For the tributary of the Niger River, see Benue River.
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NE: Gabriel Suswam (PDP) NW: Emmanuel Yisa Orker-Jev (PDP) S: Patrick Abba Moro (PDP)
• Representatives
List
Area
• Total
34,059 km2 (13,150 sq mi)
• Rank
11th of 36
Population
(2006 Census)
• Total
4,253,641[1]
• Estimate
(2022)
6,141,300[2]
• Rank
7th of 36
GDP (PPP)
• Year
2021 (estimate)
• Total
$27.64 billion[3]
• Per capita
$4,141[3]
Time zone
UTC+01 (WAT)
Dialing Code
+234
ISO 3166 code
NG-BE
HDI (2021)
0.604[4] medium · 18th of 37
Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in the 2006 census. The state was created in 1976[5] among the seven states created at that time. The state derives its name from the Benue River which is the second largest river in Nigeria after the River Niger.[6] The state borders Nasarawa State to the North; Taraba State to the East; Kogi State to the West; Enugu State to the South-West; Ebonyi and Cross-Rivers State to the South; and has an international border with Cameroon to the South-East.[7] It is inhabited predominantly by the Tiv, Idoma, and Igede. Minority ethnic groups in Benue are Etulo, Igbo, Jukun peoples etc. Its capital is Makurdi.[8] Benue is a rich agricultural region; common crops include oranges, mangoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, soya bean, guinea corn, flax, yams, sesame, rice, groundnuts, and palm trees.
Benue State is a legacy of an administrative entity that was carved out of the protectorate of northern Nigeria at the beginning of the twentieth century. The territory was initially known as Munshi Province until 1918 when the name of its dominant geographical feature, the 'Benue River' was adopted.[9]
Benue State is named after the Benue River and was formed from the former Benue-Plateau State in 1976, along with Igala and some part of Kwara State.[10] In 1991, some areas of Benue state (mostly the Igala speaking area), along with areas in Kwara State, were carved out to become part of the new Kogi State. Igbo people are found in the boundary areas like the Obi, Oju, and Ado Local Government Areas. It is known as the "Heartbeat of the Middle Belt" and the "Entertainment Capital of the Middle Belt" north of the Niger River. Otukpo, the Idoma people's traditional and administrative capital, is also known as the Lion's Heart and the Land of the Brave.[11]
^"2006 PHC Priority Tables – NATIONAL POPULATION COMMISSION". population.gov.ng. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
^"Benue State: Subdivision". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
^ abOkeowo, Gabriel; Fatoba, Iyanuoluwa, eds. (13 October 2022). "State of States 2022 Edition" (PDF). Budgit.org. BudgIT. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
^"Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
^"Benue at 46: Like Winston Churchill, like Samuel Ortom". The Cable. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
^"Historical Background – I am Benue". Retrieved 7 February 2022.
^"Benue State". Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^"Makurdi | Nigeria". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
^"Benue | Nigeria". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
^"Historical Background". Government of Benue State. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
^"Idoma International Carnival gradually revving into cultural hub". The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News. 28 January 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
BenueState is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in the 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 among...
and governors of BenueState. BenueState of Nigeria was formed on 03 February 1976 when Benue-Plateau State was divided into Benue and Plateau states...
BenueState University is a state-owned university in Makurdi, BenueState, Nigeria. In 2006, student enrollment was over 19,000 served by 7 faculties...
Kogi State administrators and governors. Kogi State was created on 27 August 1991 out of BenueState and Kwara State. States of Nigeria List of state governors...
Benue River (French: la Bénoué), previously known as the Chadda River or Tchadda, is the major tributary of the Niger River. Almost its entire length...
Benue may refer to: Benue River, a river in Cameroon and Nigeria BenueState, a state in Nigeria Benue-Plateau State, a former administrative division...
This is a list of villages in BenueState, Nigeria organised by local government area (LGA) and district, with postal codes also given. "Postcodes Nigeria"...
by the states of Benue and Kogi, and to the west by the Federal Capital Territory. Named for the historic Nasarawa Emirate, the state was formed from the...
areas of BenueState, Nigeria, and some of them can be found in Taraba State, Cross Rivers State, Enugu State, Kogi State and Nasarawa State in Nigeria...
to the north through Benuestate, to the west through Ebonyi state and Abia state, and to the southwest through Akwa Ibom state, while its eastern border...
governor of BenueState since May 29, 2023. Hyacinth Alia was born on 15 May 1966,in Mbangur, Mbadede, Vandeikya local government area of BenueState. He got...
found in Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau, Cross rivers, Adamawa, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. The language is a branch of Benue–Congo...
State is an amalgam of three former Divisions - Wukari, Mambilla and Muri Divisions. Taraba state is bounded in the west by Nasarawa state and Benue state...
speakers in 2020. The largest population of Tiv speakers are found in Benuestate in Nigeria. The language is also widely spoken in some Nigerian states...
State (Igbo: Ȯra Ebonyi) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by BenueState, Enugu State to...
the Local Government, the third tier of government in Nigeria, below the state governments and the federal government. The functions of local governments...
The BenueState Polytechnic is a tertiary education institute in Ugbokolo, Okpokwu LGA, BenueState, Nigeria. The current Rector is Dr. Usman David Kuti...
The 2017 BenueState flooding took place in September 2017 in BenueState, Nigeria. It displaced at least 100,000 people, and damaged more than 2,000 homes...
BenueState, located in central Nigeria, and part of the Middle Belt region of central Nigeria. The city is situated on the south bank of the Benue River...
The BenueState House of Assembly is the legislative arm of the government of BenueState of Nigeria. It is a unicameral legislature with 32 members elected...
of Nigeria, and the dates of their creation. How Nigeria got to 36 States. Timeline of State creation in Nigeria. Old Naija. Retrieved June 25, 2020....
2015. He served as the Governor of BenueState from May 1999 to May 2007. Akume was re-elected Senator for Benue North-West in the April 2011 elections...
State Afo (Eloyi) Nasarawa State Agbo Cross River State Akaju-Ndem (Akajuk) Cross River State Akweya-Yachi BenueState Alago (Arago) Nasarawa State Amo...
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