FACTS

​

Capital - Makurdi

 

Motto - Food Basket of The Nation

 

Population (2009) - 5,000,000 

 

Area - 30,955 sq km

 

Local Government Areas

​

        23

 

Ado, Katsina-Ala, Oju, Agatu, Konshisha, Okpokwu, Apa, Kwande, Oturkpo, Buruku, Logo, Tarka, Gboko, Makurdi, Ukum, Guma, Obi, Ushongo, Gwer-West, Ogbadibo, Vandeikya, Gwer, Ohimini .

​

​

GEOGRAPHY

 

Wildlife/vegetation: Based on Koppen’s Scheme of Classification, Benue State lies within the AW Climate and experiences two distinct seasons, the wet/rainy season and the dry/summer season. The rainy season lasts from April to October with annual rainfall in the range of 100-200mm. The dry season begins in November and ends in March. Temperatures fluctuate between 23 – 37 degrees Celsius in the year. The south-eastern part of the state adjoining the Obudu-Cameroun mountain range, however, has a cooler climate similar to that of the Jos Plateau.

​

The vegetation of the State consists of rain forests which have tall trees, tall grasses and oil palm trees that occupy the state’s western and southern fringes while the Guinea savannah is found in the eastern and northern parts with mixed grasses and trees that are generally of average height.

Benue’s topography is mainly undulating plains with occasional elevations of between 1,500m and 3,000m above sea level.  The state’s main geologic formations are sandy-loam shelf basement complex and alluvial plains.  These together with its location in the transition belt between the north and south ecologies and a favourable rainfall pattern account for its support for a wide variety of crops.

​

​

​

PEOPLE

 

Main ethnic groups:  Tiv ,Idoma and Igede. Others are Etulo, Abakpa, Jukun, Hausa, Akweya and Nyifon.

 

Languages: Agatu, Akpa, Idoma, Tiv  

​

IMPORTANT SITES

​

• Enumabia Warm Spring

• Natural Attractions includes hills such as

  • Ikyogen

  • Abande

  • Ngokur

  • Mkar

  • Ushongo

  • Harga

• Historical monuments includes

  • the Royal Niger Company Trading Stores at Makurdi and Gbileve near Katsina-Ala

  • the tombs of the first Dutch missionaries at Harga and Sai in Katsina-Ala Local Government Areas

  • the tombs of the legendary politician, Mr. J. S. Tarka and past three Tor Tiv in Gboko town

  • the trench fortifications in Turan district of Kwande local government areas which were dug by the Tiv to ward off Chamba invasions in the 19th century

  • At Utonkon, is a thick forest with tall giant trees, the centre of which used to serve as a slave trade market, but is now the site of shrines and a periodic market.

  • Swem is a shrine site at the foot of the Cameroon range in Kwande local government area from where the Tivs were said to have originated.

​

​

QUICK HISTORY

 

Benue state was created on February 3, 1976.  It was one of the seven new states created by the military administration headed by late General Murtala Muhammed, which increased the number of states in the federation from twelve to nineteen.  The state derives its name from the River Benue which is the second largest river in the country and the most outstanding geographic feature in the state.

At creation, the state comprised three local governments in the Tiv-speaking areas, namely Gboko, Katsina-Ala, and Makurdi; one (Otukpo) in the Idoma-speaking areas and three (Ankpa, Idah and Dekina) in the Igala-speaking areas, which were excised from Kwara state.

Today, however, with the creation of more states and local governments in 1991, the Igala-speaking local governments were excised to form part of the present Kogi state. Presently, benue has twenty-three local governments, with the Tiv speaking area having fourteen while the remaining nine are Idoma-Igede area.

 

​

​

​

FAMOUS NIGERIANS

​

​

THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS

 

​

 

​

​

​

 

​