal Polytechnic Idah,[23]Kogi State Polytechnic[24] (Lokoja), Federal College of Education (Okene), College of Education (Ankpa), College of Agriculture Kabba, Kogi state college of education, technical (Kabba) and the PrivateSalem University,[25] Lokoja. There are a college of nursing and midwifery in Anyigba and Obangede, a School of health tech in Idah, and ECWA School of Nursing in Egbe.[26]
Kogi State has producedsprinters and other sportsmen, who have contributed to the growth of sports worldwide.Kogi United andBabanawa F.C. arefootball teams based in the state. Other sports, such asswimming,handball, andtable tennis, are actively promoted in the state.[citation needed]
Sportsmen from the state includeShola Ameobi who played football as astriker forNewcastle United and for otherEnglish Premier League teams.Sunday Bada was a400 metre sprinter who won three medals at theWorld Indoor Championships, including a gold medal in 1997, and won a gold medal with the Nigerian team in the4 × 400 metres relay at the 2000 Olympics.
The State government is led by a democratically elected governor who works closely with members of the state's house of assembly. The capital city of the state isLokoja[27]
The electoral system of each state is selected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive the plurality of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two -thirds of the State's and local government Areas. If no candidate passes the threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of local government Areas.[27]
Three senators have represented Kogi state since the return of democracy in 1999. The state is divided into three senatorial districts, with Kogi East, Kogi West and Kogi Central returning one senator each.[28]
State capital:Lokoja | ||
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| Geographic | |
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